Doggie Day Care????

What are the thoughts on Doggie Day Cares?? The place that groomed Foster today also does DDC, because Foster was a "big" job he gave him breaks in between and let him play in the DDC with the other dogs ( He did require that I bring all my Vac/Rabies paperwork first obviously ) Foster is going back in tomorrow to get finished and because I work he will be dropped off in the morning and picked up after work so he'll spend some time in the DDC. He REALLY seemed to enjoy it, I never would have considered it before but maybe it would be good for him every now and again when I go to work? Can anyone tell me the pro's and con's of DDC??? I have always had terriers that while are my babies, are not dogs that would have handled a DayCare type setting, but Foster seemed to thrive there!!

I think DDCs are great - good for socialization, good exercise, mental stimulation, helps with potty training, etc.

Just be sure to talk to the staff and decide if you trust them and the other clients' dogs to be able to handle it if there were a fight or if one got hurt.

I think they are an asset, especially if they are well run. Unfortunately, I don't have access to anything like that where I live. Hopefully by the time I'm ready for my next puppy there will be something close to me, or maybe I will have moved.

They're fabulous most of the time, just make sure the facility is safe and the staff are well trained.

I was impressed when I had to board Ollie at Camp Bow-Wow . I'd only do it for boarding , but many were there only for day time fun !

just make sure that you can trust them... you dont know what they are doing when you are not around...

Daycares can be amazing places!! Ask to see the facilities, ask the qualifications, ask to watch for a while. Just like any buisness there are good ones and there are the not so good ones. Most important do you trust the person running the buisness?

On a side note, how long did it take to groom your pup? You said that it was a really big job that took a long time. But it really shouldn't have taken longer than 2 hours from start to finish, but you said that you have to go back and have him finished. It appears that they shaved him down with a number 10 and left his ears, tail, and feet long. I am a groomer and the precut for a dog like yours would be 20 minutes max, 25 min max for the bath, 30 mins max for blow dry (he is super short!!) and then the final cut. This would leave me with 45 min for the final cut. We usually book a doodle type dog in for an hour and a half to 2 hours.

My dogs go to a smaller doggie daycare, and they enjoy it. Its a nice, controlled environment where they can interact with other dogs. I have heard that sometimes dogs can pick up bad habits from the other dogs, but I haven't seen this in my dogs.

i started working at a dog daycare neer me about a month ago and started taking ruby wiht me, mostly because she hates being home without me, and partially because shes got more energy than the chis and its VERY hard to tire her out...

i work in the small dog building and the first few weeks se just kind of lay around in the bed or in a corner, reacently however she started playing and interacting and actually initiating play, ive seen a huge difference, her confidence has grown and now she actually comes home and sleeps...all night!
even her confidence around people has grown...

shes got along ways to go yet, but its been great for her, im planning on taking the chihuahuas on mondays and wednesdays too once shes finally realy settled in.

i do agree, take alook around, watch them interact with the dog ect...
some places are GREAT, others are not so great, use your judgement.

as for the grooming, i do agree, that it sounds like it took too long for the groom, but i also know of a very god groomer who keeps sessions short wiht puppies and dogs unfamilar with grooming by spending 1/2 hour on them then letting them play then comming back and doing a bit more ect...

doggie daycares are awesome if you've got people who know what they are doing. Roofus's first daycare, he spent most of the time in timeout because he'd get into a dog's face and bark at them if they wouldn't play with him or they wouldn't give him their toy. The day he came home with a gash on his nose was the last day he went there.

The new place recognizes warning signs and how to prevent it from happening in the first place - I don't think he's been in time out ONCE and he never has any injuries (though he comes home smelling like dog drool and his hair is crunchy).

It's GREAT for socialization and tiring the dog out.

Thanks all, I think I may take him every now and then, I know nothing about grooming, Foster is my first dog to need "upkeep" on the fur front.... LOL

He actually would have finished him yesterday but offered to have him come to the daycare for the day today for free and finish him while he played. I will keep an eye on length of time from here on out, though he took him without Appointment and did warn he'd work on him between other commitments.