Day care for dogs has become a way for people to keep their dogs happy and healthy when they are away from home for the day. Before taking your dog to day care, there are a few things to consider to ensure their health is safe.
Things to Consider About Doggy Day Care
- The day care should require proof of current immunizations, including rabies and Bordetella. This protects all the day care attendees from infection.
- An evaluation session should be required. The evaluation will let both the day care staff and you know if your dog will be comfortable staying there for a whole day or if anxiety will be an issue.
- Cleanliness of the facility is important to maintaining your dog's health. Ensure that they have proper procedures for cleaning, disinfecting and disposal of waste.
- Both heat and air conditioning should be available to ensure the climate is comfortable for the dogs, avoiding hypothermia or heat exhaustion.
- Ensure there is ample water available. When the dogs are running around, dehydration can be a factor.
- Many facilities are requiring the dogs be on an effective flea treatment program to avoid the spread of fleas throughout the facility.
- Some daycares are more strict than others in terms of prohibiting barking and dealing with aggressive behavior (from rough play involving biting to actual injurious acts); be sure to ask them where they stand on these issues, and ask to watch the daycare activity to get an idea of how your dog might experience it.
- Dog day care can be a fun and healthy activity for your dog. Ensuring that both you and the day care facility follow a few guidelines, your dog can have healthy social time while you go to work.