How did you go about finding doggy day care/holiday care?

[hettie]

Puppy is 5 months and coming along nicely....I really really don't want anyone to undo our hard work by not supervising another dog and allowing him to be bitten or scared... In about a month or two we want to trial a half day. But... How to find someone reliable? It's a minefield on the internet and send very lightly regulated. What should I look for (it's like the childminder choice all over again). Added to this the massive up tick in lock down puppies mean many 'recomended' have waiting lists....

We went on word of mouth.

In the end we pulled him out of the first as, although it was an absolutely fine day care (small numbers, etc), it didn’t work for our specific dog. So consider your dog’s character and needs and try to think about how they’ll find the day care’s routine and set up.

The second one we tried we thought much more about if it suited his personality. And he’s like a different dog there compared to the first one (which again, is a good day care by other dog’s standards!). I honestly think it’s his happy place. He cries to get in and loves the owner deeply.

He couldn’t start at the second day care without me doing a short trial with him first. It lasted about an hour, I stayed, we watched the dogs and she asked me a million questions about him. She was checking he was a good fit with the other dogs as much as I was checking the day care was a good fit for us. It reassured me that she’ll only take on dogs that work well together.

I asked/emailed dog walkers that advertised dog daycare. Most were full but passed me details of others in the area and eventually found one who was just starting up and had space and he has attended there ever since. That was 5 years ago and although we still use the same person for primary daycare and boarding I always have a backup for holiday.

Tried a big commercial place which was essentially a big building with compartments and lots of dogs and he hated it so looked again for dog walkers who take only a few dogs as daycare. Happily have a backup one that he also loves.

For dog daycare they have to be council licensed etc but the main thing I look for is how my dog behaves around them and whether they are happy taking him. I know whether they are a good fit as he pulls my arm off trying to get into their house when I drop him off (and launches himself on their sofas as he sees it as another home).

As noted daycare/ boarding is regulated but walking isn't. I have two- I googled locally and checked them out. One rejected him and was clearly a bad fit- as others have said it's an excellent place, it just wasn't right for him at that stage off his development and they were right to refuse him! The second one has been ideal- the right fit in terms of the owner and the facility. And as it was a long term plan for both of us we took time to get him settled, building up in longer bursts at a time. The other is his trainer who also does some boarding and again he's very happy there and I'm happy he is both well cared for and not learning bad habits!

Most ones round here want regular clients not occasional boarders, as they know the dogs and how they fit, so you might have more joy if you are willing to commit to a regular pattern. Despite my positive experiences, if it was just for the odd night here and there I would put him in a good kennel.

Local recommendations. Went with a dog walker in the end, worked out great. 2 hours at lunch, home for a big nap and my daughter gets in from school at 3.15.

Word of mouth and personal recommendation. We made contact long before we needed to start using her services and have built up a good good relationship over the years. She came to visit and we talked about what she offered, how she got involved in the business etc. She left us with a welcome pack but no obligation to register with her. I followed her on social media for a bit which gave a bit of an insight and spoke with other people who use her.

When we needed kennels the location helped us decide (after abysmal experience at the first place). We needed not to have a big journey every time the ddogs needed to go in.. Travel time is relevant ime..

Honestly word of mouth. Wasn’t happy with the first. Lovely but not a good fit as I think she had too many big dogs & not much space. Current sitter also has lots of big dogs but better laid out, so dog is never stressed. She skips going in. Had to force her with the first one. So that was my answer really!

I met ours in a local park where I regularly saw her with several of her dogs. She is a dog walker who also takes dogs to stay at her house and our puppy LOVES it there. He pulls me yo run to her house every time we walk past and when we pass he tries to sneak into her garden. He also always stops to bark just in case any of his "crew" are at her house

You will be able to tell if it's a good fit by how much your dog wants to go there. Ours literally RUNS to the dog walker's house and doesn't even give us a second glance once he is there.

Daycare, boarding and kennels (DBK) are all regulated by law, walking is not.

DBK's must have a license issued by their local council. The license limits the number of dogs they're allowed at once (this number will vary depending on staffing, space etc.), and will place restrictions on how long the dogs can be left, how much exercise they need to have etc. They also specify that the owner has to have certain qualifications.

Dog walkers, on the other hand, are not regulated in any way. They don't, by law, even need to have insurance. However, good walkers will be insured and first-aid trained, and many will have qualifications in canine body language too.

However, all that said, I think the most important thing is that your dog clicks with their carer. A dog walker/daycare can be perfect on paper, but if your dog isn't comfortable then it won't work out long-term.

Ask for personal recommendations, do a free meet and greet, do some trial walks or visits and get to know the walker/carer well. You can also ask them to provide you with references from existing clients.

Our puppy is 5 months and she goes to four different people and she loves all of them! Two of them are home based and absolutely lovely. One literally lives around the corner from our house. We need adhoc days due to DH’s shifts so don’t require weekly care, so we use those when they have availability.
One is farm based, does agility and there are horses there which is brilliant for her socialisation and general development. She goes there two days a week on a fixed booking.
Our final one specialises in Border Collies, she is amazing, and does training as well. She collects from our house and does walks.

All of them are wonderful and so kind and supportive. They’ve really helped with her training and they all adore her. Most importantly she adores all of them and has a whale of a time! They all send me photos on WhatsApp through the day and are so kind.

Word.of mouth - worth asking your vet - they will know the local dog sitters.

Our breeder does overnight boarding for the giant breeds. She looks after other Saints and often Newfies as well. I know she will be well looked after when she stays overnight soon. We have her booked in for two nights, and she will be groomed whilst there.

Definitely go by word of mouth.

Word of mouth. I have two excellent non kennel options as a result.
I still hate leaving my boy tho

Ok, word of mouth it is then (and fit).... So if you live in the Bristol area and a middle aged lady with a bundle of fluffy puppy is trying to move dog small talk into the subject of sitters you'll know it's me