Keeping Your Pooch Calm: Sending Your Dog To Doggy Day Care

You love spending time with your dog and hate to leave him at home during the day. Unfortunately, you spend most of your time at the office or running errands and you feel like your pet isn’t getting the attention he deserves. If you feel bad leaving your pet at home alone, then you should consider other options. Have you ever considered enrolling your pooch in doggy daycare?

Daycares that cater to dogs are popping up all over the place. Like children’s daycare, dog daycares provide animals services during the work week. The services offered by the daycare depend upon ownership; but, they all center on providing care and attention for your pet. With a little research, you are sure to find one that fits your needs.

A typical daycare will have a well-trained staff that spends most of the day interacting with the pets. There are various areas of the facility where dogs can nap, play with toys, and play with each other. Some facilities have outdoors areas. Those that do not should offer daily outdoor exercise (a leashed walk is sufficient). Some places offer grooming and massage services, on-site veterinarian or a vet who visits the business, dog obedience training and classes, and overnight dog kennels. Depending on how much time your pooch spends at the facility, he will be provided with water and meals if needed. The cost of stay depends on your package of choice. You can leave your dog at the daycare multiple days a week or a couple of days each month.

Doggy daycares are rising in popularity, but may not be covering your area. Before you choose a daycare, visit your options. If you only have one option, then schedule a time to checkout the facilities. When you’re there, watch how the staff members interact with the pets. Do they spend time playing? Do they seem to enjoy the company of the animals, or are do they seem irritated? How many dogs are there for every staff member? A staff member can take care of multiple pooches, but there shouldn’t be only one staff member taking care of them all. Ask as many questions as you can think of. Find out what happens in an emergency situation: do they have a vet or will they take your pet to your vet? Ask about how the staff handles dog fights. Most facilities will have a timeout area for aggressive or unruly dogs. Find out about the timeout policy.

If you want your dog to stay in a daycare, then you will probably have to undergo an entrance screening. To protect the other clients, a daycare will not allow overly aggressive or shy dogs. They may want to spend time with your dog and find out how he interacts with others. Be honest when answering their questions. If your dog doesn’t like to share toys, then make sure you let them know. They may also require basic obedience training for safety reasons. In addition to behavior and obedience screening, medical history will also be a factor. Your dog must be up-to-date on vaccinations. Many facilities also require that your pet be spayed or neutered. If your pooch is allowed to enroll in the facility, he may have a trial day before you leave him full time. The trial day will be more like a half-day where your pooch can get accustomed to the facility and be introduced to the other animals.

Before you enroll your pet in a daycare, take his temperament and wellbeing into consideration. If you have an older dog, then he may not feel comfortable around the noise or commotion. Anxious dogs may experience added anxiety due to their new surroundings. Don’t throw your pooch into daycare only because you feel bad about leaving him at home; you need to make sure he’ll enjoy the stay.

Leaving your pooch at a doggy daycare is a great way to provide him attention throughout the day. Just because you leave your dog at a daycare facility does not mean that your time spent with him is replaced. He still needs your love and care. Find a facility that matches your needs and that can provide appropriate care for your pet. Your dog will enjoy the company of other animals and look forward to his time spent at daycare! This article was provide by www.disount-pet-mall.com.

By Shelly Siegel
Published: 7/4/2008
 
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