Would you consider a doggy day care centre?

I have been trying to get a general feel for the publics view on doggy day care centres.....does any body on here currently use one? If so I would love to know how you feel about taking your dog to one. Also if you have been to one and had a bad experience it would be good to hear so we can learn from those mistakes without having to make them ourselves

We are looking at opening a doggy day care centre where we live, there would be a high ratio of staff to dogs, they would ALWAYS be supervied, only trained, police checked and insured staff would work there and dogs would get rest as well as lots of exercise and companionship. We're hoping to offer clients the chance for their dog to be cared for all day whilst they are working, so they can come home to a happy and chilled out dog.

What would you look for in a doggy day care centre?

We would not accept young puppies, dogs that are not neutered or spayed and they would have to go through an assesment day to show that they are not aggressive in any way and would actually enjoy coming. Copies of vaccination cards would be taken and reminders sent out when boosters are due.

Any advice, stories, tips...etc would be fantastic

I don't think I'd use one, I'd be much happier paying for a walker to come in. However, if I did use one I'd probably want to know what you would do were you to get two dogs who don't get on? Would you have the means to separate them? Would you introduce dogs on lead before putting them together so that you can tell if certain dogs don't get on with each other?

Thanks for your reply Magpyex, its great to know what people will ask/be worried about so we can put measures in place and be ready with an answer

We already offer dog walking services....so can cover both aspects of the market But we have had people asking if we can look after their dogs all day as they are either destructive, bark a lot or have accidents.

We would introduce a new dog in a cordoned off area and just allow one extra dog at a time in. We would ask the owner to fetch the dog in early on its first day so they can explore the area without the stress of meeting new dogs. So they only have one issue to deal with at a time, rather than having to try and suss out a new place and new dogs all at once.

We would be reading the dogs behaviour and try and separate dogs before an issue starts. We have separate rooms which dogs can go in to calm down. If a fight breaks out the best way to seprate it is using water, so we will have hosepipes plumbed in. We have a quarantine room where injured or ill dogs can go too

I run a doggy daycare and home boarding business in my home. It's not big and I don't have more than 4 dogs in the house at any time (and only from 2 families at once). I check all dogs before I allow owners to make a booking, I ask owners to bring their dogs here to see how they get on with my boy, or I ask them to come out on a walk or two with us to see how they get on without the territory boundaries.

I've never had a problem with any of my daycares or boarders. If I have worries about the dog then I politely say that I don't think their dog is suitable and they might be better looking for a petsitter or dog walker as it will put through too much stress being with me. Are you willing to do this with dogs coming in to you?

Also...from a personal point of view, I wouldn't take Kiba to a daycare centre, because he has separation issues it wouldn't be fair on him and it wouldn't be fair on the staff or other dogs.

Thanks Kalasin for your reply - yes we would definately offer alternative services to any dogs that are either not suitable because of their temperment or because they simply don't enjoy it. We are definately not greedy and would not just accept any dog that walks through the doors, thats why we would do an assesment. Luckily we can offer the dog walking or a home visit if not

Personally I wouldn't use one as I would be concerned about the other dogs as both my dogs have been attacked by other dogs and had to visit the vets as a result.

I know you say that you don't accept aggressive dogs but nearly all dogs can be aggressive in certain circumstances.

Dogs are like people in that they can have personality clashes type of thing with dogs they can't stand!!

I would consider it, sadly none in my area. My concerns are similar to above which have been addressed, but also I have extras.
My boy is an ex-racer, so he gets excited by small-fast moving dogs. He is fine with medium-large dogs and enjoys their company. I personally would want a day care centre that splits big and small dogs as even in play little dogs can get injured.
I know thats probably unlikely to happen, and until my boy is fine with all small dogs, he would probably be exempt anyway

I think they are great for the right dog. I've used one before, and Moxie loved it. But if you have a skittish dog, nervous dog, aggressive dog, etc its not ideal. As long as you have the right staff and a thorough evaluation and a "trial" day where the owner would be available to come pick the dog up if things didn't work out (or a safe area away where the dog can be kept until the owners arrived)

Also, I don't know why, but for some reason doggie day care places have all kinds of "equipment" for the dogs to play with, like agility equipment. My dog is trained in agility but I do NOT want her on equipment when I'm not there for one and two when another dog may be chasing her. IMO, its just not safe.

Good luck!

Kerry owner - it's great knowing what your concerns would be as we can then try and combat them with our clients. I completely understand what you mean about dogs being able to turn. We would be reading the situation constantly and separating dogs which we feel could cause problems we would also have emergency plans in place if a fight broke out.
Insomnia - I have contacted an iron monger and he is putting together bespoke room dividers for us. They will cordon off a smaller part of the large open plan space. this means that not only will small dogs be separated from the larger ones, but it is also less scary for a young/old dog where a large open plan space may be daunting. We also have 2 small rooms that come off the main area....these will be kitted out with soft bedding, a TV (up on a wall bracket), blankets and dim lighting....so dogs have a space to retreat to
Muttzrule - we believe the evaluation day is extremely important and we would offer different services (like dog walking) for dogs we feel wont benefit from it. We have a separate room especially for if dogs are agressive, where they can stay until their owner picks them up. Also acts as a quarantine room for if a dog is injured or ill.
We wont be having any proper agility equipment....like you say, it could be dangerous and could hinder any training

I think it's a great idea! My 3 hounds shase samll furries and smaller dogs too so I'd be a bit wary and Jenny can be aggressive with some dogs. However in the right place I think it would be great.