How To Choose a Dog Daycare

If you are lucky, there are several dog day care facilities or kennel in your area. Choosing the best one for your pet can be difficult. Elizabeth Gabriel founder of the Dog House in Los Angeles gave us these tips for choosing a good dog day care or kennel:

-Owner participation. A good owner is on sight the majority of the time. “I don’t care how much people are paid. If it is not your business, you will not take care of it like you would if you owned it.”

-Are there enough people on staff to handle all of the dogs? Is the facility large enough to accommodate all of the dogs?

-Does the center have an outdoor play area?

-Are large and small dogs separated from each other?

-How much do the people owning/running the daycare know about dogs and behavior? If they offer agility equipment, do they know how to safely use it?

-Is the facility clean? “We pride ourselves on being so clean you could eat off the floor.” (Gabriel concedes that she has not tried this personally.)

-Does the facility have good ventilation? Good ventilation curbs smells and airborne diseases.

-Is the place dog proofed? I.e. are there any exposed wires begging to be chewed? Are their any nails sticking out? Are outlets covered when not in use?

-Store access. What separates the front door from the area where the dogs are playing? Distance? Barriers? At the Dog House they use a double gate system so that there is not direct access to the lobby. A dog or person must open one gate and close it behind them before opening the next gate, thus creating a ‘holding pen.’ In addition anyone entering the facility must be “buzzed in.’ This helps reduce the chances of a dog that may happen to be in the lobby slipping out the front door.

-What are the facilities health policies? Which vaccinations does the daycare require? Does the facility keep track of vaccination due dates or do they rely on the owner?

-Does the facility allow surprise inspections? You should be suspicious of daycares or kennels that require appointments for visits.

-Do not choose a facility based upon how ‘cute’ or ‘high-tech’ it may be. Gabriel adds, “Internet cameras may let you see your dog playing, but they do not let you know how the facility smell.”

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