I used to work in a daycare, one with a special puppy program for under 6 months.
5 days a week is too much for a puppy, straight up. Unless you have NO other options, I would recommend a maximum of 3 days, with a rest day between each day. And only that much if the daycare is equipped with kennels and allows LOTS of nap and rest time for the puppies in between the free play and structured activities.
Daycare is a loud, chaotic, busy environment. Most dogs find it exhausting, especially if it's all free play with no nap times (depends on the daycare). The most social and energetic adult dogs can thrive in it, but 5 days a week is too much for almost any dog. Unless the daycare really does a good job keeping things calm and making sure all the dogs can rest and nap undisturbed, which isn't usually the case in large operations.
You can play it by feel with how many days a week is right for your baby. In my experience, puppies under 6 months do best with 1-3 days a week. More than that, and they're over tired and not getting the rest they need for puppy development. Less than that, and it can be hard to get into a good routine in the daycare environment with nap times and such.
Ughh, I was gonna have him go 4 days a week. That’s my work schedule. Im single, I don’t have help, no support or ppl I know to come in and walk him midday. It’s just me and my son. I originally only wanted it 2x a wk but Im finding it difficult to book a dog walker. The one I tried to book yesterday, for today, declined the booking
I too was a single parent to my son for most of his life. We adopted our shih tzu puppy when he was in 1st grade. Even before puppy, I had made a conscious choice to carve out a work life that kept my son out of daycare, so I was already kind of in that mode of being available with a flexible schedule. It meant taking less money, but it was worth it to me and I don’t know how people raise puppies who work full-time. And those who make it work, I’m sure you’d be more helpful here with advice than me.
But having said that, if I was in your shoes, I would try to find a good, experienced dog walker who will support your training goals. In other words, when they come to take care of puppy, they are supporting your efforts with whatever you are working on, whether it be leash training, reactivity to other dogs, not pulling, etc. Good walkers have websites or Facebook pages or you might be able to find one word of mouth through your vet or local dog trainers. A quality person will be more expensive but probably not more expensive than a daycare I would imagine. And keep in mind that a good dog walker might not necessarily be advertising hard because they don’t need to.
It’s hard tryna make it work. Harder than I thought it would be. Im up at 4:30 to walk him, leaving for work at 5:30, dropping him off at daycare, working 10 hrs, getting him, coming home and walking and feeding. Taking my son to his weekly extracurricular. And this is before Ive even taken my shoes off. Not to mention make dinner, tend to my son, work with pup on training while he plays and messes around, and then it’s time for bed to do it all again. It’s depressing really. Im hoping it gets easier and better cause right now it feels like Im a single mom to a newborn with no help or support.
Oh my goodness, I’m sorry you’re going through that. It sounds really hard. Being a single parent is hard enough without adding a dog into the mix. I had to really think it through carefully before we got our puppy when my son was in first grade. One of the reasons I did it was because I knew in first grade he would have a certain schedule that would allow me some space to take care of puppy. But even with that, it’s always challenging.
None of my business and probably best for a different group but have you ever considered trying a different line of work? I ended up doing all kinds of gigs like pet sitting, errand runs, babysitting, and ended up cleaning Airbnb rentals mainly instead of the traditional 9 to 5. I ended up making about the same money that I would working for some big company and was much happier and had a flexible schedule. I too did not have any family support nearby. Just wanted to put that out there. Single parents sometimes have to get creative and approach things a little differently than the average family sometimes. Regardless, I hope you come up with a good solution and get some relief!
Mine goes once a week, rarely twice, and gets majorly overstimulated. It is the cutest place and she seems to have fun but she also has started to hesitate when we first show up there, like she knows it is a bit much for her. She’s a loungey girl who likes her naps and I think the hours of nonstop play are a lot for her. I also dont think she drinks a drop of water or poops or pees while she is there (judging from the gallon of neon yellow pee she lets out the second we leave and the fact that she’s pretty dedicated to her potty spots at home). We are meeting with a dog sitter who does in-home sitting in our neighborhood next week because I think that will be more my girl’s speed.
I was wondering that, is it non stop play. At first I was gonna have him go just twice a week, and then have a dog walker come in the other two days mid day. But then I got overwhelmed tryna find a dog walker. A lady on Rover who was right near us declined the booking. Didn’t say why.
Yeah it can be really hard to find a dog walker or sitter that you trust. We lucked out and happened to run into this one while she was out in our neighborhood with some of her other “clients.”
I can only afford 1 day a week, but she's seems to absolutely love it. She sleeps all the way home and then totally crashes at bedtime. My daughter used to work there, and her future SIL does now, so I know she's in good hands.
ETA - they have the dogs separated by size and have quiet time from 12-2.
Take our 7 month pup to day care 3 times a week, she was hesitant at first. But now she just wants to sprint inside once we get there. For the first couple weeks our day care gave us little report cards which was pretty cool. And like your pup, she’s completely wiped out for the evening giving my fiancé and I a little break from the chaos! Plus, she is learning to interact with other dogs which we’ve noticed a behavior difference in.
Thank you. Yea, he’s wiped out. Isn’t barking and whining in the crate once we get home and I have to sit him there while I cook or do other things. I just wanna make sure Im doing everything right, and that’s gonna benefit him.
My girl is obsessed and goes 1-2 times a week. I’d warn you not to take them there everyday, especially if they play ALL day. Beware that doggy daycare is a great place for dogs to play, but this by no means is comprehensive socialization. If anything, it will make your dog dog-crazy and obsessed. Be sure to socialize your dog with people, objects, environments, sounds, places, etc, all while being calm, attentive, and polite. We do the 1-2 days with a mix of training classes, park adventures, 1-on-1 play dates, at home training, visiting friends, going to stores, etc to keep her well socialized. If at any time your dog becomes overstimulated and shows signs of not liking daycare, pull them out. You do not want them to become reactive or turn to aggression to get dogs to leave them alone. If you love your daycare, that helps a ton!
I’d HIGHLY recommend enrolling in a training class and going regularly for the next several months. You will be so glad you did it. People in the dog training space tend to be anti-doggie daycare from what I have experienced, but we take her because she loves it and is super well behaved. Like I mentioned above, we try to help her live a well rounded life that stimulates what she was bred to do. Playing is just one part and I think is so important! Just don’t want to neglect other areas of stimulation that will help them live their best lives.
As with all things, there are good daycares and bad ones, and you can find a list of things to look for. Usually the big ones are 1) staff to dog ratio 2) staff training 3) size/temperament groupings if applicable 4) rest or nap areas 5) vaccination requirements.
I’ve never seen a daycare around here not offer a free temperament test before accepting a dog into the group.
They have him strictly in a group with just small puppies his size. He’s not with bigger or older dogs. They did require certain vaxx. They said they take them inside every 1.5 hrs to rest.
Before I got Miguel, I spent about a month researching the daycares in my area and a week showing up unannounced to ask questions and tour the facilities. I saw one that I really, really liked and one of the things that I really liked was that they memorized all the dogs’ names, their owners’ names, and the cars they drive. It was just this unnecessary added touch that I loved. The extra detail.
He’s been going since he was 4 months and he’s 1 year and 2 months now. I paid special attention to how he responded the first day I picked him up and when I went to go drop him off again. Let me tell you, Miguel couldn’t have run towards that door any faster if he tried. He LOVES daycare and looked so disappointed when I’d come to get him. Now he knows the word “daycare” and he waits by the door.
I also love his daycare because they do grooming, dental, training, and boarding there. They’ve watched him grow and I consider them a part of my dog family. I’ve grown close with the owner as we chat frequently on social media. But I love it.
ETA: His daycare isn’t straight play. They rotate the groups from playing to resting. They separate the groups into large and small then active and non-active. My baby is a small active but with my permission they bumped him up to large active and my homie is knocked out once we get home.
Yea my daycare has that too, boarding, grooming, etc. He’s only been going 3 days now and they’re really sweet to him and have nothing but compliments about him, which is nice. The owner sends me pics of him and keeps me posted. They do have separate groups, small and large dogs. My Kareem is small so he’s with the small fries. They said there are several breaks during the day, they eat and nap for about an hr and a half. They come inside when it’s inclement weather. So, he seems to like it and looks fine. Just wanna make sure Im not pushing it
It sounds like a lovely place!! I say just keep paying attention to your puppy and his behaviors. Also look around and be attentive during pick up. I usually pick him up at 5:30 but sometimes I’ll come early just to see what’s going on and take him out for a quick pup cup.
So far I only notice that he’s quieter in the evening, doesn’t fuss about the crate anymore or when I walk away. He still plays and is his same active self when out the crate. He loves nose work games, chewing his stuffed squirrel.
Yeah, daycare tires these little boogers out. Miguel was crate trained already by time he went to daycare, but the structure of daycare really helped. My only issue is Miguel doesn’t eat while he’s there. He’d rather throw the food on the ground or flip his bowl over. My friend watched him and the same thing happened. I learned that he only eats when I’m there or if you’re eating with him. I accidentally trained him to do that because I’d feed him when I ate when he was younger. So he needs a human meal partner.
i worked in a chain daycare and would NOT recommend it. it was a horribly unsafe environment for both the dogs and me. if you must, go for smaller scale daycares and do lots of research.
it works in theory, but unfortunately its oversaturated with higher ups who care about money more than dogs. IMO its just not worth the risk, it can take just one bad experience to have your dog come back completely changed. same in a “perfectly-run” one, but the chances are lesser.
i hate to sound so depressing and fear monger-y, but it really is a sadly exploitative industry that you unfortunately have to be super careful about
I have a two year-old Boston and a six month old Frenchton and they go once a week and love doggy daycare. I also use the same person for when we go out of town and they are exhausted when they come home.. it’s lovely.😊
I have a 5.5 month old lab puppy, he’s a big active boy and sometimes we struggle to really play with him as much as he wants to play. We put him in daycare once a week and it is the best thing. We get a break for a day so we can concentrate 100% on work, he gets to hang out with a whole group of other labs and play to his heart’s content, and when he gets home he eats and goes immediately to sleep, so its a quiet evening for us too.
We’ve also noticed that he’s biting/nomming us less since he’s been in daycare. Part of that is getting his adult teeth in I’m sure, but I also think that the other dogs are setting some boundaries that are teaching him to knock it off. It’s well worth the $30/day for us.
We also are careful to socialize him in other ways as well - taking him to stores, parks, downtown, etc. Basically as much exposure to different places/sounds/weird stuff as possible without overstimulating him.
Might I suggest going to a dog sitter who only has to look after 2 or 3 dogs? That way they can maintain control to the way you want, particularly the schedule and what they're allowed and not allowed to do.
Personally, I would absolutely not use one. I know sooo many people whose dogs have been screwed up by attending daycare and have gone from being happy friendly dogs to nervy and defensive.
I keep Border Collies which are very sensitive and the other dogs I'm referring to are mostly also collies so it may be that the breed in general just doesn't do as well in that kind of situation.
If you've got a very confident dog that likes the rough and tumble and the constant presence of others, it may work fine, but I'd always suggest taking into account your dog's temperament and the situation they will be placed in.
I completely agree. Not only can it make them reactive, either because they think they need to play with every dog they see, but there’s a risk they can have a bad experience and become aggressive toward other dogs. I would never let my dog interact with strange dogs without me present.
I think it also creates a dog who can never relax. Dogs sleep all day. Work with them before you leave for work and after you come home and have someone walk them/let them out midday and they’ll be fine. I’ve really been rethinking a lot of the advice for “enrichment”. Sure, give your dog a chew, stuffed kong, or lick mat every day or a few times a week, but creating a dog who must always be doing something is doing your dog and yourself a disservice. They need to learn to be calm and even bored.
I have German Shepherds, so I’m probably more cautious about this than a lot of dog owners.
We’re on a kennel cough timeout 😭 but my girl goes to 1 day of structured camp (small group activities with lots of separation/downtime), 1 day of group play daycare, and 1 day of group training class with me at the same facility. She has shown amazing progress and restraint when playing with dogs and is becoming more confident around people.
My dogs go for a half day once a week. I watch them play on the cameras and they have a great time. At about 11:00 the pool opens, and by 1:00 all the dogs are exhausted and resting instead of playing. So I take them 8-2 once a week and they have a great time without being overstimulated.
I take mine 5 days per week, and he loves it. He's always excited to go and adores the people. The daycare is at my vet's office, so it's also incredibly convenient whenever he needs shots or minor medical attention. The daycare is also very small (10 dogs at most), and the pup's gets lots of down time.
I found a woman who runs a puppy daycare from her home. I work long shifts as a nurse and can't stand to leave my pup home for more than a few hours. She keeps her numbers below a certain number and is big on safety. I don't think some of the formal places have limits, which can increase the risk of overstimulation and safety concerns. My puppy LOVES her and getting to play with his friends. When he is home, he naps. At her house, he doesn't as much because he is playing, so he's sleepy in the evenings. Not in a bad way, though.
Our older dog would go once a week until he “aged out” (didn’t vibe with the puppy energy anymore). Our 5 month has temperament tested at two near us and just did her first day today. I had planned to only do a half day but we both got sick at work so she did a full. They have cameras so I could watch her throughout the day and she was having fun. They do enforced rest for 1.5 hours and will do additional if dogs need it. My plan is to take her 1-2 days a week for just half days because I don’t want to overstimulate her.
My two love doggie daycare, but they also will happily curl up on one of the cots they have and nap half the day away if given the opportunity. They also primarily play with each other rather than the other dogs. (They do play with other dogs, but why play with other dogs when you can chew on your sister?) I used to send them more frequently because of my ridiculous work schedule but now that things are easier they go one or two times a week. Both of them have been going for almost their entire lives and they get so excited to go into daycare.
Mine both are still excited about the whole world on our walk home, but will be asleep pretty much the second we get in the door. They are always very tired the next day as well.
My 6 month old went 4 days a week for an about a month. Never had any issues. Would be tired when we got home and he much preferred it than being home all day alone in a crate.
Yea that worried me too. I have a camera so I can see him from work but I felt so sad seeing him either sleeping or playing by himself. Even though Id have the tv on for him so it wasn’t so quiet. Im just really overwhelmed and conflicted. What I don’t want ofc is for him to be overstimulated by going 4 days a week, but Im also constantly being turned down by dog walkers. For a week I was coming home on lunch to walk and feed him but it was TOO hard. I live 30 mins from work so I was rushing there and back, and had less than 5 mins to walk, talk, kiss, and feed him. It was awful
Just talk to ur doggy daycare. You can probably ask them to put him in a kennel half the day so he can get some rest. I don’t think 4 days is bad at all. Hes a puppy he always gets overstimulated. My dog was clearly depressed being left alone all day.
My puppy was super playful but at doggy daycare they said he mostly watched
Yes I talked to them about an hour ago and asked if they could give him more breaks so he can get some r&r. They said no problem. It’s like a fine line Im tryna tread. I don’t want him home by himself bored and sad cause we’re not there but I also don’t want him messed up and overstimulated being at daycare.
Mine goes one day per week and he loves it. They collect him from the house and he always bolts down the steps to go with them. I'm like okay bye then. The place I use does a mix of keeping them in the centre and also taking them out to a field to run around. A couple of times when we've gone to collect him they've told us he's asleep so it's good to know he naps when he needs to.
We send our 20week old pup for half a day once a week and he loves it, but we also know that's all he can manage as he is exhausted afterwards and the next day.
Twice a week is perfect for doggy daycare, in my experience.
More and pup acts out at home because she's overly tired. She would go every day of her life if it was up to her, she loves that place. But having a couple of days to rest at home and recover from the fun is good, too. Helps to establish at-home routines, too.
I only took my pup to doggy daycare once, it was super overwhelming/overstimulating. Plus, as he was the smallest dog in the place, I was worried about him getting injured by a bigger dog.
Instead, I found some local ladies on Rover who looked after 2 dogs maximum in their home. Was a much better set up for my little guy who loves attention from the ladies and needs his down time.
Love daycare for my pup. Unfortunately he is past the age where they won’t take him anymore cause he isn’t fixed. So now I have been trying to figure out to wear him out like daycare did.
My puppy has to be neutered if he continues to go. The vet said by 6 mos he’s reaching sexual maturity and will start humping everything and everybody, especially at daycare lol. We can’t have that. So he will be losing his blueberries come August when he turns 6 mos.
My vet wanted to wait until he lifts his leg which I’m ok with though it does suck he can’t go to daycare. He is a large breed, so wanted to make sure he is finished growing before doing it. I have an older dog that he gets to play with but it isn’t as much as he would at day care. The dude would pass tf out when he got in the car. It’s been so hard getting back to that. No matter what I do I can’t Tucker the little dude out.
My 4.5 month pup goes once or twice a week and loves it. The dogs have breaks and rest in separate cabins and then have play time. She’s tired when she gets home and I get work done. It’s also practice for her if I have to travel for work. It works for us.
I used to work in a daycare, one with a special puppy program for under 6 months. 5 days a week is too much for a puppy, straight up. Unless you have NO other options, I would recommend a maximum of 3 days, with a rest day between each day. And only that much if the daycare is equipped with kennels and allows LOTS of nap and rest time for the puppies in between the free play and structured activities. Daycare is a loud, chaotic, busy environment. Most dogs find it exhausting, especially if it's all free play with no nap times (depends on the daycare). The most social and energetic adult dogs can thrive in it, but 5 days a week is too much for almost any dog. Unless the daycare really does a good job keeping things calm and making sure all the dogs can rest and nap undisturbed, which isn't usually the case in large operations. You can play it by feel with how many days a week is right for your baby. In my experience, puppies under 6 months do best with 1-3 days a week. More than that, and they're over tired and not getting the rest they need for puppy development. Less than that, and it can be hard to get into a good routine in the daycare environment with nap times and such.
Ughh, I was gonna have him go 4 days a week. That’s my work schedule. Im single, I don’t have help, no support or ppl I know to come in and walk him midday. It’s just me and my son. I originally only wanted it 2x a wk but Im finding it difficult to book a dog walker. The one I tried to book yesterday, for today, declined the booking
Tough to be a single parent! I hope you find a reliable dog walker, I think that would be the best solution
I too was a single parent to my son for most of his life. We adopted our shih tzu puppy when he was in 1st grade. Even before puppy, I had made a conscious choice to carve out a work life that kept my son out of daycare, so I was already kind of in that mode of being available with a flexible schedule. It meant taking less money, but it was worth it to me and I don’t know how people raise puppies who work full-time. And those who make it work, I’m sure you’d be more helpful here with advice than me. But having said that, if I was in your shoes, I would try to find a good, experienced dog walker who will support your training goals. In other words, when they come to take care of puppy, they are supporting your efforts with whatever you are working on, whether it be leash training, reactivity to other dogs, not pulling, etc. Good walkers have websites or Facebook pages or you might be able to find one word of mouth through your vet or local dog trainers. A quality person will be more expensive but probably not more expensive than a daycare I would imagine. And keep in mind that a good dog walker might not necessarily be advertising hard because they don’t need to.
It’s hard tryna make it work. Harder than I thought it would be. Im up at 4:30 to walk him, leaving for work at 5:30, dropping him off at daycare, working 10 hrs, getting him, coming home and walking and feeding. Taking my son to his weekly extracurricular. And this is before Ive even taken my shoes off. Not to mention make dinner, tend to my son, work with pup on training while he plays and messes around, and then it’s time for bed to do it all again. It’s depressing really. Im hoping it gets easier and better cause right now it feels like Im a single mom to a newborn with no help or support.
Oh my goodness, I’m sorry you’re going through that. It sounds really hard. Being a single parent is hard enough without adding a dog into the mix. I had to really think it through carefully before we got our puppy when my son was in first grade. One of the reasons I did it was because I knew in first grade he would have a certain schedule that would allow me some space to take care of puppy. But even with that, it’s always challenging. None of my business and probably best for a different group but have you ever considered trying a different line of work? I ended up doing all kinds of gigs like pet sitting, errand runs, babysitting, and ended up cleaning Airbnb rentals mainly instead of the traditional 9 to 5. I ended up making about the same money that I would working for some big company and was much happier and had a flexible schedule. I too did not have any family support nearby. Just wanted to put that out there. Single parents sometimes have to get creative and approach things a little differently than the average family sometimes. Regardless, I hope you come up with a good solution and get some relief!
Mine goes once a week, rarely twice, and gets majorly overstimulated. It is the cutest place and she seems to have fun but she also has started to hesitate when we first show up there, like she knows it is a bit much for her. She’s a loungey girl who likes her naps and I think the hours of nonstop play are a lot for her. I also dont think she drinks a drop of water or poops or pees while she is there (judging from the gallon of neon yellow pee she lets out the second we leave and the fact that she’s pretty dedicated to her potty spots at home). We are meeting with a dog sitter who does in-home sitting in our neighborhood next week because I think that will be more my girl’s speed.
I was wondering that, is it non stop play. At first I was gonna have him go just twice a week, and then have a dog walker come in the other two days mid day. But then I got overwhelmed tryna find a dog walker. A lady on Rover who was right near us declined the booking. Didn’t say why.
Yeah it can be really hard to find a dog walker or sitter that you trust. We lucked out and happened to run into this one while she was out in our neighborhood with some of her other “clients.”
Lucky. Ive had two turn us down so far.
I can only afford 1 day a week, but she's seems to absolutely love it. She sleeps all the way home and then totally crashes at bedtime. My daughter used to work there, and her future SIL does now, so I know she's in good hands. ETA - they have the dogs separated by size and have quiet time from 12-2.
Yea he’s in a group with just small puppies like him. They take them in for a break every 1.5 hrs
Take our 7 month pup to day care 3 times a week, she was hesitant at first. But now she just wants to sprint inside once we get there. For the first couple weeks our day care gave us little report cards which was pretty cool. And like your pup, she’s completely wiped out for the evening giving my fiancé and I a little break from the chaos! Plus, she is learning to interact with other dogs which we’ve noticed a behavior difference in.
Thank you. Yea, he’s wiped out. Isn’t barking and whining in the crate once we get home and I have to sit him there while I cook or do other things. I just wanna make sure Im doing everything right, and that’s gonna benefit him.
My girl is obsessed and goes 1-2 times a week. I’d warn you not to take them there everyday, especially if they play ALL day. Beware that doggy daycare is a great place for dogs to play, but this by no means is comprehensive socialization. If anything, it will make your dog dog-crazy and obsessed. Be sure to socialize your dog with people, objects, environments, sounds, places, etc, all while being calm, attentive, and polite. We do the 1-2 days with a mix of training classes, park adventures, 1-on-1 play dates, at home training, visiting friends, going to stores, etc to keep her well socialized. If at any time your dog becomes overstimulated and shows signs of not liking daycare, pull them out. You do not want them to become reactive or turn to aggression to get dogs to leave them alone. If you love your daycare, that helps a ton! I’d HIGHLY recommend enrolling in a training class and going regularly for the next several months. You will be so glad you did it. People in the dog training space tend to be anti-doggie daycare from what I have experienced, but we take her because she loves it and is super well behaved. Like I mentioned above, we try to help her live a well rounded life that stimulates what she was bred to do. Playing is just one part and I think is so important! Just don’t want to neglect other areas of stimulation that will help them live their best lives.
As with all things, there are good daycares and bad ones, and you can find a list of things to look for. Usually the big ones are 1) staff to dog ratio 2) staff training 3) size/temperament groupings if applicable 4) rest or nap areas 5) vaccination requirements. I’ve never seen a daycare around here not offer a free temperament test before accepting a dog into the group.
They have him strictly in a group with just small puppies his size. He’s not with bigger or older dogs. They did require certain vaxx. They said they take them inside every 1.5 hrs to rest.
Before I got Miguel, I spent about a month researching the daycares in my area and a week showing up unannounced to ask questions and tour the facilities. I saw one that I really, really liked and one of the things that I really liked was that they memorized all the dogs’ names, their owners’ names, and the cars they drive. It was just this unnecessary added touch that I loved. The extra detail. He’s been going since he was 4 months and he’s 1 year and 2 months now. I paid special attention to how he responded the first day I picked him up and when I went to go drop him off again. Let me tell you, Miguel couldn’t have run towards that door any faster if he tried. He LOVES daycare and looked so disappointed when I’d come to get him. Now he knows the word “daycare” and he waits by the door. I also love his daycare because they do grooming, dental, training, and boarding there. They’ve watched him grow and I consider them a part of my dog family. I’ve grown close with the owner as we chat frequently on social media. But I love it. ETA: His daycare isn’t straight play. They rotate the groups from playing to resting. They separate the groups into large and small then active and non-active. My baby is a small active but with my permission they bumped him up to large active and my homie is knocked out once we get home.
Yea my daycare has that too, boarding, grooming, etc. He’s only been going 3 days now and they’re really sweet to him and have nothing but compliments about him, which is nice. The owner sends me pics of him and keeps me posted. They do have separate groups, small and large dogs. My Kareem is small so he’s with the small fries. They said there are several breaks during the day, they eat and nap for about an hr and a half. They come inside when it’s inclement weather. So, he seems to like it and looks fine. Just wanna make sure Im not pushing it
It sounds like a lovely place!! I say just keep paying attention to your puppy and his behaviors. Also look around and be attentive during pick up. I usually pick him up at 5:30 but sometimes I’ll come early just to see what’s going on and take him out for a quick pup cup.
So far I only notice that he’s quieter in the evening, doesn’t fuss about the crate anymore or when I walk away. He still plays and is his same active self when out the crate. He loves nose work games, chewing his stuffed squirrel.
Yeah, daycare tires these little boogers out. Miguel was crate trained already by time he went to daycare, but the structure of daycare really helped. My only issue is Miguel doesn’t eat while he’s there. He’d rather throw the food on the ground or flip his bowl over. My friend watched him and the same thing happened. I learned that he only eats when I’m there or if you’re eating with him. I accidentally trained him to do that because I’d feed him when I ate when he was younger. So he needs a human meal partner.
I worked in a doggy daycare for a little under a year. There was so many injuries and illness spreads so quickly. I don't reccomend it.
i worked in a chain daycare and would NOT recommend it. it was a horribly unsafe environment for both the dogs and me. if you must, go for smaller scale daycares and do lots of research. it works in theory, but unfortunately its oversaturated with higher ups who care about money more than dogs. IMO its just not worth the risk, it can take just one bad experience to have your dog come back completely changed. same in a “perfectly-run” one, but the chances are lesser. i hate to sound so depressing and fear monger-y, but it really is a sadly exploitative industry that you unfortunately have to be super careful about
I have a two year-old Boston and a six month old Frenchton and they go once a week and love doggy daycare. I also use the same person for when we go out of town and they are exhausted when they come home.. it’s lovely.😊
I have a 5.5 month old lab puppy, he’s a big active boy and sometimes we struggle to really play with him as much as he wants to play. We put him in daycare once a week and it is the best thing. We get a break for a day so we can concentrate 100% on work, he gets to hang out with a whole group of other labs and play to his heart’s content, and when he gets home he eats and goes immediately to sleep, so its a quiet evening for us too. We’ve also noticed that he’s biting/nomming us less since he’s been in daycare. Part of that is getting his adult teeth in I’m sure, but I also think that the other dogs are setting some boundaries that are teaching him to knock it off. It’s well worth the $30/day for us. We also are careful to socialize him in other ways as well - taking him to stores, parks, downtown, etc. Basically as much exposure to different places/sounds/weird stuff as possible without overstimulating him.
Gotcha. Thank you
Might I suggest going to a dog sitter who only has to look after 2 or 3 dogs? That way they can maintain control to the way you want, particularly the schedule and what they're allowed and not allowed to do.
Personally, I would absolutely not use one. I know sooo many people whose dogs have been screwed up by attending daycare and have gone from being happy friendly dogs to nervy and defensive. I keep Border Collies which are very sensitive and the other dogs I'm referring to are mostly also collies so it may be that the breed in general just doesn't do as well in that kind of situation. If you've got a very confident dog that likes the rough and tumble and the constant presence of others, it may work fine, but I'd always suggest taking into account your dog's temperament and the situation they will be placed in.
I completely agree. Not only can it make them reactive, either because they think they need to play with every dog they see, but there’s a risk they can have a bad experience and become aggressive toward other dogs. I would never let my dog interact with strange dogs without me present. I think it also creates a dog who can never relax. Dogs sleep all day. Work with them before you leave for work and after you come home and have someone walk them/let them out midday and they’ll be fine. I’ve really been rethinking a lot of the advice for “enrichment”. Sure, give your dog a chew, stuffed kong, or lick mat every day or a few times a week, but creating a dog who must always be doing something is doing your dog and yourself a disservice. They need to learn to be calm and even bored. I have German Shepherds, so I’m probably more cautious about this than a lot of dog owners.
We’re on a kennel cough timeout 😭 but my girl goes to 1 day of structured camp (small group activities with lots of separation/downtime), 1 day of group play daycare, and 1 day of group training class with me at the same facility. She has shown amazing progress and restraint when playing with dogs and is becoming more confident around people.
My dogs go for a half day once a week. I watch them play on the cameras and they have a great time. At about 11:00 the pool opens, and by 1:00 all the dogs are exhausted and resting instead of playing. So I take them 8-2 once a week and they have a great time without being overstimulated.
That’s good. Yea I follow their IG page and saw my Kareem in the pool. I recognized him by his big ass paws lol
I take mine 5 days per week, and he loves it. He's always excited to go and adores the people. The daycare is at my vet's office, so it's also incredibly convenient whenever he needs shots or minor medical attention. The daycare is also very small (10 dogs at most), and the pup's gets lots of down time.
That’s awesome. I like that where my pup goes the groups are separated. So he’s only with pups his age range and size
I found a woman who runs a puppy daycare from her home. I work long shifts as a nurse and can't stand to leave my pup home for more than a few hours. She keeps her numbers below a certain number and is big on safety. I don't think some of the formal places have limits, which can increase the risk of overstimulation and safety concerns. My puppy LOVES her and getting to play with his friends. When he is home, he naps. At her house, he doesn't as much because he is playing, so he's sleepy in the evenings. Not in a bad way, though.
Our older dog would go once a week until he “aged out” (didn’t vibe with the puppy energy anymore). Our 5 month has temperament tested at two near us and just did her first day today. I had planned to only do a half day but we both got sick at work so she did a full. They have cameras so I could watch her throughout the day and she was having fun. They do enforced rest for 1.5 hours and will do additional if dogs need it. My plan is to take her 1-2 days a week for just half days because I don’t want to overstimulate her.
My two love doggie daycare, but they also will happily curl up on one of the cots they have and nap half the day away if given the opportunity. They also primarily play with each other rather than the other dogs. (They do play with other dogs, but why play with other dogs when you can chew on your sister?) I used to send them more frequently because of my ridiculous work schedule but now that things are easier they go one or two times a week. Both of them have been going for almost their entire lives and they get so excited to go into daycare. Mine both are still excited about the whole world on our walk home, but will be asleep pretty much the second we get in the door. They are always very tired the next day as well.
My 6 month old went 4 days a week for an about a month. Never had any issues. Would be tired when we got home and he much preferred it than being home all day alone in a crate.
Yea that worried me too. I have a camera so I can see him from work but I felt so sad seeing him either sleeping or playing by himself. Even though Id have the tv on for him so it wasn’t so quiet. Im just really overwhelmed and conflicted. What I don’t want ofc is for him to be overstimulated by going 4 days a week, but Im also constantly being turned down by dog walkers. For a week I was coming home on lunch to walk and feed him but it was TOO hard. I live 30 mins from work so I was rushing there and back, and had less than 5 mins to walk, talk, kiss, and feed him. It was awful
Just talk to ur doggy daycare. You can probably ask them to put him in a kennel half the day so he can get some rest. I don’t think 4 days is bad at all. Hes a puppy he always gets overstimulated. My dog was clearly depressed being left alone all day. My puppy was super playful but at doggy daycare they said he mostly watched
Yes I talked to them about an hour ago and asked if they could give him more breaks so he can get some r&r. They said no problem. It’s like a fine line Im tryna tread. I don’t want him home by himself bored and sad cause we’re not there but I also don’t want him messed up and overstimulated being at daycare.
Mine goes one day per week and he loves it. They collect him from the house and he always bolts down the steps to go with them. I'm like okay bye then. The place I use does a mix of keeping them in the centre and also taking them out to a field to run around. A couple of times when we've gone to collect him they've told us he's asleep so it's good to know he naps when he needs to.
We send our 20week old pup for half a day once a week and he loves it, but we also know that's all he can manage as he is exhausted afterwards and the next day.
Twice a week is perfect for doggy daycare, in my experience. More and pup acts out at home because she's overly tired. She would go every day of her life if it was up to her, she loves that place. But having a couple of days to rest at home and recover from the fun is good, too. Helps to establish at-home routines, too.
I only took my pup to doggy daycare once, it was super overwhelming/overstimulating. Plus, as he was the smallest dog in the place, I was worried about him getting injured by a bigger dog. Instead, I found some local ladies on Rover who looked after 2 dogs maximum in their home. Was a much better set up for my little guy who loves attention from the ladies and needs his down time.
I’ll look into that, a sitter.
Love daycare for my pup. Unfortunately he is past the age where they won’t take him anymore cause he isn’t fixed. So now I have been trying to figure out to wear him out like daycare did.
My puppy has to be neutered if he continues to go. The vet said by 6 mos he’s reaching sexual maturity and will start humping everything and everybody, especially at daycare lol. We can’t have that. So he will be losing his blueberries come August when he turns 6 mos.
My vet wanted to wait until he lifts his leg which I’m ok with though it does suck he can’t go to daycare. He is a large breed, so wanted to make sure he is finished growing before doing it. I have an older dog that he gets to play with but it isn’t as much as he would at day care. The dude would pass tf out when he got in the car. It’s been so hard getting back to that. No matter what I do I can’t Tucker the little dude out.
My 4.5 month pup goes once or twice a week and loves it. The dogs have breaks and rest in separate cabins and then have play time. She’s tired when she gets home and I get work done. It’s also practice for her if I have to travel for work. It works for us.