Daycare

Tuesday-Friday 8am-6pm

Our small, structured daycare groups feature training, exercise, socialization, rest breaks, and rotating enrichment led by experienced staff trained in canine behavior, body language, social interactions, group dynamics, and enrichment. Continuing education courses keep our staff up to date on maintaining a safe group dynamic while applying humane, fear-free handling techniques and evidence-based training.

With a maximum ratio of 15:1, our small daycare groups ensure every dog can receive individual attention, allowing our group leaders to maintain a strong focus on positive education, behavior, and training. Structured daycare means your dog has a chance to play, train, practice good manners, rest, and play some more! Our goal is to make sure your pups needs are met throughout their stay, and that they will be pleasantly tired by the end of their visit, but not so exhausted they forget their manners at home. Nobody should be exercising non-stop for hours on end, so frequent rest breaks throughout the day are integrated in order to keep your pup healthy, happy, and well-regulated during their stay.

Interested in Daycare? Sign up for an account here to start the process.

Daycare requirements:

All dogs using day care must have an initial consultation & temperament test ($31.00 non-refundable fee). All Puppy Prep Academy graduates active within the last three months are exempt from this requirement. Academy Alumni not active within the past three months should email us for more information, and to see if temperment testing is applicable.

All daycare candidates must also meet the following requirements:

• Complete set of vaccinations, including Rabies, Bordetella, and DHLPP. Additionally, your dog will need to be on year-round parasite preventative which covers fleas, ticks, and heartworm, as well as have a recent negative fecal (within the last 6 months). Veterinary records must be received no sooner than 48 hours prior to your dog’s initial temperament test. Failure to provide the necessary veterinarian records in a timely manner will result in forfeiture of your appointment and subsequent fee.

• All dogs must be at least 16 weeks old. We highly recommend our Puppy Prep Academy for all dogs under 16 weeks of age.

• All dogs must be in good health — they must have had a physical exam in the last 12 months. Exceptions may be made on an individual basis, with clearance from their veterinarian. Please email us with questions.

• All dogs must be non-aggressive, and not food or toy possessive to an unmanageable degree. Mild resource guarding may require additional private-training sessions to continue their daycare sessions.

• Atypical behaviors may require additional training before a dog can rejoin daycare- your trainer will discuss options with you if this is the case.

• Fundamental crate training is HIGHLY recommended, and aversion to crating or kenneling may require additional private training to continue daycare- your trainer will discuss these options if and when necessary.

Interested in Daycare? Sign up for an account here to start the process.

What does a typical daycare day look like?

Drop off begins at 8am.

When you arrive, you’ll text our drop-off line at (360) 389-2619 to let us know you’re here, and to wait for an all clear text before entering the building. If you’d like us to come to your car and collect your pup, please let us know you’d like curbside service when you arrive.

You’ll come through the Franklin Street entrance, inside the Keystone Plaza Building. Since we share space with other businesses and have a very small reception area, this drop off protocol sets your dog up for success by offering a low-stimulation environment where they can be greeted individually by our reception staff. We’ll check them in, ask a couple questions about how your pup is feeling, and discuss any concerns you may have or changes you’d like to make for their visit (like an early pickup, or adding on a midday snack or pup cup to their visit). We’ll then switch your dog into a slip lead and out of their gear (which you’ll take with you), and a staff member will walk them back into the group to start the day!

While entering daycare, we practice polite manners like waiting at doorways and gates, reinforcing calm behavior, and observing your dog’s demeanor to determine which group would be the best fit that day. It also offers another opportunity for us to spot any potential challenges (like over excitement) that may be present.

During every daycare visit , your dog will be constantly supervised while meeting friends, have free play periods, rotating rest breaks, mini training sessions to reinforce good manners (such as no jumping, recall, leave-it, focus with distractions), handling/husbandry practice, rotating enrichment, and snack time when appropriate. Our indoor daycare is climate controlled with central heating and air-conditioning, with plenty of space to rest in kennels (preferred) or with staff members if your pup is still learning how to calmly rest in a kennel. We are a positive-reinforcement, training-based daycare, which means we use rewards (food, praise, pets, play) to encourage appropriate behavior.

If your dog has a sensitive stomach or food allergies, please let us know well in advance of their first visit, so we can discuss appropriate alternatives for reinforcements during their stay. While we try our absolute best, we cannot guarantee your dog will not have access to food reinforcement during their stay. Please contact us to discuss your concerns. Likewise, if you or a member of your household has a severe food allergy, such a nuts, peanuts, etc, please let us know right away. We are not a nut-free facility, but we will do our best to make appropriate accommodations.

A digital report card of your dog’s stay will be available at the end of the day, including who their friends were, what activities they enjoyed, and photos of their visit.!

Pickup is no later than 6pm.

To pick up your pooch, simply walk in to our reception area. If there is no staff member at the desk to greet you, please ring the doorbell next to the reception desk. A staff member will be out to greet you as soon as possible, and bring your pup. Late pickups do incur an additional fee.

Please DO NOT go past out front desk to enter our daycare area without a staff member escorting you! This is for the safety and well being of our clients and the dogs in our care.

Our goal is to improve the relationship between you and your pup, by ensuring they have plenty of social enrichment, mental stimulation, and physical exercise mixed in with rest breaks throughout their day so they are fulfilled and appropriately tired out, without being completely exhausted.

Interested in Daycare? Sign up for an account here to start the process, or email us for more info.