# First Trial Doggy Daycare



## Murray (Jul 7, 2013)

Today will be Murray's first trial to see how he does in doggy day care. I went checked it out it seems really nice. They are separated by size and are inside and outside. They have a zen room for napping too. This will be where Murray spends the day every third day when i go back to work. I am just so worried he will be sad when i drop him off. Also my other dog is 7 and will be staying home so they will not be together. Nick my fiancé said that this will be good for Murray to socialize with other dogs too. I guess I am just a worried mom and do not want Murray to be traumatized or upset. Ill post how it goes later today he will be there for 5 hours today. Now just have to keep myself busy for the day!


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## luv2laugh (Oct 6, 2011)

It's so good that you are doing the trial now. If you've got a playful pup like ours, he will probably love it! Vacations for us are always a bit like vacations for him too. He comes back very tired from lots and lots of playing. 

We haven't done doggy daycare with him since he was very young, but when we have him boarded (or leave him with my mom for a few hours) our experiences have been different each time. Sometimes he is having so much fun that he doesn't even notice us leave. If he notices, he may cry and whine for a few moments and then get back to play (we've observed from the video footage in the lobby). At bird camp, he was so overstimulated that he didn't even seem to care when we got back to pick him up. As a puppy, he would already be so exhausted that he wouldn't even wake up when we came to pick him up. 

Let us know how it goes!


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## Canadian Expy (Feb 27, 2013)

Aspen loves daycare, ;D
At night he is zonked right out from the full day.


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

Miles loves doggy day care. We were nervous too bc he is so attached to us, but he does great and is exhausted after!


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Sadly, Sam is not eligible for doggie daycare, no hooligans (intact dogs) accepted. 
Accepted nowhere except the vets and professional trainers, and that's how I like it. 

But, there are plenty kids and retired folks lining up to walk him for free .... on prongs, of course,

Caution: high energy intact male,... very polite (for a dog), of course.


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## mlwindc (Feb 8, 2013)

Data-our Wilson isn't eligible for our local daycares either because he's intact. Luckily, our walker loves him to pieces and our trainer will board him at his house along with his flat coat and standard poodle -- all intact! What a crazy bunch they make


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## Carolina Blue (Sep 20, 2012)

Same boat but intact female. Strange though, the same place allowed her to play with the others when I had to board her for a couple days. She loves to play with others.really wish I could take her to day play a couple days.


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

****, it's like a disease, I was politely asked to remove my dog from PetSmart because his scent could upset the dogs - all the other dogs .... My fault, I forget he's intact.


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## Rudy (Oct 12, 2012)

Rudy packs nuts proudly 

We both scent freely :-*

his humble mine 

He called me corn nuts 1x

Both Goldens ;D


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## Melissa_DT (Jan 9, 2013)

Bentley has gone to day care a few times and he even has a Vizsla pal there that he loves to play with. He is 8 months and intact but luckily there is one daycare in my area that allows it (all the others say after 6 months they must be neutered to be allowed). They structure the day care into several "play groups" so they accommodate Bentley into smaller groups and they never have issues. He loves it and always comes back exhausted. It's too bad there's such a stigma around intact dogs.


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

I'm only kidding... wouldn't nut my boy just to fit in, rather face hard times, LoL ;D
It's more fun this way.


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## Rudy (Oct 12, 2012)

Hard X's the Key 

when in doubt Pup pump it up 

Nuts stay!

We love searching for sand clams ;D

Shut Da' Barn door :-*

Rooster and seeds ;D


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

;D good times

Best of luck to Murray, a quality day care for an active V is hard to find.


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## WireyV (Dec 15, 2012)

My 11 month old goes to day care one or two times a week.

I first started sending her when she was 6 months, and the first month or so she would really pull back when we got to the front door of the daycare, which was worrying me. But eventually she got over it and now knows when she gets out the car exactly where she is and drags me to the front door, tail wagging at top speed!

He will be fine!


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## luv2laugh (Oct 6, 2011)

And on the off topic of doggy daycare and neutering, some dog walkers do day care at their home and are less strict with the neutering issue. The place we board Oso just makes sure to take him out only with certain other dogs. This hasn't been a problem. In fact, he is so playful that other dogs miss him when he leaves (or so we hear). They have called back to tell us that the dogs he played with every day just stood there after Oso left, not knowing what to do for a bit. Every time he is there he seems to make "friends."

We have also been told that he is the best mannered intact dog they've ever met. My guess is that they don't meet that many as Oso can be quite the spazz. I just think there is prejudice and since Oso doesn't fit the stereotype, he became the "best."


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## Murray (Jul 7, 2013)

Hi everyone Murray did pretty good. They said he seemed a bit stressed so they put him in a crate for awhile. Im thinking a better option is a dog walker so Murray wont be separated from our other dog or put in a crate. He couldn't wait to see his buddy Baron when he got home! 


A little picture of Murray in the morning!!


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## luv2laugh (Oct 6, 2011)

awww, Murray is just adorable!! Thank you for the update/picture. A lot of dog walkers do hikes too - fun!


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

I would give it another try!!

Our daycare said that Miles was nervous his first day. They kept him in the counselor's office for 2 hrs while the rest of the dogs arrived and the counselors used that time to bond with him. For the first day he stayed in a small outdoor arena with a few other dogs. Then the next time he was in the small arena with a few more dogs. By the third visit when I dropped him off he went right into the large play arena no problem and the daycare says he is doing great. We get daily pictures and he is having fun swimming, digging, and running. He comes home dirty and tired.


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## KB87 (Jan 30, 2012)

I would inquire with the daycare about how they introduce Murray to the other dogs. Sending him into a room with tens of dogs vs having him in the room and introducing dogs slowly is very different and will impact how they react/how stressed they are.

The daycare that I take my boy to requires an evaluation day before they can come regularly. They require that any dog coming in for an evaluation be there by 8:00am at the latest (when there are fewer dogs there), then they allow the new dog to check out and sniff around the daycare area alone, then slowly introduce friendly, non-threatening dogs to see how they react. Over time they bring in more and more dogs until it's the general population. It seems like a dog of work and a bigger process than some may be willing to use but I believe it helps reduce stress and anxiety for the new dog, especially if they're new to the idea of daycare. Since day 1 Haeden has LOVED daycare and will almost do backflips when I mention that he's going. It's definitely supposed to be an enjoyable place for the dogs so if Murray seems stressed I would check out another daycare or look into the dog walker. I'd give it a few more times and inquire about their introduction process before you rule it out completely. I would also think that taking him out to put him in a crate, then reintroducing him to all of the dogs in daycare would generate a little stress on the dog, but I'm no expert.

Murray is adorable, by the way! There's nothing more adorable than a little V who is all legs curled up in a ball


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## esslevy (Mar 23, 2013)

My pup goes to day care 1x/week. They too required an evaluation and meet and greet with some of the other dogs. They have separate rooms depending on temperament (and secondarily on size). He comes home pretty tired, but I think he gets mentally exhausted mroe than physically. I don't think that he "relaxes" much while there. I can watch on grainy webcam. When he first arrives, he usually finds someone to play with, but later in the day as many dogs nap/relax, he will then just trot around following which ever human is in the room, but doesn't fully seem to settle down while there. 

Incidentally, my Dash is not (yet) neutered. This daycare doesn't require it until the dogs hit 10 months old, but I'll see how much I can push it. Most facilities require it at a younger age, that was one of the things I liked about his spot.


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