The Great Doggie Daycare Search: Part 3

The last daycare sounded very promising on the phone. It was a home daycare and the woman sounded like she knew what she was doing. She talked the talk at least. To top it all off, it was $5 cheaper per day than the other daycares. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “if it sounds too good to be true, then it is?” Right.
We arrived at her home at the predetermined time, or so I thought. She didn’t seem to know why we were there and after a few minutes of discussion she informed us that we were there on the wrong day. Hmmm, Ok, so...... Fortunately we were able to still check it out and not have to come back later. Fortunately???

I was getting a bad feeling about how this was going to turn out and as we entered the backyard my feelings were starting to be confirmed. There were a couple of dogs in the yard and a young girl who was picking up teddy bear stuffing. There was stuffing everywhere. I guess she would sometimes give the dogs cheap teddy bears to play with and this was the aftermath. Isn’t she worried that one or more of the dogs would swallow the stuffing? There was also a small barn in the yard where she would keep dogs that got out of hand. I wasn’t impressed. Since this was a home daycare, I wondered how she spent her day. I asked if she was outside with the dogs all day. She wasn’t. She did have a pop bottle filled with coins that she would come out and shake when the dogs started making noise. That was something (insert sarcasm here). Then there was the great kennel space. Translation, a dark, smelly basement with a bunch of couches.

I struggled to come to terms with how someone would choose to leave their dog at this place. Did the dogs look unhappy? No. At least I don’t think so. Anyway, this was definitely not the place for Chili. We couldn’t get out of there quick enough.

In order to make a final decision we revisited the first daycare again. We both felt that this was the best place for Chili and we were confident that she would be taken care of and that she would have fun. It turned out to be the right decision. The staff at Pet Pampering has been great and Chili loves it. She’s excited to arrive and she’s equally happy to see us at the end of the day when we pick her up. The girls let us know when she’s been bratty and when she’s not feeling her best. They also seem genuine about their love of dogs and I’ve learned even more about Chili from listening to their stories.

Although I’m happy with taking Chili to daycare, as I look back there was one habit that we fell into that wasn’t good. Chili would play all day, then come home and eat, then sleep. She was too tired to spend time with us and we were tired from working all day so were happy that she didn’t need any further exercise. Even though I would train with her, on the off nights I should have been taking her for at least a 20 minute walk to provide consistent daily structure. Daycares certainly do get the job done and fill the need when your dog is too energetic to spend their days at home alone. Just remember that your dog also needs your attention, leadership and structure.

Chili is a very social girl and gets along great at daycare. Not all dogs have the temperament for it. Ask questions and listen to the feedback that the daycare staff is giving you. Your dog may not be a good candidate for daycare. Don’t force your dog to endure something that puts them in a state of anxiety or makes them uneasy just because it’s convenient for you. You may have to consider other options. If you’re having doubts, talk to a professional who is open and can guide you in supporting your dog and finding the best solutions for them while you’re at work. We like working with Michele at Connective Training in Victoria for our training needs. A good trainer can make all the difference in the relationship between you and your dog.

The Great Doggie Daycare Search: Part 2

With a successful beginning to our search I was feeling pretty good about things. Of course there were concerns, but I was going with my gut and I felt that daycare was the right place for Chili. Now it was off to check out the second place. This daycare was located further away than the first one but looked good on first impression. The whole property was the daycare. It was beautiful with lots of trees and space. Again, I could see Chili having a good time there. There were only about 3 dogs on the property when we visited but I believe they had up to a dozen during the days. It was clean and the couple seemed very nice. My biggest concern here was that the dogs weren’t always watched. If the people were on one side of the property, the dogs could be on the other side, doing whatever they pleased. One thing that I know about Chili, she can’t be left to her own devices. That would spell trouble. Also, it wasn’t located in a convenient place for dropping her off in the morning. Again, Chili was pretty good. She seemed more comfortable at the first daycare we visited but she did OK at this one.

Not everyone thinks that doggie daycares are good places. There is definitely a huge element of trust that comes with leaving your dog in someone else’s care, especially when you add a bunch of other dogs to the mix. Some of the questions I was asked by people were:

Do they allow Pit Bulls at the daycares?
Now, I would be lying if I said I had absolutely no reservations about Pit Bulls. At that point I had never known a Pit Bull and there are a lot of people and stories out there to keep you fearful of them. But, I love animals and it just doesn’t seem right that EVERY Pit Bull was bad. They can’t be. The first daycare allowed them, but the second didn’t. I would not let this be a deciding factor.

How is it possible for them to watch so many dogs?
The first daycare had staff and there was always someone out in the field monitoring the dogs, armed with a hose. I like that someone is watching them at all times. Do they see every little thing that every dog does, probably not. Let’s be realistic, at least they are always being monitored. At the second daycare the dogs weren’t monitored at all times. Problems can only be dealt with if you know they’re there, and you have to be watching to know.

Isn’t it inevitable that Chili will get bitten or that she’ll end up in a fight?
Maybe. She could get bitten or get into a fight on a walk or at the dog park. At least in a daycare, the staff knows each of the dogs and learn how to recognize problems before they arise. I won’t be naive and say it never happens, but hopefully it won’t be Chili.

Do you think you should have them keep her on her own?
Then what’s the point of bringing her to daycare? So she can watch the other dogs have fun while she sits alone? I don’t think so.

Maybe she’d be safer if you left her at a kennel?
That would defeat the purpose of having her energy drained. Why pay someone to kennel her when she has a kennel at home. That’s no life for Chili. She’s a very social girl.

No matter what, I get to choose. It’s my decision. So far, I’m leaning towards the first daycare but we still have one more place to see. I think that taking Chili to daycare is going to be great for her. She’ll get to play all day with other dogs and be Chili. She’ll get exposure to other breeds, sizes, ages, and temperaments and will help to get her better socialized. It’ll also be good for me. She hasn’t left my side since we got her and there has to be balance in life. I need time for me as well.

So, what’s next? A visit to the last daycare and then a decision.

The Great Doggie Daycare Search: Part 1

An emotional event in any proud parents life, the first day of daycare. Will the others like her? Will the teachers watch over her and make sure she’s safe? Will she miss me and wonder where I am? Will she want to come home at the end of the day? My little angel is off to daycare. OK, wait. Before I get to that, let’s talk about the whole daycare decision.

Chili had way too much energy to leave her at home in her crate all day so I was taking her to work. However,she was way too young and energetic to be a ‘lay on a bed and hang out all day at work dog’. There were too many distractions and she wanted to be a part of everything that was going on. The solution, doggie daycare. You may remember that the first trainer we saw said that Chili was not the kind of dog you send to daycare. Hmmm, we’ll see about that.

There are a lot of daycares out there. The first round of eliminations comes out of a few questions:

1. Do we want to send our dog to an outdoor facility or an indoor facility? We decided that we wanted Chili to be spending her days outdoors. Be a dog. She’s such a playful girl with lots of energy and we could just picture her having tons of fun out in the dirt, rain, and occasional snow.
2. How far out of your way are you willing to travel to drop your dog off at daycare? We both left for work pretty early so we needed something close. Some daycares will pick up your dog at your house, but what if the pick up was after you left for work. We didn’t want to give anyone a key to the house, or leave Chili in the garage, or tie her outside until her ride showed up. Hopefully we could find a place that wasn’t too far out of the way.
3. Do you want a place that also does boarding? We definitely wanted a place that does boarding as well. When we go away, we wanted Chili to be familiar and happy about where she was staying. It was also important that we have a relationship with the people that will be taking care of her.

I did some research and we decided to check out 3 different places. The first was a professional facility, although the owners home is on the property, it’s separate from the business. The second was still professional but centered around the couples home, and the third was an at-home daycare facility.

I’ll be honest, I was nervous about leaving Chili with strangers. I was still getting to know her and working on her obedience and I was afraid she wouldn’t be accepted. I was afraid that as soon as we got to the daycares, that she would start lunging at the other dogs and we’d be left with no options.

I called the first place and spoke to a girl named Angie. She said that the first step would be to bring Chili for an ‘interview’ to see how she acts with the other dogs and for us to see if we like the facility and to ask any questions we may have. The day finally came for her interview. When we got there I had to sit for a minute to calm down. I was so nervous. The place had a farm feel with lots of trees but you couldn’t see the dogs. We entered kind of a holding area and rang the buzzer. Angie came down to greet us. She brought us up and around a corner into a building that had another holding area. Chili and I stayed on one side of the gate while 3 other dogs were roaming free inside. Angie had brought 3 well mannered dogs in as test dogs for Chili. The first step was to see how Chili would act on the other side of the gate. This is where I was nervous that she would act up but true to Chili form, she surprised me. She took one look at the other dogs, put her tail between her legs, and hid behind me. I was shocked. Where did this come from? No lunging, no acting up, no crazy, just unsure. I stepped out the way and Angie asked me to remove the lead. Chili stayed calm so it was time to go into the bigger area with the 3 dogs. She was still unsure and tried to hide behind me as the dogs came up to sniff her. I looked to Angie for guidance and she was calm and comfortable with everything that was happening so it relaxed me. I was surprised and happy for Chili. She was doing great. In the field area there must’ve been at least 30 dogs. Some were staring at us with their tails wagging, others were lying in the shade, and others were playing in the kiddie pools. I liked what I saw and more importantly the girls who worked there had a very relaxed and positive vibe. Angie told me that to her it looked like Chili would do fine and she gave me some paper work to fill out if I decided to use their services.

So Chili and I left, although Chili didn’t seem to want to go, and I was excited to tell my husband how Chili passed the interview and did great. Although I liked the place, I still wanted to check out the other facilities. It seemed like a good place but would she really get along well? The future would tell.