pamperedpuppy // luxury lifestyles for dogs

A Farewell to Kennels

Joseph Sporn set a standard for the proper cosseting of canines when he opened his Yuppie Puppie Pet Care in 1987 on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Still in operation, the center features air-conditioned playrooms with Murphy beds for the guests and a fenced outdoor run for frolicking.

Since '87, the obvious necessity for doggie daycare led to its spreading throughout the North American continent and indeed around the world. The phenomenon has become so prevalent that the August 9, 2005 episode of Fox's "Invasion of the Hidden Cameras" showed a doggie day care center staff utterly flummoxed when a man came in wanting to leave his actual human son in their hands for the day. Furthermore, each year, the North American Doggie Daycare Association gains hundreds of new members.

Generally speaking, the bigger a city, the more doggy daycare options it offers. Among other internet resources for locating facilities near you are www.dogdaycaredirectory.com and www.setiadogs.com. In choosing a doggie daycare center, taking your dog's needs and temperament into consideration is of the essence. Yet your initial steps for determining if a doggie daycare meets the high standards your dog deserves should include:

1. Comparing costs and services of various centers;
2. Visiting daycare centers to observe the facilities for play area size and cleanliness as well as for the attentiveness of the human help to the dogs;
3. Obtaining recommendations from dog owners and veterinarian behaviorists or other canine care professionals; and
4. Ascertaining that the center you choose offers supervision that is 100% appropriate for your dog.

Just as you are evaluating the fittingness of a daycare center to your dog, the centers will be evaluating that of your dog to their capacities. Doggie daycare centers typically require their guests to be either spayed or neutered and to have various inoculations, though these requirements are not universal. Be mindful that persistent aggressive behavior is impossible for doggie daycare centers to accommodate in a cage-free environment. Having decided on a center, you should expect for your dog to undergo a screening process. Pooches are most often introduced to first one and then several playmates and observed for their sociability. Sniffing is in, biting is out.

Responsible centers will want to see that your dog obeys basic commands such as "Sit!" and "Stay!" While many centers provide training reinforcement, it is the better part of wisdom to not present your dog for daycare unless and until he/she is manageable. After all, you wouldn't want another dog running roughshod over yours.

Ready yourself in advance for the tension that attaches to awaiting a daycare center's decision on your pride and joy. Dog Day Afternoons Country Day Prep in Boston says it caters to New England's canine smart set; they turn down half of all applicants for their 35 openings. To be admitted, a dog must have two letters of recommendation from trainers, vets, camp counselors or such, a satisfactorily completed seven-page application and a rigorous interview.

There are several lead indicators of an optimal doggie daycare environment. Where the center is large enough to have separate groups of dogs, it is best for those separate groups to be comprised of dogs of varying ages. Doggie daycare professionals agree that well-behaved mature dogs can help to keep the yung'uns in line. And can you imagine how it would be to have eight puppies all less than one year each together for an entire day?

A mix of males and females makes for a more harmonious environment. And it goes without saying that the human help is as important as the grouping of dogs. Doggie daycare providers should be experienced in dog psychology, not merely enthusiastic about animals. A certain amount of inter-dog corrective behavior, particularly in which older dogs are policing younger ones, is normal in a group and should not be discouraged. Potentially dangerous aggression, though, is an entirely different matter. Doggie daycare staff members must be able to distinguish between these and like situations, and deal with them appropriately.

Greta Dogbo famously said "I vant to bark alone." The better doggie daycare centers all make provisions for those times when an individual dog needs a period of solitude. If a dog has truly become tired he should not be left to face the pressures of constant activity. Also, if a dog having an anti-social moment is left in a group, nobody benefits. Nicely appointed single rooms are best of course but even a nicely appointed cage is better than no possibility for alone time.

Bear in mind that while doggie daycare centers give your loved one a healthy dose of stimulation, it probably would not be healthy for your dog to have that level of stimulation every day of the week. Most dogs do best on two to three days per week in daycare, with homecare providers filling in the gaps on the off days. Doggie daycare has many legitimate aims, including socialization, exercise, preventing loneliness that can lead to chewed shoes and chair legs, but just as you would not yourself exercise ten hours per day five days per week, you must consider the quantity of doggie daycare time most salubrious to your dog.

Ideal, of course, is for your dog to commence with doggie daycare between eight months to two years of age. The socialization skills he acquires then will benefit him and you for the rest of his life. That is not to say that a genial adult dog who likes playing won't benefit from daycare.

The truth however is that some dogs are better off not taken to a daycare center. An intensely toy and accessory-protective dog, for instance, could be overly distressed by the daycare environment. Hyperactive and excitable dogs may have those tendencies augmented in a daycare facility. Males neutered late sometimes behave like un-neutered males and thus are more likely to prove problematic in a daycare situation. Dogs who suffer severe separation anxiety when their human companion is away sometimes have that anxiety exacerbated by the outside-the-family ambience of a daycare center. No amount of webcam viewings will assuage such a dog's torments, nice as those webcam viewing options are when available for daycare-positive pups. In any event, if you feel unsure of how your dog will do in daycare you should establish with the attendants at the outset that you expect honest reports of how your dog is adjusting.

Some daycare centers emphasize one aspect of service over another. Manhattan's Doggie Diva collects daily guests in a limousine and has grooming experts on call. The Dog Run, also in New York, has a heated swimming pool with options for swim instruction and massage therapy. That same facility recently hosted a Bark Mitzvah, at which the dog of honor donned a yarmulke. Oy!

National chains such as Camp Bow Wow offer you the assurance that their owners and managers have been thoroughly trained in the vitals of doggie daycare culture. Gone to the Dogs in Goodletsville, Tennessee proudly brushes its guests' teeth after meals. Still other daycare centers put the emphasis on keeping their guests in shape through frequent walks and outdoor group activities. Others yet are specialists in grooming and fluffing.

You do want to be sure that any daycare center you utilize has a rock-solid relationship with an expert veterinarian. Some daycares have on-site medical personnel; others call on the services of nearby doctors.

The gold standard for canine accommodations day and night is to be found in an establishment that will be familiar to Pampered Puppy readers, the Ritzy Canine Carriage House on Manhattan's East Side. Jennifer Lopez, Sarah Jessica Barker, whoops, her family name is of course Parker, and Janet Jackson have all checked their four-legged friends in to Ritzy's Presidential Suite where Swarovski crystal collars and cashmere bedding beckon. If Lassie's agent isn't rewriting her contract, it's a sin.

Luxe is not restricted to the denizens of Gotham. Chicago's Urban Out Sitters boasts a lobby fine enough for a couture fitting house. Later in 2006, Chicago will see the grand opening of Canine Empire. That facility will be open 24 hours a day all year long. Complete with a heated swimming pool and comfortable physical settings for dogs, it will be able to accept 500 guests at a time, though no play group will exceed ten dogs.

Special mention should go to Dog Gone Positive Training and Day Care in Pinellas Park, Florida. They do not use spray bottles or shaker cans against barking. They consider barking a normal behavior and only when it becomes excessive will they use positive reinforcement methods "to redirect the dog to something that is better to do and reward that dog for being quiet." An exemplary attitude, n'est-ce pas?

Doggie daycare can be considered an integral part of giving your canine companion a high quality of life. To insure it is exactly that, before choosing a facility educate yourself about what the best-of-the-best provide; the filtered water, the efficient ventilation, heating and cooling systems, gourmet treats, high standards of sanitation, plush resting places, and loving, qualified handlers should all be there for your pampered puppy.