Leaving your furry friend at a dog daycare is a great choice for those who have a busy lifestyle or are leaving town for a few days and can’t bring their dog along. Yet, not all doggy daycares are thoroughly equipped and prepared to look after your dog properly. Listed below are five tips you should know before choosing a dog daycare.
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Get a Complete Tour of the Daycare Facility
The first and most crucial step is asking for a complete tour of the dog daycare facility. Learn everything you can about the center and how it functions, what the safety precautions are, and how it’s all organized.
For example, a few things you want to make sure the dog daycare facility has is proper ventilation. It’s important for dogs to get fresh air, whether through open windows or doors, and if the area seems enclosed and cramped, then you should consider it a bad sign.
Also, the dog daycare center will most likely have a backyard. A solid fence surrounding the patio is a lot safer than an unstable chain-linked fence. You also want the facility to have safe, rubber floors for your dog to have a better grip.
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Observe the Employees and Their Interactions with Dogs
Sadly, not all dog daycare facilities are kind to our furry friends. When touring the center, observe the other care owners and watch out for how they interact with the dogs and how the dogs react to them. A big red flag is when the dogs are hesitant to approach the employees or seem off.
Also, you want to leave your dog in the hands of people who actually care. Do they seem interested and playful with your dog? Do they have proper knowledge of dog care, and are they fully engaged in their work?
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Make Sure It’s Clean
A clean space will be a happy space for your furry friend. Therefore, your dog should be in a facility where the poop is regularly cleaned, the floors are clutter-free, and all the dirt and hair are often cleared from the area. There is also the dog ear mite issue to consider. If other dogs in the facility have dog ear mites, your dog may contract them as well. People usually rarely develop an itchy rash when they live with pets who are infested with ear mites like Otodectes cynotis. However, you do not want these mites to travel to your bedding and furniture, then attach themselves to you or return to your pets again. The mites reproduce quickly and are highly contagious, so visit your vet before letting him sleep with you.
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See How Your Dog Feels
Dogs can pick up on any negative vibes they might feel, so pay attention to their body language. Are they wagging their tail and moving about the facility comfortably? Or do they seem uneasy?
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Look for a Safe Setting
At a dog daycare, your dog will be spending time with other furry friends. Therefore, you want to be sure that the facility supervises all the dog interactions and that the employees correct the dogs in an appropriate way. Ask about their history on dogfights and what procedure they follow when it happens before boarding your dog at any center.
Choose the Right Dog Daycare!
At the end of the day, your furry friend is part of the family, and you don’t want to leave it with any random dog daycare center. You want it to be properly taken care of while you’re away, and keeping these five tips in mind before choosing a facility will help you make the right choice. If you want to keep learning about similar topics, have a look at our blog, where you’ll find tons of interesting posts!
