How to Choose A Doggy Daycare Center

Nowadays everyone seems to be jumping on the bandwagon for doggy day care, and for good reason too. Whilst there, your dogs will get exercised and gets to play with other

dogs, all during the time when you would otherwise have to leave him alone either in the house or outside. It can also take the burden of your puppy sitting alone in a crate all day should you be a newborn puppy owner.

Of course though, just as you would research a daycare center for your child, you must do the same for your dog.

First of all, make sure that is actually a purpose build facility and not just someone’s house that has been lightly done up or not at all. While someone can run a successful doggy day care out of their house this is the exception and not the rule, there are certain limitations and restrictions that must really be applied when many dogs are put together which can be very difficult without the proper space and facilities.

Think about it this way, how you like it if your poor little Chihuahua puppy ended up spending the whole day playing with bouncy Labrador Retriever? The answer is probably that you wouldn’t like it very much. This isn’t to say that the bigger of the dogs means any harm, but with the size difference the small puppy getting hurt is pretty much inevitable. You should make sure that at the center dogs are only allowed to play with dogs of similar size and temperament.

Now, a Jack Russell terrier is pretty small but he would probably do OK with the bigger dogs, it really all depends. This is the reason why a knowledgeable staff is required so that they could handle this accordingly.

Also make sure that the facility only takes on friendly dogs. This may seem a little foolish, surely every place does this you may think, but many places will accept any dog just to get the money. There should be some kind of socialization test your dog has to go through before being accepted.

The center should also require that your dog has all the proper vaccines and to make fecal examinations, if they don’t who knows what your dog might catch.

Find out what kind of activities your dog will be participating in. Lots of dogs really enjoy human interaction, sometimes even more so than interacting with their own kind. So you really want to know whether the staff will interact with him or are the dogs just left to play with each other.

Actually go and check out the place in person, this way you can see whether you actually think that your dog will be satisfied here. Check out whether; it looks like a safe environment, the dogs seem relaxed or stressed out, if they are allowed to take a time-out and nap.

What does the staff do in the event of a dog-fight breaking out, and can they tell when there are signs of animal aggression? What kind of animal experience does that staff have?

What’s the policy if your dog hurts another dog and vice versa? Do you have to pay for any medical bills or is that the responsibility of the daycare? Ask questions!

Doggy care should be a positive experience for both you and your pooch. A little research can go a long way to making it a successful experience for both of you.