“I want to enroll my dog into dog daycare”

A statement we hear a lot. Here is what happens next.

Once you call or visit the shop, we’ll have you set up a temp test. A temp test is a small 10-20 minute evaluation we have with your dog to see how it reacts to our staff and current dogs enrolled. Note: the evaluation depends on how the dogs temperament is and we might need to watch them a little bit longer before we can see how they’ll react to the pack.
What happens during the test? One of the daycare owners or manager will handle the evaluations. They look for different dog behavior the new dog shows when they are in the daycare setting. We get the room set up with good dog greeters and we then allow your pup in with them. After they are comfortable we slowly let out the rest of the pack one by one. Note: some dogs are extremely nervous and may need another evaluation before they are welcomed to the daycare pack. No worries – dogs are dogs and can also have off days.
Can I watch the test? No, this only makes the dogs and your dog more nervous. Most dogs will stand by the door and not move if they know their owner is at the door. So while your pup is taking his test, you will be filling out our daycare forms and reading over policies and other paperwork. Please remember that your dogs vaccinations are vital to the test so if you do not bring a copy, we will be unable to do the test.
Why does it seem like we are always booked far in advance for tests? Every so often we have to take a “break” from temp tests when we are getting close to reaching our max capacity. We want the dogs to have many fur friends but we don’t want to have a whole building full of dogs who can barely get by each others.
Can I come any time for a temp test? No, you cannot. Only the owners and manager do temp tests. We have times set aside specifically for these evaluations because it’s better for your dog to be evaluated when there is less dogs so it is not so overwhelming at first. We also only do these 1-2 times a day because we don’t want to make the daycare pack dogs upset by having someone new to them come in every few hours. Also, we have many rescues or dogs who are nervous of new faces so this is also a great reason why you are not allowed to just show up.

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Woo hoo! If your dog passes the test you’ll receive a sheet stating a few things to do next:

• your dog must come to daycare within 3 weeks of your evaluation or you will have to do another test
• bring your dog between 6am-8am: this is so your dog is able to be the greeter instead of feeling swamped with dogs greeting them for the first time
• only come for half day for the first few visits (6 hours or less). For new pups it’s very hard for them to understand that their owner is coming back. So by letting them play for a few hours and getting picked up with treats, they will learn that they can play with friends but no matter what, my pawrents come and pick me up 🙂
• ^ trust me, it works. But please remember some rescues or nervous dogs need more time than others but patience is key!

Any other questions about the tests please feel free to call the shop or email us at saltydogdoggydaycare@gmail.com