New Doggie Daycare

I heard through acquaintances in puppy class that the new doggie daycare in town was open and taking in dogs. So I stopped by today to give it a look. I've never actually been to a doggie daycare before, though I have read quite a bit about them. I toyed with the dream of opening my own a while back, so I was quite interested in seeing this new space.

We went in and met the owner and toured the facility. Right now, there's no staff besides her. The facility is quite nice, though of course a bit rough as she's just getting off the ground. The entry opens into nicely finished area. There's a wire gate that opens into the first fenced area. This area is separated from the main dog area by a white fence. It's all climate controlled with cement flooring. The brochure says it is 3000 square feet of space for the dogs to run and play inside. There are tennis balls all about and a children's jungle gym play equipment. The dogs that were there today were having quite the time running around chasing the one dog who had a ball (and ignoring the other 10 laying about!). We also saw the kennel area. It looks fine. A lot like a shelter kennel, really.

The only issues that concerned me are the limited outdoor space and the fact that the smaller dogs arent separated from the smaller dogs. I asked the owner about that, as Cedar and Willow would certainly not able to hold their own to the type of play we observed with the larger dogs today (the jack russell there was fine, but of course, cavs arent jack russells!). The owner said that, if small dogs were there who couldnt handle the larger dogs, she could keep them separated between the large space and the smaller entry space. While that would limit the space the girls would have, they probably wouldnt mind. In fact, wherever the person is, is where they will want to be!

The price per dog is 15 dollars a day. 10 dollars a half day, and 20 dollars for overnight boarding. I asked about discounts for multiple dogs, and she said something about a "package" but I didnt get all the details. I will have to call back.

The dogs have to have all their shots, including kennel cough vaccine and a behavior test, and there's a 15 dollar registration fee.

What do you all think?

I toured a doggie day care in my area too - it is more expensive - $25 a day, but given I'm right next door to NYC, that is not too bad actually!

And it has a swimming pool, web cams that owners can view during certain times, and also is vet supervised (vet is right next door). I think Doggie Day Cares in general can be a good idea if you have to leave them alone and can't get anyone to check in on them. And a great opportunity to socialize them.

I'd think it essential that they require all the vaccinations & I"d share your concerns about mixing the small and large dogs - though at the Day Care near me, there was a Cav playing with all the other dogs in the play room and he seemed to be doing great (but there was an attendant there watching in case he needed to jump in).

The one near me was REALLY cool ... if I were a dog, I'd want to spend my days there. http://www.riverpet.com/aboutus.html

I'll bet your girls would enjoy day care - are you thinking of having them go there every day when you are are work? or just occassionally to socialize them and so they can have some fun?

No, I wasnt planning on my girls staying everyday. I am a college instructor, so I get to work from home quite a bit. Still, I would like the option to take them to daycare if something comes up.

Cedar and Willow are really small cavvies--Willow just under 10 lbs, Cedar just over-- so even if they LIKE the big dogs (which they generally do) they can easily get stepped on, trampled, and the like by a pack of bigger dogs. Even the jack russell there today, who is much more agile, quick, and assertive than my girls, was finding refuge between my legs when the pack got too close. The owner mentioned that so far, most of the dogs enrolled are less than a year old, so they have tons of puppy energy and not so much coordination.

While someone would be there to watch, I am still a bit apprehensive.

3 out of my 4 cavaliers went to doggy day care when they were puppies. It is a great place for them to be socialized to all size dogs and other people. They also have so much fun playing, that they are calm at home and easier to train and take care of. Also, puppies get themselves in so much trouble, it is great to know that they are being taken care of and having fun while I am at work or out shopping. I have also used day care for an adult Vizsla that had separation anxiety. It really helped him and gave peace to the neighborhood. His constant barking while I was away was driving my neighbors to distraction.

When Merry & Pippin went to day care, it was a small place like the one you toured. I would just speak to the owner about your concerns about your guys be safe with the larger dogs. What my experience was that my cavs played with jack russells and shitzus and other smaller dogs in a separate area. However, as my cavs got more used to things they were often playing in the big pen with the big dogs.

Currently, I am taking Jolly to a bigger day care and they have 2 separate play areas. One for puppies and gentle adult dogs and the other play area is for the rougher playing dogs. They always have staff members in the dog play areas. The dogs are never unsupervised. The price is $20/day if you go 1-2 days a week and $15/day for 3-5 days per week.

You did the right thing in touring the place. I do the same. You need to feel comfortable with the place and the people taking care of pets. If you are not comfortable, don't do it.

Doggy day care sounds like a wonderful idea to me. I'll have to be honest here and say that my Maxx would prefer to spend time with the bigger dogs rather than other smaller dogs. I think it's because all his friends at the park when he was smaller were much bigger than him. he gets a bit nervous around little dogs.

My hubby's daughter used to work part-time at a doggy day care in Baltimore, and she loved it! Her job was to play with the dogs, then sit on a sofa with them while they napped. Wow, to get paid for that!!!!!

I like the idea of doggy daycare. But I think it's safer for cavs to be segregated from the larger dogs and kept with other toy breeds and small companion breeds, no bigger than 25-30 lbs.

Larger dogs chasing around can get a 'pack' mentality and their 'prey' drives can kick in. I saw it happen at a large dog park when a whippet was running loose with the larger dogs. Luckily the owner of the whippet is a trainer and removed the whippet when she saw the group dynamics change!!

Just an observation from an indoor small dog park that used to be offered at the training center we belonged to - my husband cannot bear for our dogs to be near jack russells and other small terriers that spend all their time humping or otherwise harassing the 'softer' breeds.

I guess if I knew the owners were 100% attentive, I would love to put mine in daycare. :flwr:

Cathy,

I can understand your hubby entirely. I am petrified of JRT's and if I see one coming towards us I go in the opposite direction or cross the road. My GSD had her tail ripped open by a pack of them and she never retaliated but got in front of me to protect me, bless her. Maxx was jumped on one nad had his ear bitten by one on his very first outing on a lead too

I always think they are spawn of satan :badgrin:

icon_devil :badgrin: :badgrin: :badgrin:


:shock: Actually that's terrible what happened to poor Maxx and your GSD! :yikes

Today was Jolly Jumper's first day at doggy day care. He will be 19 weeks old tomorrow. I got him at 13 weeks old and for the first 6 weeks my groomer took him in during the day. He had a blast playing with her 8 Yorkies. One named Bella was only 3 months older than him and they had fun and got into trouble together.

The reason he started day care this week, is because my groomer has an 8 week old puppy that she needs to prepare for it's new home and she doesn't want Jolly to get in the way and inadvertently hurt the puppy. So for a few weeks, Jolly gets to meet new people and dogs at the day care. I think this will be good for him, since he will meet lots of different kinds & sizes of dogs and it will help with his socialization.

I dropped him off at 7:30 AM and I called over at 9:30 AM to see how he is adjusting and they said he is having a grand time. He isn't shy or a problem. He is playing with other miniature dogs and puppies and they said he had plently of playmates his own size today. His favorite this morning was a chihuahua (sp?).

I can't wait to hear more about his adventure when I pick him up at 4:30 PM.