I don't have work- but I do have class and since parking is impossible after 8AM I have to take Teddy to daycare the days when I'll be in school for 8+ hours (3 times a week). The alternative is getting up at 6:00AM (which I already do) and walk Teddy for an hour...however I do not feel comfortable walking a small dog by myself that early because it's not only dangerous for me, but dangerous for him (coyotes are most dangerous around here during dawn and dusk). Teddy is an extremely active dog that requires approximately 3-4 miles of walking daily...which unfortunately I cannot achieve so early in the morning. We also do not have a backyard so I cannot play a vigorous game of fetch or something along those lines...anyways for those reasons I make a small sacrifice and take Teddy 3x a week to daycare.
Teddy absolutely loves daycare because he doesn't get a chance to play with other dogs other than when he is there. Also, Teddy loves human interaction and really enjoys all of the trainers, vet techs, etc at the daycare center. Our daycare is annexed to a vet clinic and so I can schedule vet visits and just leave him there the rest of the day at daycare until I can pick him up. The same goes for grooming, etc all is done in one location. Also, the daycare is ran by dog trainers and so a part of the daycare experience he also gets to practice his manners and learns a trick or two along the way.
I'm extremely sorry for the long-winded response, but I'm just offering my personal experience. The only issue I've had with daycare is that Teddy can't say no to treats and so there have been times where he's been overfed at daycare and he's thrown up at home. So just make sure that if your dogs have sensitive stomachs, or are on strict diets that you are explicit about what your dogs can and cannot eat...and the amount. Also, some daycares separate dogs by size rather than temperament. Personally, I prefer the latter. Teddy gets along with dogs of all sizes and I think that sometimes small dogs can be more nippy and aggressive than larger dogs...but again that has only been my limited experience...at least if a small dog nips it is less dangerous than a bigger dog. At our daycare I haven't had any issues of other dogs mistreating Teddy and he plays with dogs of all shapes and sizes...but of course the daycare does behavioral assessments of each dog before accepting them and putting them into play groups.
Anyway, hopefully some of this was helpful or at least was able to quell some of your anxieties regarding daycare. Oh, and I would also make sure that the daycare will take responsibility of any accidents that may occur in their premises. Teddy ran into the sandbox while running around outside and he got checked by the vet and everything at their expense and he was fine. |