I checked out all the local doggie daycare places in my area before settling on Positive Pooches for my Lab puppy. I chose them for several reasons.
First, most of the other daycares had SO many dogs cooped up in a space with nothing to do but mill around all day! And one place even said "oh we aren't very full today" - I was appalled! There was no way a dog could find a quiet corner to relax alone. They felt more like warehouses than places where dogs would have fun. At PP, the dogs have room to play, but also raised beds to sleep on and toys to play on and with. Plus, they crate all dogs for a two-hour midday break, which is crucial for puppies and even adult dogs to give time to rest (not to mention, it's good for the staff to have a break too).
Second, at PP, they take the dogs outside to potty on a regular basis. Most of the other daycares I looked at either didn't have any outside access or didn't let the dogs out if it was raining or muddy outside (read: most of the year here!), so all the dogs are forced to go potty on the floor. Not a good environment for any dog, but certainly not a puppy being housetrained. I tried out one of these places, but my puppy smelled so horrible when he came home that I had to bathe him. It was not the normal doggy smell from playing with other dogs, but a stale urine/kennel smell from an unclean floor. He never smells bad when he comes home from PP.
Third, the staff is great with the dogs at PP. Some daycares have constant barking all day long from multiple dogs (so that the staff has to wear ear protection!). One place I visited had just one staff member to watch all the dogs and his only way to control them was to constantly squirt them with a spray bottle. Each time I've come in to drop off at PP, things are pretty darned calm. It's obvious that the staff has multiple options in their arsenal to make sure everyone gets along and that there is some standard of good behavior required of the dogs (including asking for a Sit before going out the door). PP has a minimum 3-hr evaluation before accepting a new dog, and is very careful on setting up introductions at the eval. When I asked another place how they would introduce my puppy, the owner said "We'll just put him in with all the dogs, and they'll flood him and then he'll be fine." This is an awful technique and demonstrates the lack of canine behavioral knowledge of that place compared to PP.
And last, I don't want to neuter my puppy until he's fully grown at 18 months or older. This is becoming more and more widely recommended by veterinarians. Most daycares have a rule of no unneutered dogs over 6mos of age with no exceptions, but PP was willing to allow my intact puppy to continue to come to daycare until/unless his hormones started causing an issue with the other dogs. Thank you! read more
