Q: How many dogs in the facility?
A: Everyone should do his or her research. No facility should be overcrowding your pets into an area that is not giving lots of room for them to run and play. Overcrowding may lead to dogs knocking each other around and not enough running area that they need to enjoy a great day.
Q: What kind of flooring?
A: This is a great question. You should look for a facility that has a durable flooring that works well for providing cushion and comfort for your pets joints and pads.
Q: Safety features?
A: This is a broad question and we should all ask this question and be confident in our facility and knowledge of safety for all our pets. First off we should all view the facility and ask about their safety requirements.
Some general safety features should include previously mentioned items such as flooring, number of visitors, staff to dog ratio…
Other safety features should include an emergency procedure, what is allowed into a daycare facility, emergency protocol and vaccination protocol. All daycares should require full up-to-date vaccinations including bordetella. All daycares should have an emergency system and a method of handling “arguments” between visitors.
All daycares should have a no aggression policy. All daycares should only allow visitors with soft quick release collars or nothing at all. Anything else is dangerous including choke chains, martingale (or lumberjack) collars. No haltis or head harnesses should ever be permitted in a daycare as all of these devices place your pets and others at higher risk of injures including broken teeth, strangulation and neck injuries.
Q: Can we see your daycare?
A: All daycares should allow you to view the facility and how your loved ones are being handled and loved throughout the day. Many daycares provide windows, webcams or 2 way mirrors.
Q: What is your staff to daycare visitor ratio?
A: This is an important question. Obviously this is up to each daycares discretion. The rule of thumb provided by the daycare chatlines and professionals throughout North America suggest a ratio of safety to be approximately 10 dogs per staff member in an effort to provide a safe and manageable daycare and provide lots of love and attention to each of the daycare visitors.
Q: Do all dogs like daycare?
A: NO. Not all dogs like daycare as it is a unique environment for them. Not all dogs can tolerate multiple dogs in a closed space. Even the nicest and social dogs have limits. But the ones who like to play and have solid temperaments and good social behavior cannot get enough!!! For those that like daycare they love it!!!
Q: What is your behavior policy?
A: Great question!! All daycares should have a behavior policy. There should be a no bite policy and visitors should immediately be asked not to return if they are not getting along with others. There should also be a policy on those that tolerate daycare but do not enjoy the experience. I do not believe that any of us in the community would want our little ones in a daycare if they are not enjoying themselves
Q: Who works with my pets?
A: Everyone should know who is caring for your pets. Are they experienced? What is their experience? Do they have behavioral knowledge or background of dogs and packs? Do they keep abreast with current reading and/or seminars in canine behavior?
**These are the questions we should be asking.
If you have any questions about daycares, please feel free to email us at Woofs and we may perhaps post your question and our answer.
Thank you
Fill in the form below to ask a question not covered here.
A: Everyone should do his or her research. No facility should be overcrowding your pets into an area that is not giving lots of room for them to run and play. Overcrowding may lead to dogs knocking each other around and not enough running area that they need to enjoy a great day.
Q: What kind of flooring?
A: This is a great question. You should look for a facility that has a durable flooring that works well for providing cushion and comfort for your pets joints and pads.
Q: Safety features?
A: This is a broad question and we should all ask this question and be confident in our facility and knowledge of safety for all our pets. First off we should all view the facility and ask about their safety requirements.
Some general safety features should include previously mentioned items such as flooring, number of visitors, staff to dog ratio…
Other safety features should include an emergency procedure, what is allowed into a daycare facility, emergency protocol and vaccination protocol. All daycares should require full up-to-date vaccinations including bordetella. All daycares should have an emergency system and a method of handling “arguments” between visitors.
All daycares should have a no aggression policy. All daycares should only allow visitors with soft quick release collars or nothing at all. Anything else is dangerous including choke chains, martingale (or lumberjack) collars. No haltis or head harnesses should ever be permitted in a daycare as all of these devices place your pets and others at higher risk of injures including broken teeth, strangulation and neck injuries.
Q: Can we see your daycare?
A: All daycares should allow you to view the facility and how your loved ones are being handled and loved throughout the day. Many daycares provide windows, webcams or 2 way mirrors.
Q: What is your staff to daycare visitor ratio?
A: This is an important question. Obviously this is up to each daycares discretion. The rule of thumb provided by the daycare chatlines and professionals throughout North America suggest a ratio of safety to be approximately 10 dogs per staff member in an effort to provide a safe and manageable daycare and provide lots of love and attention to each of the daycare visitors.
Q: Do all dogs like daycare?
A: NO. Not all dogs like daycare as it is a unique environment for them. Not all dogs can tolerate multiple dogs in a closed space. Even the nicest and social dogs have limits. But the ones who like to play and have solid temperaments and good social behavior cannot get enough!!! For those that like daycare they love it!!!
Q: What is your behavior policy?
A: Great question!! All daycares should have a behavior policy. There should be a no bite policy and visitors should immediately be asked not to return if they are not getting along with others. There should also be a policy on those that tolerate daycare but do not enjoy the experience. I do not believe that any of us in the community would want our little ones in a daycare if they are not enjoying themselves
Q: Who works with my pets?
A: Everyone should know who is caring for your pets. Are they experienced? What is their experience? Do they have behavioral knowledge or background of dogs and packs? Do they keep abreast with current reading and/or seminars in canine behavior?
**These are the questions we should be asking.
If you have any questions about daycares, please feel free to email us at Woofs and we may perhaps post your question and our answer.
Thank you
Fill in the form below to ask a question not covered here.
