This makes me feel better about my doggy daycare. The dogs are all just sitting around, while I had hoped they would play so my dog would be tired at the end of the day. But I see that it’s better for her to practice being mellow.

Thanks Amanda and “Kennel Worker” for your comments

I am very excited to review the results of the experiment. There are so many variables so it is hard to set up in the first place. I need to figure out if the owners walk their dogs at home (and if the dog leads or not), I need to know if the dog is free fed, if the dog has any issues at home, etc. Perhaps I could compare with your business too by having a few dogs spend a day in daycare at a chosen place and collect their feces. Then have those same dogs spend a day with you, collect their feces. I am hoping to compile plenty of information from stress levels to appropriate behavior that allow owners to have scientific data of what atmosphere the dog is healthiest in.

Amanda, very interesting comment! I actually have a story that is relating to that. The second place I worked at had a Boston that liked to hump other dogs. It was very frusterating to work with this dog and when the owner came to pick him up, she asked “How was he today?” I told that he was very anxious and seemed to release his tension by humping. She gave me this look like I just slapped her across the face. She said, “Really? Usually he is so good!” Uh, no. I guess everyone has been telling her that he is such an angel! She thanked me for my honesty and actually wanted to know how she can work on his problems at home. Later on, my manager came up to me and handed me a write-up. The manager was mad that I had told this owner the truth!

If I had an ill-behaved dog at daycare, I would want to know!

Even if I ask how he was, I usually get a “Oh, fine. He played with the other dogs.” Well, duh he played with the other dogs! What they have told me (after a few months of taking him there) was that he gets anxious when the other dogs start to go home, and then they put him in a kennel to calm him down. But I’m sure that does not work because if he’s not in a calm state when he goes into the kennel, he’s not going to relate the kennel with being calm!

I’m sure they don’t understand that concept though. One of the employees told me he was pushing at the door with his paws to try to get out. Another thing that bothers me is that they did not let me tour the facility. In fact, I have no idea what the kennels in the back look like, and there is probably a reason for that! After I learned of his anxiety issues, I decided it was better for him just to stay home while I am at work then to go through a whole day of being unstable and anxious. Thanks again for all of your info. If I need to board my dog for a length of time in Fargo, I will probably look at a personal, at-home business like Lindsay’s.

I’d be interested in hearing the results of that study!

Many employees are also allowed to bring their dogs. What I often find is that the employee dogs get better treatment then others. I only brought my dog to the first kennel, which worked out great. I was able to pair the dogs well and make sure everyone got plenty of exercise. This was before any “greeting” issues that I have with my dog today.

I don’t think I could ever do boarding/doggy daycare for my dog. If I did, I would pick Sheyenne River Kennels. I like the way they are run, plus how they choose to hire and train employees is very well thought out.

From my kennel experience, unfortunately a lot of what the business says about dog activities do not actually happen. The kennel I worked at encouraged owners to bring dog beds and special toys for their dogs. However, all of the belongings actually went into a closet until the dogs were picked up. The runs where the dogs stayed were too dirty to put the beds in. The only reason to encourage owners to bring beds and blankets for the dogs was to make the owners happy. The dogs never actually got playtime sessions either. However, the owners were still charged $3 per play session.

This owner obviously cares about her customers and their dogs. She goes above and beyond to make sure that everyone is happy. She follows Cesar’s Way but something I quickly found out is the employees do not. I am very quick to make sure that I do, though. What I noticed is that the boarding is great, but the daycare is only decent. This is because almost all the dogs are over-excited or stressed.

When I work, I try to make sure the animals are relaxed. I do not tolerate obsessive barking, pacing or whining. I only pet the dogs that are lying down, sitting or calmly standing at my side. I am sure to ignore the dogs that are jumping up at me or demanding attention. After about an hour, all the dogs are resting at my feet and getting a nice tummy rub from me. The moment another employee walks through the door or a dog gets excited, I have to start all over. It is very difficult and the dogs are very stressed. Of all the kennels I worked at this is the place with the most stressed dogs. The problem is because the employees think that in order to keep a dog happy, they need to play with it (in other words, make it excited).

They also tolerate behavior that creates high energy and eventually a fight. Since the workers are not trained well, no one is on the same page for the disipline of a dog. This place also does “time outs” which as I said before, do not work!

They do not have dogs outside often, but they are offering dog walking services for customers. This is helpful as long as the walk is done long enough and correctly.

Something that people need to look at when checking out daycare or boarding kennels is how the dogs interact. Please, please, please check this out. I would not want to pay money to keep my dog at a place where she/he is very stressed out. If you notice that the dogs are barking, pacing, jumping, snapping, growling, shedding excessively, etc., do not bring your dog there! Your dog will come out with more problems than he or she went in with. If you want to board your dog, look for a place where the majority of the dogs are resting or interacting calmly with eachother. Trust me, it may not look like fun from your eyes, but your dogs will enjoy it.