Does my dog have to be trained to come to day care?

No.  We are here to provide a service to people who need help socializing and exercising their dogs.  We would love to work with your dog to develop polite behaviors and an appropriate play style.  We will be in constant communication with you about how your dog is doing at daycare and give you tips and tricks you can try at home to practice good behaviors.  We may also strongly suggest or require that you take a training class with your dog if behaviors are not improving or causing problems in the day care.  Please realize that with a large group of dogs, the day care employees can only do so much with one individual dog in a day.  Their job is to make sure that all the dogs in their group are happy and content.

My dog is a very rough player, can he still come to day care?

There are many dogs who tend to play on the rough side.  At dog day care, the trick is to keep the arousal level of all the dogs at a safe level.  We will work with your dog to try to give them feedback when they are playing appropriately, and redirect them if they are not.  We do not tolerate any bullying behavior, constant mounting, or constant grabbing of another dog’s fur.  If any of these behaviors occur regularly and cannot be modified within the day care environment, we may not be able to accept your dog at day care any longer.

Do you group the dogs by size?

We group the dogs by size, temperament and play style.  For example, an older golden retriever who enjoys “dog watching” all day as opposed to running and playing might be grouped with a small terrier who plays nicely with another dog while the retriever watches close by.  Younger labs who might like to wrestle and roll around would be kept separate from a small dog who might get rolled over. The great thing about our daycare is that we have more smaller rooms so as we grow, we can move dogs around if we feel they would be better in a different room.

My large dog is afraid of or aggressive towards only small dogs, can she still come to day care?

Our Behavior Assessment rules out any dog that has aggressive tendencies and they are not accepted at day care.  We cannot accept a large dog who is aggressive towards small dogs, or a small dog who is aggressive towards large dogs.  Even though the dogs will be separated by size in the day care, we cannot risk having a dog attack or harm a dog in the parking lot or in our front lobby.  In order to come to day care, a dog must be tolerant of both large and small dogs.

Will my dog come home clean at the end of the day?

Our outdoor area is straw covered, but there is still dirt underneath and dogs like to dig.  We discourage any digging, but with a group full of dogs, this is something that is bound to occur here and there.  If it rains, the dogs can sometimes get muddy.  Many dogs also love to roll in the mud or anything else they can find.  We do our best to hose the dirt off if possible (some dogs are scared of the hose) but please be aware that your dog may get dirty at day care. We are constantly working on new ideas for our play yard in an effort to keep your dog clean.  Keeping a long-haired dog cut shorter can also help keep your dog cleaner.   

My dog has a sensitive stomach, do you feed anything to the dogs?

As a positive training center, we use clicker training to control and teach the dogs.  Some of the rewards we use include play, praise, ball toss, massage as well as food rewards.   We use a mixture of high quality dog food (Red Barn) mixed with Cheerios.  The mixture is approximately one part Red Barn to three parts of Cheerios.  Some day cares may elect not to use treats but we feel it gives us the most control in moving the dogs in and out of rooms, and is powerful enough to make the dogs listen to our staff in an environment where there are many distractions with all of the other dogs.  It is not possible for us to be sure your dog will not get treats as we often toss some to redirect the dogs.  If your dog cannot have any treats at all, then our day care might not be the best choice for you. 

My dog eats poop, can she still come to day care?

An unpleasant fact of life is that some dogs eat poop.  Some eat only their own, some eat other dogs’ poop.  At Dances With Dogs, we pick up poop in the play yard as it is produced.  It is important that we keep our play yard as clean as possible and we are very diligent about removing poop.  Still, proximity can be a factor and if a poop eater is right next to a dog who is going, try as we might, it is still tough to stop it sometimes.
We do our very best to distract dogs who tend to do this as well as keep you informed if your dog does eat poop.  Please also be advised that some parasites are contagious by eating feces and although dogs with known parasites cannot return to day care until they are no longer contagious, a parasite can be transferred if the infecting dog has not yet been diagnosed.  If your dog has a persistent problem with eating feces, we may recommend that day care might not be the best environment for your dog. 

I don’t know if my dog would like day care or not, should I try it?

There are many ways for a dog to enjoy day care.  Dogs get mental stimulation from a variety of sources including just sniffing the various smells of the day care.  While some dogs like to play with other dogs all day, some just want to play with the toys or sit and watch the activity from one of our play structures.  Some dogs like to follow the employees around and others enjoy policing the activity of the other dogs making sure things don’t get out of control.  At Dances With Dogs, we will be honest and up front with you about what your dog does at day care.  It is very stressful for our staff to have a dog who does not want to be there, so you can be assured we will tell you honestly how they are doing.  You may decide from our feedback that day care is not right for your dog, but understand that actively playing with other dogs is not the only way for them to have fun and enjoy coming to day care.

Can I come and watch my dog in the day care?

This is probably the most asked question by our customers and one of the most important for you to understand the answer.  When dogs come to day care regularly, which is the majority of our customers, they come to see the place as theirs.  When strangers come walking in, the dogs get completely aroused and start barking which gets all the dogs barking.  (If you drive to the back of our parking lot where the fenced area is and the dogs are outside, you will see this happen.)  If the dogs are inside, they will jump at the doors and/or windows barking at the stranger.  This causes complete chaos in the day care and brings up the arousal level that we work constantly to keep down.  The dogs will not play normally as they would when the strangers are not there so the owners cannot see what they came for anyway.

Playgroups
In the spring of 2007, we created a Saturday “playgroup” where owners would come with their dogs for an hour long play session.  This works because all of the owners are present and the dogs come in with their owners so they are not surprised by the arrival of a new stranger.  We ended the playgroups in the summer due to lack of enrollment during the summer months but we would be receptive to starting them up again if there is enough interest.  Please let us know if this is something you would like to do as it will give you a chance to see your dog play.

I can’t always leave my dog off between 7:00 am – 9:00 am (or 2:00 pm for the afternoon session) and pick up between 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm.  Will this be a problem?

Yes.  It is very important that we stick to our check in and check out times.  After 9:00 am, all employees are designated to the day care area and cannot come up to retrieve a dog who is late.  Our doors are locked during the day when check in is over as our services are by appointment only.  We close at 6:00 pm and charge $1 per minute late fee.  If you cannot adhere to the check in and check out times, consider not bringing your dog that day and rescheduling for another day.  We do provide pick up and drop off service at your home on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays if you cannot manage to make the check in and check out times.  See Policies and Rates pages for more information.

If you are not here to pick up your dog by 6:00 pm and we have not received a phone call from you that you are running late, we will arrange for your dog to be boarded for the night with one of our employees.  We will leave messages at the phone numbers you have provided to us as to your dog’s whereabouts and there will be a $50 boarding fee for the night.   We reserve the right to charge the $50 fee even if you decide to arrange to pick up your dog that evening.  Otherwise, you can pick up your dog at our facility at 7:00 am the next morning.

Why are the pick up and drop off times so stringent and why is the door locked during the day?

Dog day care is very similar to child day care or a grammar school. Obviously, if kids arrived at all different times during the day at school, it would cause tremendous disruption to the teachers as well as to the other students.  The day care day is structured and the dogs are ready for a nap by 11:30 am.  They are not ready at this point for an eager, energetic dog to come bounding in trying to get them to play.  In addition, if a dog comes late, they are not ready for nap time and can be very disruptive to the other dogs trying to nap.

The door is locked after check in because we are by appointment only and all of the employees are with the dogs after check in.   We also feel this is an extra precaution to make sure the dogs are safe inside. 

I only want to bring my dog once in a while, maybe a few times a year, can I do that?

We will always give a dog a try with doing this and some dogs come occasionally and do just fine.  High energy dogs can sometimes get extremely over aroused and excited at only coming once in a while that they have a tendency to play inappropriately with the other dogs.  Just like kids at school, it takes practice to gain good social skills and the same applies to dogs.  Additionally, the dogs who come regularly are used to nap time and will take the opportunity for a quiet rest.  Occasional dogs often have more difficulty with nap time because they are not used to the concept.  If we feel that a dog who comes occasionally is interfering with our regular dogs’ ability to have fun and get proper rest, we may suggest coming more often to help your dog hone his social skills and ability to nap in peace.

My dog has lots of energy and I am afraid that if she has a nap, she won’t be tired at night.  Should I be worried about this?

No. Dog day cares across the country have found that a nap time is better for the dogs.  It gives them a chance to rest and by 11:30 am, the dogs are tired and ready for some downtime.  The dogs are better rejuvenated for the afternoon session and are less cranky then they would be without nap time. 

My dog does not like being crated, are there any other nap time options?

Since our opening, we have found both sides of the spectrum – owners who think their dog would not tolerate a crate and the dog actually does fine in a crate at daycare, or owners who crate their dogs every night and the dog tries to pull a fast one on us and pretend they have never seen a crate!  In any case, we like to try all dogs in a crate first.  If they are very afraid in a crate, we can try them in a daycare room by themselves with a blanket, but they must not bark or be destructive or scratch at the doors.  If your dog has consistent trouble napping and is disruptive of the other dogs, we might ask that you bring your dog for a morning half day and then pick up before nap time.       

How will I know how my dog is doing at day care?

We will be always be honest with you about how your dog is doing at day care.  You should be prepared that sometimes dogs, just like people, can have a bad day.  We will tell you if your dog has a bad day, is grouchy, not feeling well or showing any signs of distress or potential health issues.  You should not be alarmed or feel bad if your dog has a bad day, it happens to the best of them!  Of course, we will contact you during the day if we feel your dog needs to go home, but we can also bring them up into the office or another quiet place if you cannot come until the end of the day.

What do you do if a dog gets injured?

It is normal for dogs to have little scrapes and scuffles when playing and interacting, it is how they communicate with each other.  We call it being “snarky” and it generally means being grouchy and possibly instigating scuffles with other dogs.  Dogs “correct” each other in more precise ways than humans ever could when they are not happy about something.  Dog to dog corrections typically end in a hurt feeling or a lesson learned and sound much worse than they really are.   Sometimes dogs, like children, can misjudge either play or a correction and inadvertently cause an injury.  If your dog gets a scrape, cut or bruise, this doesn't mean that the dog who gave it to them is aggressive and shouldn't be at day care.  The analogy of kids on a playground is a good one in that dogs can hurt each other without setting out to do so.  This is something that you should be aware of and prepared for when bringing your dog to day care.  It is not common, but it can happen.

When a dog is hurt, we contact the owner (or the emergency contact) and inform them of the injury.  We can then decide with the owner the best course of action.  If the owner and the emergency contact cannot be reached, Dances With Dogs will take whatever action they feel is appropriate.  If a vet visit is required, Dances With Dogs will take your dog to the Northampton Vet Clinic (413-584-6309) because of their proximity to the facility.  We will continue to try to reach you as soon as we can. 

You say you do “positive training”.  What does that mean?

We use clicker training to help reinforce good behaviors in your dog.  The clicker can be used to practice commands like “sit”, “down”, “watch me”, etc.  We also use the clicker to tell the dogs when they are doing something good, like playing appropriately with other dogs, sharing a toy, waiting patiently by the door, etc.  We also use whistles frequently throughout the day to practice the whistle recall.  When the dogs hear the whistle, they come running for a treat.  This helps us to control the dogs’ movements, redirect rough play, and interrupt a scuffle.

We often use the Gentle Leader as a tool to teach the dogs.  The Gentle Leader, known commonly as a way to stop your dog from pulling on leash, is also effective as a way to calm a dog, to inhibit excessive barking, or even to discourage jumping.  The Gentle Leader is designed to hit pressure points on the dog’s nose and back of the head. We have found this to be an invaluable tool in day care to try to teach dogs appropriate behaviors.

For bad behaviors, we use redirection, time-outs, and techniques such as a startling noise or a water squirter.  These methods do not hurt the dog in any way, but discourage bad behavior.  We also seek to reward the opposite good behavior when it is displayed.  We always encourage our day care clients to attend one or more of our training classes at The Collared Scholar, owned by Dances With Dogs where they can learn clicker training techniques along with their dog.  Dances With Dogs customers get a $10 discount off classes or workshops at the Collared Scholar training center.

What about illnesses? Is it possible for my dog to catch something at day care?

Dog day care, as we have mentioned, is very much like child day care. It is possible, just like kids, for dogs to spread illnesses to each other; especially since dogs often play with their mouths. In order to come to day care, you must believe that the benefits of socialization, exercise and stimulation are more important and outweigh the potential for occasional illness. It would not be realistic to expect a child never would get sick at day care or at school and the same applies to dog day care. Also, like children, some dogs have stronger immune systems then other dogs. There might be a child at school who picks up every illness that comes around, and another who has the same exposure, but never seems to get sick.

We ask that our clients also give the benefit of the doubt to other clients who may have brought a sick dog unknowingly to day care. Sometimes illnesses are not apparent right away and a dog may expose other dogs. For example, kennel cough can be as mild as a little bit of congestion which may not be noticeable on the first day, or a slightly red eye may turn into an infection which was not severe at first.