What are the benefits of dog daycare?

Besides giving you a safe environment to leave your dog in, it will also help with their socialization and help them to stay fit and active.

What does the meet and greet entail?

A meet and greet will be conducted on-site by one of our trained professionals with every dog before bringing them into a playroom. Our trained team will talk to the pet parent about the dog’s history and health. Once complete, the dog joins our team member in a separate room to observe how they react when away from their parent. During this time, we will conduct a snout to tail assessment to identify sensitivities in touch that the dog may have. If a dog is sensitive to touch in one area this is not necessarily an issue, but it is important for their comfort that our team is aware of any sensitivities.

We then begin bringing additional dogs into the controlled mini play area one at a time to assess the comfort level of the dog. Our team observes how the dog interacts with the other canines to determine their suitability for an open play environment. If for some reason the dog is not yet ready for open play, the team member will recommend steps the parent can take to help address the observed issue(s). Any dog is always welcome to come back for a follow-up evaluation after any issues have been addressed.

This process assesses your dog’s temperament and determines if the Ranch's facility will be a right fit for your pet.

What happens if there’s an incident between my dog and another?
At the Ranch, we strive to create a safe environment for dogs but we acknowledge that not every dog will get along. Our team is highly trained to understand dog body language, and if we see that an animal is becoming agitated and aggressive, we will take steps to remove that dog from the situation before it can escalate. Since our environment is like a child’s daycare, we do acknowledge that the occasional squabble may break out. That’s why we train our team to recognize these situations and remove a dog that may cause problems with other canines.

How does mealtime work?
Food is prepared exactly as requested by each pet parent. 

My dog is nervous about loud noises, what options do you offer for drying them?
We offer a number of options for drying your dog based on their noise tolerance. Choose from a crate hair dryer, a hand-held hair dryer or other options.

Do you use crates?
We use home-style crates during naptime (12 to 2 p.m.) because it gives the dogs a safe den to rest in, have some “me” time and allows the staff to safely dispense individual food for dogs who eat lunch and/or medication to each dog if applicable. Similar to children in a daycare, dogs tend to easily adapt to the naptime routine as it’s at the same time each day and all their friends are enjoying the often much-needed down time as well! During naptime, the staff also thoroughly clean each play area to ensure the room is safe and clean before another rousing round of afternoon play! 

Why is my dog sometimes seen in a crate during open play time?
At the Ranch, we work hard at creating a safe environment for dogs. Although every dog is evaluated prior to open play, disagreements or altercations may and will occur from time to time – similar to the playground at a child’s daycare. Our team is highly trained to understand dog body language and proactively manage the playrooms so that when one dog offers a correction to another that is not well received, we intercede before it escalates. This may result in removing a dog from open play or doing rotations among dogs in potential conflict. Additionally, staff is also trained to recognize that dogs sometimes need a little “me time”, so we utilize the crates to allow this quiet time for the dog.

My dog isn’t fixed, can they come for daycare?
All dogs that attend daycare or dogs that are groomed at the Ranch must be spayed/neutered by the age of 6 months. 

What vaccinations are required for my dog to stay at the Ranch?
At the Ranch, your dog’s safety and wellbeing is our first and foremost concern. That’s why we have a number of measures in place such as double doors, full walls, certified pet-friendly cleaning supplies, floors made from compressed rubber to reduce the impact on the pads of dog’s feet, joints and hips, soundproofing throughout to keep nervous dogs at ease and a climate-controlled environment. We’ve also put various protocols in place to reduce the risk of illness and accidents. To further this objective, we require that all furry friends are current on required vaccines. Vaccinations must be given by your veterinarian at least 48 hours before attending the Ranch. It is our preference that vaccines are given seven days prior.

 

Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella. Additionally, we ask that all dogs are free of any communicable diseases for 30 days. Below is additional info on the required vaccines:

 

• Rabies: Required once at 16 weeks of age in puppies, then given again 1 year later (1 year, 4 mos. of age) and then every three years going forward. Dogs are required by law to be vaccinated against the rabies virus because this deadly virus can spread to humans.

• DHPP (DHLPP) (also called Distemper): Required as a puppy series beginning at 6-8 weeks old, boosted twice at 3-week intervals and again a year later. Like rabies, after the first year, the distemper/parvo combination vaccine can be given every three years.

• Bordetella: Required to be current by 12 months from date of vaccine. Most veterinarians recommend the Bordetella vaccine be given every 6 months to maintain a high level of immunity for dogs who are often in social settings.

*Influenza vaccine is not required but highly recommended if available in your area

Do I need to bring my dog on a leash?
Yes! We require that all dogs are on a leash or slip lead with a collar/harness both in our parking lot and in our lobby.

Can we come play with the pups when we drop our dog off?
No, for safety reasons customers and their children are prohibited from entering the doggie play areas.

What happens if I am late to get my dog?
A: We usually give people 5 minutes leeway if they have contacted us to let us know they are running late and ask that they not do it over and over. After that it is $1.00 per minute.