Grace Power & Beauty

If you are anything like the millions of other caring dog owners in the world, you will want to always do the very best for your dog, and that will include ensuring that you choose the right doggie daycare centre for them.

Whether you plan for your dog to attend doggie daycare once a month, once a week, or every day, you will doubtless want them to be looked after properly and professionally.

That is why the correct course of action is to follow a proven step-by-step process that will help you to learn what doggie daycare centres are available and what they can offer, plus it allows you to make an informed decision as to which doggie daycare centre you will enrol your dog with.

Below you will find a seven-step process that we have found works for most dog owners and, most importantly, for their dogs.

Step #1 – Carry Out Thorough Research

Start your selection process by researching the doggie daycare centres that are local to you.

Visiting their websites will tell you a lot about them, and it might be useful to create a simple spreadsheet where you can list each of their details, services, and facilities all on one page for easy reference and comparison.

Step #2 – Ask Other Dog Owners Which Doggie Daycare Centres They Have Used

You surely have friends and family with dogs, and you will also likely meet other dog owners in the park when walking your dog.

As such, ask all of them if they have used a doggie daycare centre for their dog, and further, do they rate any highly enough to recommend them for your dog?

Step #3 – Create A Shortlist And Arrange To Visit Each Of Them

After following Step #1 and Step #2, look for online reviews and from there create a shortlist of those doggie day centres that seem to meet your requirements, and which are highly rated by others.

Then, call each of them to ask for an initial visit to check their premises and facilities for yourself and to meet the staff.

Step #4 – Get Answers To Vital Questions

Whether you do this through communication with the doggie daycare centres or when you are visiting each one, you should have a list of vital questions that you want the answers to.

These questions should relate to the basics of how the centre is run such as opening hours, staff-to-dog ratios, staff experience and qualifications, and the security that exists.

Step #5 – Carefully Read Their Safety Guidelines And Other Policies

Before fully committing to any one doggie daycare centre, you should read the documentation they have concerning their safety guidelines and the other policies which apply.

Be wary if these do not exist at a specific centre. All of them should have policies relating to treats and toys, how they decide how to group dogs, special dietary needs, and procedures should a dog become overly aggressive to other dogs.

Step #6 – Check Their Emergency Procedures

Pay particular attention to a centre’s procedures should any dog experience a medical emergency including accidents and serious illness.

Protocols should be in place for these, and whilst such events are rare, you want to know that at the very least the doggie daycare centre you choose is prepared for them.

Step #7 – Request A Trial Visit For Your Dog

As a final check to reassure yourself that the doggie daycare centre you are choosing for your dog is the right one, you should request that your dog spends a few hours there as a trial to see if the centre suits them and to get a first-hand look at how the staff interact with your dog and your dog with them.