The Dog Den and The Puppy Den Enrollment Process

 here is a checklist for your puppy's first day of daycare:

• Please drop off your puppy no later than 7:00am on their first scheduled day. This is important as the first day of daycare can be a little overwhelming for even the most social pup. By arriving by 7:00am, your puppy will be able to meet all of their new friends one at a time rather than "joining the party" after everyone else has arrived. Arriving early, also helps us to spend time with you to review paperwork, go over our daily schedule, and answer any questions you might have. If you arrive after 7:00am on your first day, we may ask you to reschedule. 

• Bring copies of your pup's vaccination records for our files - including Bordatella and a clear fecal within the past 6 months. If you prefer, have your vet fax or email these to us prior to your first scheduled day.

• Allow yourself an extra 30 minutes during this first drop off day for paperwork and any questions. We are currently operating with contactless drop off to keep our staff and clients healthy during the COVID-19 outbreak.  Please see our blog for more information on our safety policies

• Please remember that topical flea & tick treatment is poison to other puppies also. Please have it on your puppy for at least 48 hours before bringing them to play with others.

• For puppies under 6 months, we highly recommend bringing a lunch or snack for your puppy. Please bring in a disposable bag with his or her name written on it. Puppies burn a lot of energy and are typically hungry by naptime! All puppies will have a mid-day nap, and they will be much happier if they have a snack first! 

• For dogs over 6 months, lunch is optional.  If you would like your pup to have lunch and nap, please bring your pre-portioned lunch in a disposable bag with your pup’s name on it. 

Because we are a training facility, we encourage appropriate play, ask the dogs to wait at the door, sit for petting, etc. We strive to improve your pup’s behavior during their time with us, instead of allowing play that is overly rowdy and potentially dangerous. 

We also separate dogs into appropriate playgroups: first by size (small dogs vs. large dogs) and then also by play type (gentle vs. physical).

Some breeds have different play types by nature. We do have some working breeds and terriers that we require to start at daycare while they are still puppies, so we can help develop appropriate play manners. If you think your dog may fall under this category please call or email us and we can determine if he is a good daycare candidate!

Continuing Reservations

We recommend at least a one-day-per-week commitment to keep your puppy's social skills up. Puppies do best at daycare when they come on regular days during the week. Just like children they make friends at daycare, and when they hang out with their regular group of friends each week they are more relaxed, know the routine, and have their own little "cliques". We have a lot of "best friends" at daycare - some pups play with the same few puppies for the entire day and are happy to see them on a regular basis because they all come on the same days each week!

Thank you again for considering our daycare - we can't wait to meet your pup!