# Doggie Daycare - Thoughts?



## guitarbloke (Jul 18, 2016)

We've just enrolled Hollie into doggie daycare so that she can socialise with other dogs and pups whilst we are at work.

It seems great - it's run by people who truly care for the dogs, the facilities are fabulous - swimming areas, large open fields (properly fenced so no chance of any escapees!), areas to dig, nap, plenty of mental and physical stimulation toys etc.

The staff take the dogs out in small groups of 3-4 for walks into the town to get used to traffic, lead walking, strangers etc. they feed here according to our schedule, and she gets nap time in a lovely comfortable sleep area whenever she wants. She's so happy whilst there, and we have the peace of mind of knowing that she's being well looked after.

In 2 days of going there, Hollie's general behaviour and biting have already improved significantly - perhaps because other pups are putting her in her place when she gets too rough?

Anyway, prior to finding out about the daycare, we were going to have a dog walker come in twice a day, and I was going to come home for lunch to be with her. This would have meant leaving Hollie crated for around 3 hours at a time in the day. 

When I cancelled the dog walker, she advised us against daycare, saying that it's not beneficial for dogs, and that we should reconsider.

What are your thoughts/experiences on 'doggie daycare'? Good/Bad/Indifferent?


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## gerryjane (Aug 12, 2016)

Hi from England.
We have started using doggy day care twice weekly for similar reasons. Monty needed to play with other dogs and learn appropriate dog manners. I had mixed feelings at first but he loves it and paws at their door to get in!!
His behaviour has improved and he now plays and greets other dogs more calmly when we are out walking. He started at 5 and a half months old and is now nearly seven months old. It also increased his exercise levels as he is working line and needs lots!
Hope it's all good for Hollie too.


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## Mayabear (Aug 26, 2015)

guitarbloke said:


> We've just enrolled Hollie into doggie daycare so that she can socialise with other dogs and pups whilst we are at work.
> 
> It seems great - it's run by people who truly care for the dogs, the facilities are fabulous - swimming areas, large open fields (properly fenced so no chance of any escapees!), areas to dig, nap, plenty of mental and physical stimulation toys etc.
> 
> ...



I have never used daycare in the conventional sense. I have used Rover for Maya and will drop her off at her sitter's home where there are usually anywhere between 3-5 dogs, so in a sense it is akin to daycare. The reason why we didn't opt for larger daycares is that Maya can be a little scared and reserved and she seems to do better in smaller groups with more personalized attention.


Did your walker give any reasons why she thinks daycare is not beneficial? Or was it an off the cuff remark considering she is losing business? 


I know people who prefer daycare (primarily because their dogs come back tuckered out) and people who don't (would rather have their dog get individual attention). Just wondering if your sitter stated any reasons why she thinks daycare is not beneficial.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

guitarbloke said:


> We've just enrolled Hollie into doggie daycare so that she can socialise with other dogs and pups whilst we are at work.
> 
> It seems great - it's run by people who truly care for the dogs, the facilities are fabulous - swimming areas, large open fields (properly fenced so no chance of any escapees!), areas to dig, nap, plenty of mental and physical stimulation toys etc.
> 
> ...


I have never used doggy daycare, but if I were going to, I'd hope it would be like yours. It sounds pretty great. Good socializing time, outdoor facilities, but also time on leash out in the city (that is really great, I think). Places for down time and naps (that's also a huge plus to me - all day stimulation can be too much for many dogs). 

If Hollie is happy and you're happy, I say stick with it!


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## schmendra (Sep 20, 2016)

We LOVE Doggie Daycare. As long as you are comfortable with the facility (it is clean, safe, secure, etc.), the staff (they are qualified and will listen and accommodate any concerns or special requests), and the number of other dogs present, I say go for it! It sounds like you have found quite a nice facility.

Finnegan is 4.5 months old and has been going to daycare one day a week for the last month. Our facility is awesome, and run by a trainer, which I think is important. We decided to send him because he was the largest in his puppy class and our older dog was too polite to tell him off when he got too rough - we felt he needed more socialization, particularly with adult dogs who could help him learn some boundaries. After a month we have definitely noticed an improvement. He is exhausted for a good 24-48 hours after, approaches other dogs far more calmly, and is better at leaving the 8-year old dog alone.

We will be so sad when he turns 7 months old and can't go again until he is neutered... 

Are you planning on sending Hollie every day? My only concern would be that all day, every day might be too much for a pup who should be getting lots of sleep.


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## jennretz (Jul 24, 2013)

I love doggy daycare and have used it since Duke was 9 weeks old. He was not allowed to socialize with the other dogs until he was 16 weeks old when he had his shots. The set up sounds very nice at the place you mentioned. There are certain things I consider when checking out daycare:

- What is the ratio of staff to dogs? Should not be more than 10 and that might be too many.
- What is their training/discipline method? Do you agree with it?
- What is their flooring like (someone else mentioned this to me and I had never given it a thought, but cement can be hard on growing bones).
- What is their vaccination policy? Do you agree with it?
- What is their procedure for kennel cough and canine influenza breakouts (i.e., cleaning, notifying clients, etc)
- Does your dog have the personality to like daycare?
- What is their protocol if fights break out or your dog gets injured?

Jenn


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## guitarbloke (Jul 18, 2016)

Thanks guys,

The dog walker was saying that Hollie won't be able to cope if we ever need to leave her on her own.

To be honest, Hollie has been very independent since we first brought her home, and she has been fine for short periods alone so far (1 hour or so). But she really does seem so happy there, and her behaviour has improved so so much in the last few days of being there that I can't see any negatives personally


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## StephA (Jun 22, 2016)

Our girl goes to daycare 1 day a week and I have seen benefits in the way she deals with dogs in the park - she loves to play but has learned to be very respectful and seems to know just how to deal with the different characters that we meet on our walks. She absolutely loves it and is so tired when we get her home!
Our daycare have an official "naptime" when all the dogs have a nap - I have seen videos taken at naptime and it is incredible how peaceful it is - you could hear a pin drop. Except that Maple started jumping on the other dogs heads! We agreed that she should be crated at nap time and now she will settle down for a proper sleep!!
It has not affected her behaviour when we do leave her alone - she is comfortable in her pen, never gets stressed and is still a very independent girl.


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## Rilelen (Jan 11, 2015)

We don't use daycare regularly, but Abby's been to a couple different ones. She's not a big fan of big corporate type doggy daycares that have a large herd of dogs running around in an indoor concrete facility (I've watched her on camera; she's clearly not having a good time and we no longer go there). But she loooooooves daycares that offer smaller groups and big outdoor areas. 

The place you're going sounds fabulous - if Hollie is happy when you drop her off and pick her up, and you're happy with her improvements in behavior, stick with it! I think sometimes it can be a challenge to really give young dogs the exercise they need when you're at work all day. I've watched Abby spend a solid 5-6 hours retrieving on the beach in big surf; when you have a dog that could go all day, a couple hours of exercise in the evening just isn't going to tire them out like a day spent playing with the company of other dogs and other people.


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## Wolfeye (Sep 15, 2015)

Dogs adapt, and Goldens are among the most adaptable. I've had Bagheera at daycare since he was 8 weeks old. The choice was a cage for 4 hours until my wife could let him out for potty, and then another 4 hours until we both arrived home - or daycare. There was one daycare that fit our schedules best, and fortunately everything has gone perfect. He LOVES going there. The gals all adore him and I feel like he's happy and well cared for, and most importantly, he never had to go potty in his cage because he couldn't hold it. 

I am very fortunate. This place might have sucked, but it didn't, and everything has worked out superbly. A lot depends on your market size. Smaller markets mean less choice in daycare. We had only a few options here in eastern Iowa. I am just so happy we got a good one. Although we tend to forget, Goldens ARE dogs and they need to be with dogs to learn dogginess. Bagheera's a much better dog now because of his daycare experience.

Sadly, our daycare time too is coming to an end b/c of the silly 6-month neuter rule. I wonder how long it will take before the tide of "neuter early and often" rolls back enough to consider the long term health implications. I do understand the issues. It will just be a sad day for all those people down there when Bagheera can no longer come.


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## Tiny R Astar (Dec 26, 2015)

Hi 

Your day care sounds extremely good. As long as Hollie has opportunity to rest when she wants and the dogs are well supervised sounds like you are on to a winner. 

We are very lucky with our day care. Our dog has been going 2 or 3 days a week from 14 weeks old and loves it. The owner has her own land with fields stream woodland etc and most of her clients only book walks so our dog has plenty of time during the day relaxing in her home and garden with her 2 golden retreivers. He gets loads of exercise obviously likes the owner and her staff who give him lots of individual attention and they have always matched our training regime. They limit the free play sessions to groups of 6 to 8 dogs and match regards age energy level etc. We get photos and an online diary so we get to see how happy he is and what he is doing. Do you get plenty of honest feedback from Hollies day care? 

He has never had an issue settling and staying on his own if we go out for 3 or 4 hours.( Not ever had to leave him longer as we just take him everywhere with us). 

In the early days we had people saying that he would be hyperactive, harder to train and would jump at dogs wanting to play when we were out because he had free run at day care and was spending so much time as part of a canine pack but we have never had this problem. He responded really well to training, he greets people and other dogs calmly and at 1 year of age we can walk him anywhere. At the park he comes when recalled and will walk to heel without a lead until told he can ' go play' no matter how tempting the distractions are. So basically their concerns were totally unfounded.

From an early age he has not chewed anything that wasnt his and is calm around the home, we think this is mainly because he gets the right amount if exercise and stimulation for his needs but also because we are lucky enough to have found an awesome dog! But we also spend a great deal of time playing with him and still do short training sessions each day oh and grooming because he comes home happy but muddy most days. 

As long as you give Hollie the love and attention when at home and continue to leave her alone for a few hours while she is young so she is used to it , she should be fine. Great day care is not always available it sounds like you have found a rare treasure . Cant see why it won't be great for both you and Hollie provided the staff are caring, professional and diligent and continue to give her the right balance between rest and play.


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## Nelsonthegolden (Jun 1, 2016)

I had the same reservations but our pup loves it. Ours is more of a sitter where she has between 1-6 dogs but the sitters grown up children live at home too so they get lots of attention. I expected to hate it as I'd read about behaviour changing etc. but so far it's been great!


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## BuckeyeJen (Jul 7, 2016)

We do daycare twice a week. There are pros and cons so far. There was a dog that joined the group for the first time and wasn't friendly so my girl got a little scratch on her nose. Dog was removed and won't be back so I was okay. Figured that could happen anywhere. Then we did manage to get Kennel Cough and I am pretty sure it was from there. Wasn't too bad because she was vaccinated. If it happens again we will be dropping day care though, it was sad to see her sick. All that being said I think she does enjoy going and feel it's better for her to have more stimulation during the day rather than be in the crate with an hour out mid-day. She does come home tired. I wish we could find more of a home situation rather than a facility so she could be outside more.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

I personally am not a fan of doggie daycare for safety reasons with other dogs I don't know. However if it is well run, I can really see that it is a life saver for someone with a young Golden.

I would want to know about how they evaluate new dogs to come in - how do they ensure that your puppy won't get put in a situation where she has a bad experience with another dog who has issues?

Do they keep dog play in small groups who are similar in size and especially age so your puppy doesn't get bullied or beat up? 

What is there policy on members who have caused trouble? Do problem dogs get banned? What if they aren't sure what happend - how do they handle dog fight incidents or dogs who try to hump and torment other dogs?

How are they teaching her about not pulling on a leash on group walks? Is she going to learn behaviors that are difficult to undo when she is a bigger stronger dog?


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## carolinehansen (Sep 16, 2015)

Wolfeye said:


> I am very fortunate. This place might have sucked, but it didn't, and everything has worked out superbly. A lot depends on your market size. Smaller markets mean less choice in daycare. We had only a few options here in eastern Iowa. I am just so happy we got a good one. Although we tend to forget, Goldens ARE dogs and they need to be with dogs to learn dogginess. Bagheera's a much better dog now because of his daycare experience.


What a small world! I was wondering why I recognized the name Bagheera, and then I saw that you took him to a daycare in Eastern Iowa. Turns out my Hank goes to the same one! I recognized the name from their website when they post pictures of the dogs.  That's too bad that his time had to be cut short at the daycare, it really is a great place!


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## Wolfeye (Sep 15, 2015)

carolinehansen said:


> What a small world! I was wondering why I recognized the name Bagheera, and then I saw that you took him to a daycare in Eastern Iowa. Turns out my Hank goes to the same one! I recognized the name from their website when they post pictures of the dogs.  That's too bad that his time had to be cut short at the daycare, it really is a great place!


Awesome! Yes, I believe I've seen Hank in their pictures. It's also too funny that you mention the daycare, as *just* last night, for the first time in weeks, I asked Bagheera if he still remembered "Puppy Daycare" which is the phrase I always used to let him know when we were going there. He perked up right away and wagged his tail. I know the folks down there loved him. Savannah in particular always made a fuss over him. She's a true dog lover and a wonderful gal.


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