Your thoughts on doggie daycare?

[Paviche]

It highly, highly depends on the facility, their policies and how they train their employees. I've worked in two great places and another one that made me want to tear my hair out (I left after only two months there).

This, so much this! I've worked at three different daycares. The first I thought was excellent until they hired on a superviser and then things went downhill, fast. After that I absolutely would not have let my dog stay there.

The second one was pretty poorly run all around. I could've gotten free boarding, but when I went out of town I ended up leaving him with my coworker instead. She took him to work with her but spent the nights with her. Once she quit, I would've been uncomfortable having him there at all.

I really like the one I'm at now and have already boarded him a few nights. He goes with me to work and if I could afford it, I would have no hesitations about taking him on my days off, too.

Really, daycare is great for some dogs and horrible for others. Very few BCs seem to do well at daycare because it's not the kind of stimulation they need and there's just too much going on and they get frazzled. Generalization, of course - but just an example. It's not a perfect system, but for some dogs it works very well.

 

[StillandSilent]

I work at one. Gambit goes when I am there, or if a particular other staff member is there and willing to keep him in her yard. Otherwise, there is no way I would let him stay. Argon is never allowed to go, because of his DA issues.

I do think that it's good for Gambit to have social times with other dogs, since the dog park is not a real option for him due to his people issues. Plus, he loves most of the staff, and that's good for him, too.

 

[Doberluv]

So what we've learned from this is most of us are paranoid dog owners.

Could be we're neurotic. :rofl1:

 

[sillysally]

I think it depends on the dog and facility.

Sally would never be good in any doggie daycare. Jack would do well in the right one, but my main concern with him is that he will overdo it (as most daycares here are concrete floors) and hurt his elbow.

If I lived closer there is one daycare I know of that I would gladly take him to though.

 

[monkeys23]

I would not take my dogs to one. They wouldn't enjoy it and I'd rather not risk their safety in the hands of strangers. Plus the breeds I like aren't very suited to that environment.

And IME doggy daycare can create some behavioral side effects that I'd rather not chance.

Oh yeah! Scout's first owner took her to daycare every day. She learned very bad dog/dog interactions, is extremely insecure in her standing with other dogs, overly effusive to male dogs because she loves them so much, and gets VERY easily overstimulated during play... it digresses into obnoxious constant barking. She's slowly gotten much, much better living with Lily and seeing my parent's BC every weekend (he will let her know when she's being too much, but is chill enough not to target her and hurt her) and my friend's RR mix boys. She's better, but will she ever be normal? Ehhh... doubt it. Which that is fine, I don't care because I don't do dog parks/daycare. Just kind of annoys me that she's got that baggage. It could have been so easily avoided.

She's so insecure with strange dogs that they are apt to target her 9 times out of 10 because they see that weakness. And she won't defend herself. The only time she is forward and putting on a defensive show (again out of insecurity) is toward strange bitches... specifically when one of her boys is with her. I do a lot of "Look at that" and other desentization, but geeze it would have been so easy to avoid this crap. Oh and she's got dog specific SA that we've been slowly getting her over... given that her first owner either had her in daycare 24/7 or at the dog park and even bought another dog with issues to keep her company... yeah small wonder she has this baggage. Ugh.

I have to carefully supervise play between her and my foster dog.... he's a little bully and she plays with him like she would a dog of Lily's size. So I have to keep her from getting overstimulated and accidentally hurting him and keep him from bullying her and making her hide in her kennel. Its grand.

I really feel lucky that the girls get along so well with each other. Lily is always appropriate and very patient at teaching other dogs proper dog/dog manners. I really think that has played a big part. Given how much GSD is in both of them... my life could be a strict crate and rotate schedule, lol.

 

[SpringerLover]

I worked in one a couple years ago. I let my dogs stay there once while I wasn't working. I specifically requested they NOT be in free play.

I start working at a different one tomorrow. So far I really like it, but we'll see as time goes on. I'm excited to have bathing/grooming/drying benefits again...

Scratch that! I am NOT working there. It was dirty and poorly run and had no windows!

Still looking for a place to take the dogs!

 

[PWCorgi]

I would totally take my future dog(s) to a daycare if any of them were suited/would benefit from it, and I could find a place that I really trusted. I LOVED the daycare that I worked at, but I would never be able to find something so small scale around here. It really is all about getting to know the people working at these places and trusting them.

The thing I loved most about the one I worked at is that the owner had no trouble telling owners that their dog just wasnt suited to a daycare environment. So many of the high volume ones seem to just accept anyone and any dog as long as they aren't trying to eat all the other dogs. If my dog is stressed and not having a good time I want to know!

 

[Zoom]

I got in trouble at one place for telling owners that their dog was not daycare material. I would much rather have people bring their dog and know they are going to get one on one staff play because their dog doesn't do well in a group setting than them just not bring their dog because they're too stressed.

 

[Ratboy]

I've been taking King and Molly to day care for over 3 years. They are currently the oldest two dogs (except for one of the owner's)coming there, and are put in with (mostly) the smaller dogs, mostly due to Molly being pretty frail at this point, King has no problem taking care of himself. There are cameras so I can watch on line, and I don't know anyone who has anything really bad to say about them. There's been a couple of "incidents" between dogs, and King has been involved in some of them, but he doesn't start them, so it's OK. King loves going there, he's one of the "boss dogs" there, and the employees seem to really love him, he comes home with lipstick on his head where he's been kissed on most days. He's very "smootchy", and I've seen him get head rubs and hugs from pretty much all the people working there. When they come home they pass out for hours, sleeping like rocks. Molly spends most of her time there worrying about where King is, as he tends to wander off and just leave her alone, she isn't as fond of going as King is, but leaving her home stresses her out a lot more than when she goes, so she does go.. If I have to board them again, that's where they are going to go. And when the next dogs come along, and let's be honest, it won't be all that long, they will be going there too.

 

[yoko]

I don't even fully trust my own family I definitely don't trust strangers to watch Yoshi. The ONE time I was convinced to let her go to a couple to see how she/I liked it EVERY one she left smelling like urine. So really if these 'professionals' aren't competent enough to not let my dog roll in other dogs bodily waste they aren't competent to watch Yoshi for over an hour or be paid for the 'service' of 'watching' her.

 

[Paige]

I've seen it work fine for a lot of dogs and that's great. I've also witnessed a lot of dogs that are not a good fit for it really not do well. Bandit is one of those dogs that has a bulls-eye on his butt saying BE MEAN TO ME. He would shut down entirely and I would never leave him as that would set him up for failure.