Leaving your dog or cat at home while you go to work or travel with your family is not an easy idea. The time when you are separated from your beloved dog is tough and you are naturally concerned about its well-being. Finding a daycare for your dog is a win-win situation. At a minimum, you need to make sure that the caregiver can look after your pet and provide a good environment. But how do you choose the right daycare for your pet? What do you have to consider?

To find the best places for your dog, you should visit some daycare centers for dogs a few days before your departure.

1. Research the daycare

Consult your vet or ask dog-owning friends for references. Also, find some doggy groups in the area where you live. Choose a daycare with fewer complaints and many highly rated comments. During this process, you should get some information about the daycare such as service, costs, environment, and food. Having chosen a satisfactory location does not mean that you should bring your pet there directly. We recommend you to call there to arrange a  visit first.

2. Visit the facilities and staff

To make sure the daycare is well run, you should ask the owner or manager for a tour of the facilities. This is a good opportunity to check that the environment your dog will be living in is clean and hygienic. For your dog’s safety, it is recommended to check all these facilities during your visit.

  • Proper fencing. Some large daycares have special playrooms or areas enclosed by fixed fences. And there is a secure fence door at the gate or entrance.

  • Ventilation. It is important that there is fresh air inside, whether through a fresh air exchange system or through open doors. You do not want your beloved pet to stay in a murky environment for a few days. 

  • Safe floors. Compared to the ordinary floor at home, the rubber and epoxy floors in the daycare provide a safer environment for frolicking dogs. 

  • Enough staff. With enough staff available - a radio of 15 dogs per person - one can assume that the staff have enough time and energy to take care of the dogs.  

3. Dog separation 

Large dog daycares usually separate the dogs into different playrooms, based on their sizes, temperaments and style of play. This measure could effectively avoid a fight or discomfort caused by these differences. Unlike in the park, the playground in the daycare center is smaller to run around and escape, and the strong power of the large breeds may hurt the little ones to some extent.

4. Dog activities

It is not outrageous to ask how the dogs are organised, what they will do all day long, including whether they will have extra activities or training. If this is the case, your dog will behave better when he goes home. But before you agree to any activities it is best to inquire whether they incur any extra fees.

5. Food and toys

Some daycares have their own feeding methods, such as regular meals and the use of treats to reward good behaviour. Ask the manager which method the daycare uses and pass on your dog’s eating habit in case of aggressive behaviour. If your dog does not tolerate other dogs while playing with toys, inform the staff about this, so they can watch your dog closely.

6. Find out if the daycare offers boarding

A small daycare might not provide a boarding service. If you need to be separated from your dog for a few days, ask the daycare whether it is available for boarding. If it does, you could send your dog there, preferable during the day, because a dog needs time to get used to a strange place.