Dog day care

[poiuytrewq]

Does anyone use one of these places? I always thought it a bit of a nuts Idea, sending your dog to nursery, However I'm struggling a bit with working from home and one of my dogs! The 3 older ones happily have a walk and then chill but this one has (very cleverly and incredibly accurately!) learned to chuck things, mainly toys but might be a trainer or bobble hat onto my laptop and he does this consistantly thorough out the day
I can tell him to go lie down and he does, for all of 2 seconds..tried a serious walk before starting but he doesn't really wear out. He's quiet enough with it, not bouncing off the walls with energy, just wanting my attention.

There are two places locally that offer day boarding. One is very reccomemnded but is where we went for training when he was young and the noise just stresses him out too much, the other I'd have to go see for myself but is apparently quieter and a bit more chilled.

Problem being he's not great with other dogs, fine once he knows them but initially not good, that said the gun dog guy locally can put him straight in kennels with other dogs and he's ok. I just don't know if that would be a problem. I'm not sending him for training I just need a solid day of getting my head down now and then.
Its about £18/£25 ish half or full days.

I just wondered if a day of something different might be good for him?

 

[Sandstone1]

I wouldnt do it personally. Too many dogs, not enough attention and the chance of a lot of fights.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Not my cup of tea. If he's a working dog/has a job, depending on the type of daycare, it can undo a lot of training.

Personally I love it when a dog wants to engage wlth me. But if I'm busy/working and need to concentrate, there is a kennel or a crate to pop them in for downtime. If one teaches a dog that there's a time for play/interaction/activity/work and a time for chilling and put the boundaries in from day one/when they are a puppy, then it makes life a lot easier when they are an adult and you don't have to change the rules.

 

[Amymay Again]

We used to do doggy day care, maximum of 5 dogs. And it worked really well. We were very careful about what dogs we had and the compatibility of each with the other. However I now find myself needing the odd day of dog care myself so understand your concerns. There is one large one in my area and it's not for me (25 dogs).

So my advice, having done it, is to find a small set up. 'Our' dogs would fly down the drive to us, and often be reluctant to go home. They were treated as part of the family and all became firm friends with us and each other. We still all meet up for walks.

We would go on some splendid adventures and have a very large secure garden.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Kiddygate to keep him out of the room you work in.

 

[I'm Dun]

Not my cup of tea. If he's a working dog/has a job, depending on the type of daycare, it can undo a lot of training.

Personally I love it when a dog wants to engage wlth me. But if I'm busy/working and need to concentrate, there is a kennel or a crate to pop them in for downtime. If one teaches a dog that there's a time for play/interaction/activity/work and a time for chilling and put the boundaries in from day one/when they are a puppy, then it makes life a lot easier when they are an adult and you don't have to change the rules.

I initally missed that out of Coopers training. We lived on a tiny boat and he was such a live wire I just focused on him 24/7 till I was stressed and exhausted with it. Took me a little while to back track and trach him to settle but it was the best thing I ever did.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Problem being he's not great with other dogs, fine once he knows them but initially not good, that said the gun dog guy locally can put him straight in kennels with other dogs and he's ok. I just don't know if that would be a problem. I'm not sending him for training I just need a solid day of getting my head down now and then.
Its about £18/£25 ish half or full days.

I just wondered if a day of something different might be good for him?

Going backwards, a day here and there of something different/getting used to staying with someone else/in a kennel, I believe is good for dogs, yes. And he's obviously done that already.
Is the gundog guy putting him *in* a kennel with other dogs or in a kennel adjacent to other dogs?
The former would concern me a little bit but on the other hand it might mean the iffyness with other dogs is down to something you are doing/he's feeding off your reactions.

My dog(s) do(es) go to kennels if I am away but I don't want them tear arsing around with a pack of other dogs. I want my dog to be comfortable in new places but I never want my dog to be reluctant to come home, I want my dog to think home/with me is the best place to be and that is my issue with some daycares, when a dog values other places/people/dogs rather than what it has at home, which is often what I see with dogs going to daycare.
The other thing I often hear is 'they come home exhausted'. If you regularly send your dog out all day in order to exhaust it so that it doesn't irritate you at night, then I wonder what the point is in having a/that type of dog.
Yes I work full time which some people frown at, but the whole point of having dogs, for me, is so we can spend time with/enjoy/interact with each other.
The kennels I use do daycare as well.

 

[Amymay Again]

I want my dog to be comfortable in new places but I never want my dog to be reluctant to come home, I want my dog to think home/with me is the best place to be

That's an entirely fair comment. My comment was really to highlight the fact the the dogs were very happy here, not that they weren't in their own homes (which are all fabulous).

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I would crate train him and pop him in there while you are working. Give him and yourself frequent breaks and he will soon get used to the routine. You can have the crate in the same room as you are working in, or a different one, depending on which works best.

 

[CorvusCorax]

That's an entirely fair comment. My comment was really to highlight the fact the the dogs were very happy here, not that they weren't in their own homes (which are all fabulous).

Yours sounds like a great set-up but it is something I hear a lot. 'Oh, he never wants to come home, oh he is just exhausted and sparks out the minute he comes home'. That's just not actually something I personally would want on a regular basis.

 

[Amymay Again]

Yours sounds like a great set-up but it is something I hear a lot. 'Oh, he never wants to come home, oh he is just exhausted and sparks out the minute he comes home'. That's just not actually something I personally would want on a regular basis.

Totally agree.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I would crate train him and pop him in there while you are working. Give him and yourself frequent breaks and he will soon get used to the routine. You can have the crate in the same room as you are working in, or a different one, depending on which works best.

I had to laugh though at a dog that throws things at your keyboard to get your attention. We have had bright Labs that did things like that and a Rott who threw a toy at her sister, hitting her on the forehead m, when she wanted the toy that sister had. Sister totally ignored her

 

[ihatework]

Over the years I’ve used a few different home boarders. But I’ve only used small set ups where they may take 2-3 into their home with their own dogs. My dogs have always loved it and I’ve never had issues with training regressions.

But - this has been when I have been away from home.

I think though it would be more useful to teach your dog to settle. I’d keep separated in a different room using a baby gate. But schedule in regular short work breaks to engage.

 

[poiuytrewq]

He's not a working dog, I took him out a few times but he's not trained (to work) and I consider him a pet. I too am loving him wanting to interact. I just need to be able to focus completely now and then at least.
I do have a redundant stair gate I could use, He would easily just hop over it but I suppose if i only use it when I'm say here in the next room he'd stay whilst i was in sight.

Yes the gun dog trainer puts him in kennels with other dogs, he's fine once he knows dogs it's the initial new dog reaction. So at first when he was there he didn't just be hurled in with others, If i go there now he doesn't even look at the other dogs, same applies to the guys who work on the farm, once he knows them he's fine. I suppose that won't work in a day kennel (I HATE the phase day care, its a bit furbaby!) as it's going to be different dogs each time.

I had to laugh though at a dog that throws things at your keyboard to get your attention. We have had bright Labs that did things like that and a Rott who threw a toy at her sister, hitting her on the forehead m, when she wanted the toy that sister had. Sister totally ignored her

I'm so Impressed His aim is incredible! I thought it s fluke the first time, and the second. He will also put things in peoples hand and just continue to take it and re put it with a little nudge.
In all honesty I was so impressed i probably, in hindsight encouraged it unintentionally.

Anyhow, right now we have just come home and he's sleeping peacefully and here i am on hho.... priorities, I'm going to do some work quick!

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I'm so Impressed His aim is incredible! I thought it s fluke the first time, and the second. He will also put things in peoples hand and just continue to take it and re put it with a little nudge.
In all honesty I was so impressed i probably, in hindsight encouraged it unintentionally.

Anyhow, right now we have just come home and he's sleeping peacefully and here i am on hho.... priorities, I'm going to do some work quick!

we've all done it! We unintentionally taught the Rotts to 'mop surf' when house-training them. We laughed as they chased the mop and held into it. That was a mistake! They spent the rest of their lives mop surfing, with not just mops but also brooms and shovels indoors and out.

 

[Annette4]

Did it once, never again! We had a particularly bad experience but I'd rather pay someone to pop in personally.

 

[druid]

I wouldn't - baby gate and teach him to settle/be bored/lie on his designated place when asked

 

[Clodagh]

And do a shorter walk and a bit of training. Using his nose for 10 minutes will wear him out.
I would never use Doggy day care.

 

[Jenko109]

Not for me.

They are a recipe for creating a reactive dog, IMO.

I would see if you could find someone locally that will perhaps only have your dog or only your dog and their own.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

We look after a friend's dog when she is at work and sometimes when she is wfh, if that includes important online meetings. She is an only dog at home, so loves coming to play at ours. She has to settle here sometimes, too, depending on our programme for the day. That is the basis that friend got a dog on, though and she does look after our horses and sheep if we go away, taking the dogs.

 

[Red-1]

Mine go to a commercial place when we go away, which is often. They have a max of 6 dogs, 2 of which are their own. Some people send for the day for socialising and I'm not aware of any trouble. They all get bussed to a local dog walking field.

I think they prefer home, but go off into the doggy daycare garden happily enough and don't look back as we leave.

I guess it's about finding the right place.

 

[blackcob]

Not for me, many set-ups are a recipe for dog reactivity and seen too many stitch-ups come in as a result of dog daycare.

Agree baby gate or crate for management, or for the longer term start again with go and lie down (making sure it actually means go and lie down).

I cocked up many other things with my youngest but she's just done a 2hr meeting curled up on a mat in the background, which I'm sure was disappointing for my colleagues as we all secretly enjoy it when a pet acts up on camera. I seldom see my manager's face on Teams without a cat's arse also being in the frame.

 

[ArklePig]

I have no choice really, her tolerance for being alone seems to have maxed out at about 3 hours. However, she goes once maybe twice a week depending on work and it took us a lot of looking around to find the right place for her. It was a choice between daycare and leaving her home to become distressed which I just could not do to her or the neighbours.

We keep really strong boundaries and routine on wfh days so she gets a walk in the morning, a nose game at lunch time and will approach for a scratch throughout the day, but not torment us (except sometimes on Wednesdays when she gets rudely awakened by the dustman), but took us a while to get there and instill the routine.

She loves daycare but I'm sure she prefers being home with us. If I could leave her alone for longer my preference would be a dog walker to pop in to be honest.