For some dog families organising regular dog care is a necessity. There are many options from family support, hiring a dog walker/sitter or perhaps booking a regular slot at doggy day care, but our ultimate goal is to find someone who will care for your dog as much as you do.
If you’re looking to choose a day care facility or considering it as an option for your dog, here are 10 things to consider before you take the jump.
1.Is Doggy Day Care the right setting for my dog?
All dogs are individuals with their own personalities. Some are uber extrovert, confident and social where some are quieter, reserved and like a quiet pace of life. It extremely important to consider whether group day care is right for your dog.
Whilst the enthusiastic dogs LOVE the social setting and being with other dogs all day, it’s worth considering whether they find it too much fun, as it’s easy for dogs to become over-aroused/excited which can lead to other problems. Will they be able to differentiate between day care friends and every dog they come across?
The nervous dogs may well grow in confidence but equally they may find the pressure of the social setting too much and merely ‘cope’ while finding the environment too stressful – which again can have its pitfalls.
Quieter dogs, or those who don’t relish the company of other dogs and prefer the company of one or two well-known dogs would likely find day care overwhelming and unenjoyable.
Make sure you consider all the positives and negatives about your dog’s character, personality and needs to see if a doggy day care setting is really right for them.
2.What are the facilities?
Some day cares are run within a home environment and others are in purpose-built facilities , and there are positives and negatives to both settings. Generally those based in a home will be more intimate with just one or two staff, fewer dogs, less outdoor space but a more home from home environment, whereas purpose-built will be more commercial with more dogs, more space and a larger team of people to care for the dogs.
Once you have shortlisted a few companies we suggest booking an appointment to go and see the premises and meet the people who are there during the day. A good dog day care should be happy to meet you in person first to go through any questions you have as well as all necessary paperwork and arrangements.
3. Can you have a trial day?
Any reputable doggy day care will have a standard transition/introduction procedure. This is beneficial for both parties, you’ll see if you’re happy with their service, how they interact with your dog and whether your dog has a positive time. More importantly the day care will want to ensure your dog is suitable for day care, enjoys the environment and will get on well with the staff and other dogs in the setting. They need to be a good fit and match for a group environment.
4.Are you licensed and a member of a professional organisation? And are you fully insured?
All doggy day care services in the UK need a licence if they're carried out as a commercial business (i.e. you have to pay them). The licencing documents should be available for you to view when you visit. All businesses are given a star rating according to how well they meet the standards of animal welfare. If a business has achieved a 4 or 5 star rating they may qualify for a longer licence (2 or 3 years rather than one year). And of course, a 5 star rating shows potential customers that their business is reliable and responsible.
Insurance is a necessity to protect everybody – dog boarder and any staff members, your dog and the general public. If a dog Boarder has no insurance it would make me question whether they take safety as seriously as they should. Don’t forget they are in possession of your dog and potentially the keys to your home, if they offer a collection service.
5.Do you have any repeat customer references?
Initially, ask for recommendations from family, friends, your trainer or groomer - whose dogs have previously used doggy day care. Google reviews are helpful, but it’s hard to beat a personal reference—somebody that's used the doggy day care without difficulty. If that isn’t possible, use a local community Facebook page or other social network/App to find personal referrals.
The best form of marketing for any Day Care are recommendations from previous customers. They should be happy to provide references from previous customers, and you’ll want to check they were given within the last 6-12 months. You’ll also want to do your own due diligence by researching online about the companies you shortlist.
6.What immunisation requirements should my dog be expected to have?
A reputable and licenced doggy day care provider will ask you to provide an up-to-date veterinary vaccination record to show that your dog is up to date with all their current vaccinations. These vaccinations include canine parvovirus, canine distemper, infectious canine hepatitis (adenovirus), leptospirosis and other relevant diseases. Vaccination against other diseases such as kennel cough (bordetella bronchiseptica or canine parainfluenza virus) may also be required.
A vet certificate of a recent protective titre test may be accepted instead of a booster vaccination. The certificate must state that it is valid for the current period. It is up to the licence holder whether to accept such a certificate.
The day care provider will also ask that your dog is up to date with flea and worm treatment, and many require males to be castrated.
These are all requirements set out under their licencing.
7.How many dogs do you care for at one time? What does a standard day look like?
This can vary due to the setting but you will want to find out how many dogs they look after at one time and how many members of staff are allocated per dog.
Well run day cares will have a daily routine so that everyone knows what to expect when, with regular down time for much needed rest and naps.
Some will take dogs out for a walk, whereas others have enough space to exercise on site only. Find out where they walk and how many go with them, or if on site how many exercise together at one time. Larger facilities will separate the dogs into smaller well-matched groups for exercise. Ideally the staff will undertake structured activities with individual and small groups of dogs to ensure they get lots of people interaction and mental stimulation. Be wary if all the dogs are just left to run a round together all day with minimal supervision.
Some doggy day care centres now use cameras so that owners can log in and monitor or check in on their dog at certain intervals.
8.What type of animal care education and training do you have?
It’s always a good question to ask because it will give you peace of mind to know your Day Care Provider has some level of qualification in animal care. Having the OFQUAL regulated Level 3 qualification covers everything aspect of the licensing requirement and more. Plus, with this qualification a doggy day care is showing any potential customers that they are the right person to be caring for your dog. It’s worth highlighting that the higher standard licence (4 or 5 star) for Dog Day Care asks for a qualified person to be on the premises during the day.
In our opinion it’s also desirable if the staff are trained in Canine Body Language to ensure they can effectively understand the communication from the dogs in their care and also have some knowledge of training.
9.What training and management do they use?
Whilst day cares have to be licensed for health and safety, there are currently no requirements which cover training and management methods. It’s worth finding out more about their views on training behaviours and also how they manage unwanted behaviours.
If your day care is using outdated methods including spraying water, shaking noise jars, e-collars, choke collars, prong collars etc., to control dogs then this is likely to have a negative long term effect on your dog.
10.What happens in the event of an emergency and are you pet first aid trained?
A professional dog day care provider should have the details of your dog's vet to go to in the event of an emergency. It is also worth asking if they have a relationship with a local vet practice that they could also use if yours was unavailable.
While it’s not mandatory to have, and you hope that it will never be needed, knowing that your dog day care staff are trained in pet first aid gives you some assurance that they would be able to act quickly in the event of an accident or injury.
Click here to discover 10 Things to Ask a Dog Groomer Before You Hire Them.
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