Dog walker or doggy day care?

[VickyandCads]

Hi,
I am due back to work at Easter and am worried that my dog has gotten so used to me being home with the baby she will find the change and being home alone again stressful.
I have looked at getting a dog walker or putting her to a dog day care set up but I didn't realise how many there are - or what makes one better than the other - what should I be looking for???? (finding the right nursery wasn't as hard as this!)

Hi there a lot depends on your dog -breed,temperament,age and activity level.Some dogs are perfectly fine with the day broken up by a good walk and some socialisation with other dogs ,then like and need some chill out time back home on their own bed.I was lucky that DH could and would give DDog a walk before setting off for work,often in the dark admittedly.And we sometimes swapped and I loved the exercise and chance to clear my head,a bit of me time.Also I believe to a certain extent your dog does need to be used to being left,obviously not for hours and hours,but so you can go out and about doing other family stuff where it's not appropriate to take them.
Some dogs love a full day at day care,but for some it can actually be too much.I've seen dogs become stressed and overwhelmed by the constant coming and going of other dogs,especially at drop off and collection times.Also factor in the extra time either side of your working day taking and collecting your dog.It will depend on how near dog day care is to nursery, if you have to do both.Although you don't want your lovely dog to get stressed,make life as smooth running for yourself as possible returning from Mat leave.Its great that you're thinking ahead about your dogs welfare though.

Thanks for the guidance... maybe a walker would be better... but that would mean giving house keys to a stranger, not sure how I feel about that.

Well I'm a 'stranger 'that has keys for people's houses but over the years several customers have become good friends, and I have loads lovely testemonials saying how I'm regarded as part of the family.Ask to see references,maybe they have a Facebook page with regular photos so you can get a feel for where they walk,and the quality of the walks.And how many per walk.I always ask to do trial walk with the owner and the dog so we can chat and I can assess the dogs behaviour and sociability.I met one of my first customers on her Mat Leave years ago,and I knew straight away we shared the same ethos abut our dogs. Owners can sometimes be very blinkered to any of their dogs faults-some do have them !-and have unrealistic expectations ,for example it not physically possible to do every dog smack bang in the middle of the day .Also a reputable dog walker should have safe,secure transport eg ideally a van with rubber flooring and compartments, even the happiest most sociable dogs can kick off and cause chaos if all piled in the back of a tiny car,when excited about walks.Those are just a few things to go by,plus your gut instinct.
Likewise if it's daycare obviously visit and observe if the dogs look happy and entertained,do they have an area to relax in,if they take them out for walks where and how do they transport them.Insurance,and are they licenced with the local authority-many are not .As you say pretty much like your Nursery .Good luck and hope you get sorted !

Hi

I had a very similar issue when i went back off mat leave my dog was so used to my company, he pretty much came everywhere with me when possible. I found a website called mypetpeople.co.uk which was recommended to me by a friend, all you do is search your local area and they have walkers on there along with groomers and pet shops etc.

Worth a go maybe as i know they are all over the UK.

Thanks
Naomi

Going to make some phone calls today - should the dog walkers be licensed and insured too? Any other things I should ask? First aid? Do they get off the lead? How many dogs are walked together?

thanks

Certainly insured, in our area a licence is required for home boarding /day care but not for walking .Although some areas are bringing in restrictions in numbers in public area like parks etc which is fair enough.Although some owners have multiple dogs themselves. I've seen 8 /9 dogs tumble out of a car.Far too many for one person to control.However 4/5 well trained dogs with excellent recall in a suitable area,is quiet woods well away from roads and livestock should be fine for an experienced dog walker. And they should discuss with you your dogs suitability to go off lead.Obviously off lead is far more fun,and more exercise, but only appropriate if your dog has good recall,and will not pester other dogs / people who may not appreciate a dog bounding up.All things to discuss.And yes a basic knowledge of first aid ,and an ability to get your dog to a vets promptly should the need arise.Any good dog walker should volunteer this information freely,and of course nothing is better than word of mouth recommendations from other owners.Maybe ask around when you are out walking your dog ?

Does your dog get on with other dogs? If so, should be OK walking with a group. If possibly not, you can usually find a dogwalker who walks one dog at a time (my last dog was hopeless walking with other dogs - too slow and didn't like being amongst them constantly for an hour). I have always asked the local vets' reception staff if they know of any dogwalkers. I don't really trust other people to look after my dog if she is off the lead (particularly if they have other dogs at the same time), so I've always asked them NOT to let her off (I know she will be off lead with me on our walks every day, so it isn't necessary for them to do so too).

ALSO: Meet the dogwalker and let him/her meet the dog too and see how they are together. Check your dog's mood/behaviour after dogwalker has walked them - if your dog becomes a bit unhappy and anxious, it may be incompatibility with their walker (even with insurance, certification, etc, some people just aren't really suited to dogwalking). This happened to me and, coincidentally, to my neighbour with her dog and a different walker. I changed dogwalkers and my dog was absolutely fine with the new lady who is great. (My neighbour also asked someone different to walk her dog and her dog was immediately more relaxed and happy again).

This might sound daft, but have you considered a dog living nanny, working from your home?

Dog loving