By Tamara Smoot, Owner of Pooch La La™ and Real Bark Talk™
When Did Dog Day Care Begin?
Dog day care, often known as “doggy or doggie daycare“, refers to a short-term daytime care for dogs. It originally filled a niche between multi-day kennel boarding and pet sitting, where the sitter comes to the pet’s home.[1] One of the first known modern dog day cares, Yuppie Puppy Pet Care, opened in 1987 in New York by Joseph Spor. The popularity of dog day care has skyrocketed since the early 1900’s and is now much more than the traditional “kennel keeping” stigma.
It shares likenesses with a regular daycare for children, with the exception being that a dog daycare is for canines.[2] The two share the same philosophy. Parents, or in the case of the dog daycare, owners, have a busy schedule and the often prolonged hours at work drastically reduce the time that could be spent with their children or pets.[3]
Requirements to Enroll in Doggie Daycare:
Depending on where you live, state and local requirements for pet parents to enroll their beloved pooch into daycare can vary. Some of the most common standards for enrollment are:
Age: All dogs must be at least 5 months of age to attend for Daycare.
Gender: All dogs must be spayed or neutered to attend for Daycare.
Required Vaccinations: All dogs entering dog daycare must have up-to-date vaccinations on
record. Owners must submit proof from their Veterinarian that their dog is current on the
following vaccinations:
Rabies (1 year or 3 year)
Distemper Combo
Leptospirosis
Bordetella – required every 6 months*
Canine Influenza – part 1 and part 2
Parasite Prevention: All dogs entering dog daycare must be free of parasites, including fleas, ticks and intestinal parasites.
Behavior: All dogs attending dog daycare must have never shown any signs of aggression towards other dogs or people.
What Happens While Your Dog is at Daycare?
Entrepreneurs in the pet industry recognize how competitive this business is, so you always want to do your due diligence to ensure your business stands out. You usually do this by offering services that your competition does not, but if they do, you always want to make sure you do it better. That same statement holds true for doggie daycare, but there is not much you can do when caring for multiple dogs at once. The time your dog spends at daycare is typically the same, whether you are in Alabama or Wyoming.
~The dogs arrive – gets checked/ settled in
~They go play – or sniff other dogs’ butts. This time is when your dog is most active
~They eat a snack -if you chose to allow your dog to eat at daycare
~They nap- because we know dogs love to sleep
~They go play- all playtime is usually organized play time with groups divided by dog size. This play is usually less vigorous as your dogs should be winding down to head home.
~They eat snack- something small, typically a treat
~Dogs are picked up
But there are also opportunities for dogs to get sick or worse, injured. While vaccines are requirements for daycare, there are still other parasites that may not be prevented by a vaccine. Dogs have no regard for germs or sicknesses like humans do. Pups all drink out of the same bowl of water as soon as another dog finishes. They sniff and lick butts, multiple a day. They lick the floor. Dogs may eat something that does not agree with their stomachs. What if your dog bites another dog, or worse, what if another dog bites your dog? How much time would you like your dog to spend in a crate?
Do Dogs Even Enjoy Daycare?
If you own a dog, then by now you may have learned that separation anxiety is real, even in pets. Some dogs shake when their owner leaves or is leaving. Even when going to the groomer. How is your dog around other dogs, especially dogs he doesn’t know? In my last blog I mentioned how dogs can and usually take on their owner’s personality.
If you are a timid and introverted person, chances are your dog may be also. We often do things for our pets because we think they do or will enjoy it, but we aren’t always aware of the emotional toll daycare can take on our furry best friends. We don’t see how our dogs are behaving during their time away. Some daycares give canine report cards, but it can be difficult to monitor one dog’s emotional state for 4-8 hours when a facility has 20 dogs (hopefully not alone) they are attending to. Do you monitor your pups behavior before and after daycare each time you take them?
Pros:
There are definitely pros to taking your dog to day care, just make sure they are not all selfish reasons.
Exercise– it is recommended that dogs get at minimum 30 minutes of exercise daily. As a busy dogmom-preneur, it can be a challenge to make sure you get daily exercise, let alone your dog.
Interaction– In order to help both you and your dog to enjoy a happy life together, veterinarians and dog trainers alike recommend that your pup is socialized from an early age. … Socializing teaches your dog how to react to the world around it in a healthy way, without unnecessary fear or aggression.
Training– Most daycare facilities offer training as an extra service to daycare. By socializing your dog in daycare, they will develop new, good behaviors and will learn to be a well-rounded pup! Their confidence is sure to grow when each new interaction brings positive reinforcement and experiences.
Guilt free– As pet owners who have to leave our dogs at home alone for extended periods it can be daunting. You begin to feel guilty and like a terrible pet parent. With a daycare you trust, you can go to work knowing your dog is safely engaging with other dogs and getting the exercise he needs. Thus; when you get home, you don’t feel guilty for not playing with your dog after being at work all day.
Cons:
You have many times heard the saying, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. With all things there are pros and then there are cons. Do these cons deter you from choosing or continuing to choose doggie day care?
Parasites
Kennel cough
Separation anxiety
Closing Thoughts:
Doggie daycare is a wonderful idea for those busy parents who are forced to leave their fur babies home alone for 8 hours or more a day. If you are considering daycare for your dog, it is worth surveying your dog intently for about week by taking him to the park and seeing how he interacts with other dogs. If you are a parent who vaccinates, make sure your dog takes that trip to the veterinarian for a checkup and update immunizations. After careful observation and you notice alarming things about your pooch, maybe put a pause on sending him to daycare and spend more time with your pup and maybe seek training from a professional dog trainer.
Sources:
- “The Doggie Day Care Owner – How Americans Spend Now – TIME”. Time. 16 April 2009. Archived from the original on 19 April 2009. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
- Baranauckas, Carla (24 September 2006). A Dog’s Life, Upgraded, The New York Times
- ^ (29 August 1999). Dog day care center cares for pets of workaholics, Victoria Advocate (New York Times News Service copy)
Upcoming Events!
September 18th 10am-6pm EST
- Also on September 18th, we will be in Atlanta, Georgia at the 2021 Sistah’s In Business Expo located at Carlos Center Ballroom from 10am-6pm EST. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Here is a special discount to receive $5 off advance tickets. The promo code is ATLVENDOR. Tickets are available at https://sibexpoatl2021.eventbrite.com.
Please remember that this code only applies to advance ticket sales and ends Friday, September 17th at 11:59pm. So, we suggest purchasing any tickets that you’ll need in advance. This is your chance to get our product same day in your hand! *** Pets are not allowed at this venue.
2. THIS coming Sunday, September 19th , Elmore County Humane Society will host their 15th Annual Bark in the Park at Fort Toulouse in Wetumpka! Help us celebrate the love we all have for our pets by bringing your dog out to Fort Toulouse to enjoy a nice afternoon in the park. Pooch La La™ will be a vendor including many more pet businesses! This event is Pet Friendly!! Event starts at 1pm.
**** Get your pet microchipped from 1:30-3:30 with the help of the Tuskegee Veterinarian School for only $25 which covers the chip and registration. You will be able to “Ask the Vet” questions if need be, let your dog paint its very own ‘paw’ painting, participate in a number of fun pet contests to be announced, visit the booths of wonderful local Vendors, get something yummy to eat, and purchase one of our Bark in the Park 2021 T-Shirts for sale for $15. They will also have a Blessing of the Pets prior to our always popular Pet Parade!
Admission to Bark in the Park is $5/person 13 years old and older. ALL dogs coming to Bark in the Park must be good in public, meaning good around children, adults and other dogs in a very busy situation, AND they must have a current rabies tag/proof of rabies vaccination to come to the Park. Click here for more info
Missed last week’s blog? Check it out HERE
Stay tuned for next Wednesday’s blog !
www.poochlala.com | The luxury boutique that Brings Out The Dog In You!
www.poochlala.com | The luxury boutique that Brings Out The Dog In You!
Stay tuned for next Wednesday’s blog !
www.poochlala.com | The luxury boutique that Brings Out The Dog In You!
www.poochlala.com | The luxury boutique that Brings Out The Dog In You!
I really enjoyed reading about doggy daycare, it’s not much different from child daycare.