Doggie Day Care??

[GSD]

Hello my names Alex I have had many animals since I was little from birds to having a Siberian Husky and a Golden Retriver. Unfortenatly I have not been able to have any pets lately but I do dog sit on a regular basis and volunteer at a dog park. I wanted to get a GSD since I have had a lot of experience with them and love the kind of dog they are, but because of my work and shcool schedual Im gone a lot and do not want to leave him alone all day. So I was wondering does anyone use doggie day care and what do they think of it? Are there other alternatives? Are there any jobs out there that would allow you to take your dog to work on a regular basis? Thanks for the information, this seems to be a great forum!

[UConnGSD]

I use doggie day care about 2 days a week (gives my arm a rest from throwing balls for 2 hours every day). Wolfie gets very excited about day care. He knows the second we turn into the road that leads to the place, even though we are still a couple of miles away. He will start squeaking excitedly and can't wait to go play with his friends. He has been going since he was about 5 months. Tired pup at the end of the day. Great socializing experience too.

You do need to check out the daycare facility though. Do they give you a tour of the facilities? Are they clean? What kind of security system do they have? What is the level of supervision during playtime? Ask your vet for referrals. That's how I found out about our place. If the daycare also does boarding, that's a big bonus because he's already familiar with the employees, the other dogs and the facility. IMHO, the biggest indicator is your dog's reaction. Is he excited to go in after the initial visit? What's his body language once you get to the place?

[GSD]

thats great to hear, thank you for the reply i really appreciate it!

[Lola1969]

A rule that I have found that many places have is that they do not want your dog to be toy possesive. That rules Ozzy out. Sometimes they forget to mention that so you may want to ask when you tour facilities.

[GSDluver4lyfe]

Make sure your dog will actually enjoy it. I worked at a boarding/doggie daycare facility and we had quite a few regular GSD's (that would come in at least 3-4 times a week) and many more throughout the time I worked there. And most of the GSD's (regulars and those who only came a few times) didnt really enjoy being with the other dogs. They would stick with and follow me (or any employee supervising) and only play and interact with the human in the room. They are also a breed that demands respect and didnt really like or appreciate other dogs in their face or jumping all over them (and would let them know). The GSD's I've encountered have been from all different lines (amer, GSL, WL, oversize-bred) and all different temperaments but they all shared that trait in seeking out human attention and ignoring the other dogs.

If your dog isnt really going to enjoy interacting with other dogs he's better off at home or maybe hiring a dog walker/sitter who can play with him during the work day.

I know there are PLENTY of GSD's who love doggie day care and benefit from what it offers, I'm just stating my observations.

[WesF]

I take Samson about once a week to doggy daycare and he Loves it! They also have boarding so he has stayed there a couple times. He always comes home tired and they always tell me he plays really hard. He loves other dogs and loves playing he is still a puppy 10 months. Also something kinda neat about my place does is they give your dog a grade card when boarded. It tells you how well he ate, did he have fun and who his buddies were. They also gave him a valentine card with a duck treat which I thought was neat. All in all Samson loves the place and so do I.

[ShatteringGlass]

I thought about taking my dog when he was a pup, for maybe like one or 2 days a week, but after checking out 2 places near me i said forget it! At both places, they only had ONE person supervising the large group of dogs, and they had to keep leaving the playroom for minutes at a time to take phone calls, customers at the front desk, etc. Didnt seem safe to me, it only takes a second for a bad situation so start, and then if it did, to only have one person to handle it with all those dogs? No Thanks!

[Zisso]

I took Z a few times and he seemed to like it. He did great and it was good for socializing him. Then I got Nadi who would never make it at a day care for various reasons so Z doesn't go anymore.

[Minnieski]

Minnie just started going - I wanted to get her used to the place before boarding here there. She LOVED it, and now I'm thinking about taking her in one day a week just to tire her out. I agree with UConn, check the place out first before leaving your dog there.

[Syaoransbear]

I'd like to take Chrono there once a week, but I don't know if all doggie daycare places understand the way a typical german shepherd plays(hard).