Frequently Asked Questions For Our Dog Daycare Facility
What is your vaccination/age/health policy?
- Must be at least 6 months in age and spayed/neutered.
- Must be current on following vaccinations: Rabies, Bordetella, Distemper & Parvovirus or DHLPPs.
- Must be in good health condition to play for long periods of time. *This does not discriminate against older dogs, or dogs with joint issues or allergies as they also enjoy playing! But it may limit to dogs with more severe conditions. Please talk to a Dog Attendant at Floppy Dog to review more details regarding your dog’s health if you are unsure.
What is your Tryout Process?
- This process is a must for all new dog attendees! Tryout Day is a way for the employees of Floppy Dog Daycare to ensure the dog gets along well with humans and other dogs as well. In addition, it is a great way to assess whether your dog enjoys this type of fun-play environment.
- The dog must stay for at least 4 hours of playtime (no overnight), and this is at no cost to the owner. Essentially a free half or full day of dog daycare!
- Owners will fill out all the necessary application so we can get to know the dog and the owner.
- Dogs will then go back and meet our human employees and make sure they get along with humans. An employee will do a quick body scan to check for any fleas or ticks. Then your dog will get introduced to other dogs one at a time. This is to ensure the dog isn’t overwhelmed meeting multiple dogs at once. Once we can see your dog is acclimated to meeting the dogs, we will let them go to play around freely in our dog runs. They will be placed according to their size, temperament and energy level. They may get moved a couple times just to see which dog group is the best fit!
- Once the Tryout Day is over, after at least 4 hours and pick-up before closing, we will write all our good notes on their report card and discuss how well your pup did at their first day of being at our dog daycare facility!
Looks like it gets hectic in there. Do dogs get hurt?
It is only a little busy when there is a new dog to introduce to all the other dogs. Once they arrive and settle into their play groups and start having fun, the “busy” feeling dies down. Dogs may get small scratches or nips during normal play, but it is rare we will get a severe injury that requires immediate medical attention.
In emergency situations what do you do?
We assess the situation and determine whether the case is minor or emergency/severe. In the cases where it is a severe/emergency, we notify the owner immediately and take direct action into getting the dog to our vet or the owner’s vet — whichever was agreed upon with the owner at the time of the call. If we cannot get ahold of the owner, we will take the dog to our vet for immediate health care.
How do I know my dog will enjoy this type of play? Does being older, being smaller or having minor health issues affect my enjoying this type of play?
In general, if your dog enjoys playing with other dogs and interacting with humans, they will most likely enjoy playing and staying at Floppy Dog Daycare. The tryout process will help determine which dog run is best suited for the size, temperament, and energy level.
Older dogs, smaller dogs and even dogs with minor health issues go through the same tryout process, and we will be sure to place your dog in the best dog run that will best fit them so they are to be sure to have a good time playing and staying here at our dog daycare facility. Each time they come back they will be placed into the same dog run where all the other dogs that best match their size, temperament and energy level will also be placed on a continuous basis.
Dog friend relationships will be made! During the tryout process, if we feel that your dog does not enjoy or fit into this type of play environment, then we will let you know and take the necessary steps afterward.
What do you do with dogs that have health issues?
By law, we cannot provide service to dogs who need medicine in the form of injections (i.e. diabetes) and who have communicable diseases. However, we will provide a fun and safe environment to those dogs with minor health issues (such as arthritis, glaucoma, etc.) Please speak with one of our Dog Attendants regarding their minor health issues upon the meet and greet of the Tryout Day.
What is your cancellation policy?
Please cancel no later than 24 hours of your daycare or overnight reservation. If a down payment was made, we will reimburse or provide a store credit. If you are simply just changing the date, that is fine as well, but the further out the notice, the better!
Should I feed my dog before bringing them to daycare/overnight?
If you are going to feed your dog, please do so at least 1.5 hours before bringing them. This is to ensure their tummies are settled before a day full of fun! This is to also ensure your dog does not get the terrible situation of bloat.
We do the same for when dogs are boarding to ensure their safety from bloat. Please notify the Dog Attendant specialist if you have or have not already fed your dog breakfast/lunch/dinner so we know what remaining meals we must feed your dog.
What does daycare play look like at Floppy Dog?
We have at least two yards active every day, and we place dogs based on their energy levels. The dogs play with each other rather than toys or equipment to discourage aggression and jealousy over toys. Dogs that eat their meals while with us (boarders, but even some daycare-only dogs) are pulled out of the yard to eat in a clean kennel and rest for at least half an hour so food has a chance to digest before running and jumping again. But mostly, the dogs just play with each other and out attendants. The dogs tend to be much more active in the mornings, and then late in the afternoon when pups start getting picked up. We watch them closely to deescalate play when necessary, and sometimes we “give breaks” when it seems a dog may need just a little alone time in a clean kennel. These breaks are usually 30 minutes or less, unless we get a sleeper who just want to nap alone.
