7 Things Daycare/Boarding Facilities Won’t Tell You

This Post At A Glance

Intro

1. When There's A Bug Going Around

2. How Naughty Your Dog Really Is

3. When You're Dogs Not Enjoying Themselves

4. Staffing Problems

5. No Limit On The Number Of Dogs

6. How Your Dog Got Injured

7. Good Dogs Go Bad

Conclusion

Intro

Having worked in a few different daycare/boarding facilities over the course of 7 years, you pick up on how things are run. This post is focusing on “Non-Traditional” daycare/boarding facilities where dogs are out and about with each other all day. Though I’m sure some of these may apply to traditional facilities as well. There are a few things your facility will refrain from telling you. Why? For one thing, they are a business and want to make money and keep a good reputation. And on the other hand, they don’t want to bother owners with problems if they don’t absolutely need to.

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7 Things Daycare/Boarding Facilities Won’t Tell You

1. When There’s A Bug Going Around

So here I’ll start off by saying that if there is a serious outbreak going on, then a facility will (or should) alert its clientele about it. But, if it’s the more common ailments like kennel cough, they will try to keep it under the radar. If a dog develops concerning symptoms like coughing, vomiting, lethargy, etc. The facility will alert the parents of their concerns and that they need to have the dog seen by the vet before returning to the facility. However, other pet parents will not be alerted about any positive cases going around and will continue to bring their dog as if everything is fine.

Again, they don’t want to unnecessarily start a panic when many dogs with strong immune systems will be just fine and not get sick. They want to keep your business. If your dog goes to the facility regularly, they will have a better immune system vs a dog that’s going for the first time and is nervous. A dog that’s new to daycare/boarding won’t have the same immunity and is much more likely to get sick. In this instance, if you’re planning on boarding, it’s good to start introducing them to the facility a week or two before you plan on leaving so they can adjust.

2. How Naughty Your Dog Really Is

I've seen several dogs over the years that are not a good fit for group play. These dogs pose a risk to the dogs and staff around them. If a manager gently alerts you to a behavioral problem with your dog. Then it’s potentially a bigger issue then they are making it out to be. They may give you a kind heads up that something needs to change before the problems gets worse. Depending on the dog if their behavior worsens, they may eventually be “kicked out” from the facility and not allowed back until they’ve had some work done with a trainer. If a severe enough event happens, they may not be allowed back at all. Many facilities are good about trying to work with you and your dog to make sure they can attend group play safely.

3. When You’re Dog’s Not Enjoying Themselves

Not all dogs are cut out for daycare/boarding. In fact, there are those that downright hate it. Some owners have no choice and need to bring their dog to places like these. I’ve known some owners that want to know whether or not their dog is enjoying themselves. You will almost never hear that your dog hates it. Keeping you as a happy client is more important than saying your dog doesn’t want to be here.

A good way to see for yourself whether or not your dog is enjoying themselves is to check on them shortly after you’ve dropped them off to see what they are up do. Or better yet, many facilities are installing web cams so you can view your dog while you’re at work or traveling. I wouldn’t say check on them when you’re picking them up as they are likely tired and ready to leave anyway.

Sometimes you can find a facility that your dog does like. But a lot of times a dog that doesn’t enjoy these facilities just want to be with you and won’t be happy at any facility. An alternative option is a pet sitter that can come to your house to walk your dog or check in on them. It can be a bit more expensive, but if you can afford it, a pet sitter/dog walker is a good alternative option.

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4. Staffing Problems

There is generally a high turn over rate at dog daycare/boarding facilities. It’s a low paying job meaning you often times get inexperienced kids that need to work 5+ days a week to earn a living. Working with a large number of dogs at one time, and that frequently, can be very stressful and quickly burns you out. The most experienced staff tend to be those who have moved up to reception or customer service. So they are not directly caring for your dog. Those that don’t move up, often times move on to another job, or are let go for becoming irresponsible. When you hire kids that don’t have a lot of experience, then you end up with a lot of mistakes including medicating the wrong dog, feeding a dog the wrong food . . . Some of these can be life threatening mistakes. It’s a rare and wonderful thing to get that perfect staff.

Stealing Your Dogs Medication: Yes, this is a problem in some facilities. And if an employee is caught doing it, they are most certainly let go. But sometimes you don’t know who’s doing it. If you’re dog takes medications like tramadol, or anti-anxiety pills and you bring them in for boarding. Keep track of how many pills you are bringing for your dog, maybe even intentionally bringing a few extras, and see if any are missing when you pick up your dog. Once may be a fluke, but if it happens multiple times, alert the owner or manager right away so that they can take measures to find out who’s doing it.

5. No Limit On Number Of Dogs

Facilities don’t want to turn away business. And if they are especially popular it can get quite crowded and chaotic. I remember days where there were over 100 dogs . . . JUST FOR DAYCARE! That didn’t include the boarding dogs spending the night. Depending on the mix of dogs, it can make for one stressful day and a higher likelihood of an incident occurring. When I was fairly new to working at these facilities, it was said that the limit was about 25 dogs per person. When we clearly went over that level, instead of turning dogs away (which can be frustrating for regular clientele who are on their way to work) there are a few solutions. Raise that number of dogs per staff member as it’s a made-up number that management decides on. Call in and see if any other extra staff members are available to come in and help. Or lastly kennel a certain number of dogs (usually the troublemakers) and rotate them with other dogs about every 30 minutes in order to keep the room calmer. It’s a fine line between customer satisfaction, and the safety of the dogs. UPDATE: I believe the law is catching up with these facilities and instilling limits so that these facilities do not become overcrowded with dogs.

6. How Your Dog Got Injured

Sometimes if the way a dog was injured is sure to upset the owner. An alternate story for the injury is created. Especially if they know the owner can already be reactive to the wellbeing of their dog. A lot of times they’ll say it was from playing too rough with another dog (which absolutely can happen) or even blame it on their own dog’s negligence instead of the perpetrator. Even if the truth is that their dog was an innocent bystander of a bite from another dog. Sometimes owners want to know exactly which dog did it. I’ve seen a couple cases in which a pit bull did the damage, but not wanting to point out a breed that already gets a bad rap, they’ve covered it up by saying it was a lab that had already gone home.

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7. Good Dogs Go Bad

I’ve seen good dogs go bad from going to these facilities too often and getting bored. Dogs that once enjoyed themselves and played with other dogs, either become withdrawn and sit in a corner not wanting to be bothered, or they become aggressive and start harassing other dogs, or worse, they inflict damage on other dogs. Clients get comfortable with sticking with one place to drop their dog off when they go to work every day, but it can have a negative effect on their dog when they almost live there 5-7 days a week. To avoid this, I’d recommend a few options . . .

1. Only bring your dog to daycare 2-3 times per week

2. Pick a couple different daycares to bring your dog to in order to try and keep things interesting. NOTE however this also increases the risk of transmitting disease between facilities and increases the risk of your own dog getting sick.

3. Consider a dog walker/pet sitter for some of the days.

Conclusion

This post isn’t to scare you away from utilizing these facilities. They can be great places to take your dog, and there are wonderful, experienced staff out there that will take care of your dog the way you’d expect. These facilities are life savers for many people who just need a place to bring their dog while they are away at work for the day or need to leave town and have nobody else to count on. These places want your dog to do well and have a good time. I just wanted to shed some light on some of the common ugly realities that can occur so you can make a more informed decision on what’s best for your pup.

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Photo Credits:

*Cane Corso Photo Taken By Mallory Destromp

*Pill Bottle Photo From Pixabay