Why choose doggie daycare or dog boarding for my dog?

Keep Dogs Busy Keeps Them Healthy

Over my 10+ years caring for the dogs of others, I have often heard “my dog doesn’t need that”, or “my dog prefers to sleep all day”. The fact is dogs in the wild never just slept all day. They lived as social animals that traveled in packs and latched on to humans who also traveled in groups (families). Doing so made it easier to get food from us than hunting for themselves. Dog daycare provides access to groups. It gives dogs a chance to play, solving puzzles, working for treats, romping with others, snuggling with others, belly rubs, fetching, herding, doggone fun. Dogs get to be dogs.

Often times, people tell me they avoid dog daycare or dog boarding kennels because they say: “my dog got kennel cough”. Yes, contagious diseases (like canine cough) spread by dogs being around other dogs, just as kids spread germs at school by being together. Neither demonstrate the right reason for avoiding social settings for children or dogs. The real reason to avoid using facilities and stick to home care – places with poor hygiene or indifferent care. But even in these cases, I advise finding a new facility rather keeping your dog isolated. If you find that your dog does not do well with others, seek dog training to learn better socialization and interactive behavior as a better course of action rather than isolating them and perpetuating antisocial behavior. Studies have shown isolation tends to intensify aggressive behaviors.

Good Dog Boarding

A good dog boarding or dog daycare facility for dogs has the following:

• a strict daily cleaning regimen – all areas of the facility are sanitized and disinfected daily.
• required vaccinations – bordatella (canine cough), DHPP, and rabies.
• structured dog play time – set periods for fun dog activities and time for dogs to rest.
• access to outdoors – studies have shown that dogs who spend between 2-3 hours a day outside live longer.
• no carpet or fabric furniture – fleas and other insects thrive in these environments.
• lastly, temperament testing – not all dogs are alike, testing assures that your dog finds the right facility for her (both the attitude of the pack and the comfort with the staff). Sometimes it will be necessary to repeat a test a few times because of nerves or anxiety.

Sign your dog up for an evaluation and see if we are the right fit for your best friend. Dogs who does not pass our evaluation,  should ask us for training references. We want to see all dogs in an environment where they are comfortable and happy.