How Dog Daycare Helps With Social Development
How Dog Daycare Helps With Social Development
Blog Article
What Happens During a Dog Daycare Evaluation?
Enrolling a dog into daycare is an exciting milestone for pet owners. However, it’s important for daycare professionals to conduct an evaluation before a dog starts services.
This helps reduce the risk of pet-on-dog aggression and other behavioral problems. Gingr’s pet business software allows you to maintain records of temperament tests and quickly view the results on Pet Profiles, Expected/Check-In Dashboards, and Reservation Requests via Custom Icons.
The Evaluation Process
A dog daycare evaluation is a critical step in determining whether a pet will have a safe and enjoyable experience at your facility. These assessments allow staff members to observe how a pet reacts to other dogs, daycare staff, different environments, and other new stimuli.
Gather information before the test, including health records and any history of behavioral issues. Conduct a brief leash walk assessment to watch how the pet responds to people and other pets. Introduce props like toys and food to see how the dog responds to them.
Make notes in the pet’s profile about separation anxiety, timidness, toy aggression, and other personality characteristics that may affect their behavior at daycare. This helps staff assign dogs to playgroups that will be best for them. Maintain clear and consistent dog temperament testing policies and communicate them to staff. Tag all evaluations with Custom Icons in Gingr so they are easily viewable in the Expected/Check-In dashboard, Report Card function, and Reservation Requests.
The First Visit
The first day at daycare is an exciting, and often scary, experience for dogs. A lot of new smells, people, and noise can be overwhelming for many pups, so it’s important to keep the daycare environment upbeat – not stressful.
On the pet parent’s first visit, introduce them to staff and walk them through your facility. Ask them to provide all paperwork and proof of vaccinations. At this point, it’s important to establish your acceptance policies so that all pets entering the daycare must go through a temperament test before being accepted.
During this test, temporarily separate the dog from their owner and assess their behavior around other dogs and humans. Watch for separation anxiety, timidness, toy aggression, leash aggression, and other personality traits that could cause risks to the pet or other dogs at your daycare. A good rule of thumb is to avoid putting shy dogs in groups with more active and excitable dogs.
The Second Visit
It is very important that pet parents talk to the daycare staff on a regular basis. It's important to know if your dog is thriving in the environment and if they enjoy their time at day care.
It's also important to make continuous behavioral assessments of each dog and how they are interacting with other dogs in the facility. It is very easy for a dog to change their feelings or tolerances over time.
A good way to do a behavioral assessment is to temporarily separate the pet from their owner for part of the test and see how they behave. This will help you assess if the dog is comfortable in an unfamiliar and stressful environment. It will also allow you to see if they have any separation anxiety, timidity, toy aggression, or leash aggression. This will help you place the dog into a safe playgroup that matches their temperament. This helps improve the likelihood that all dogs will enjoy their day at daycare and reduces the risk of an incident.
The Third Visit
As your daycare business grows, it becomes important to hire people who love dogs and have specific qualifications that allow them to create a safe environment for all pets. Look for employees who have training in dog behavior, first aid, and experience working with a variety of different dogs from all backgrounds.
Dogs are often assessed during the evaluation process by their daycare staff dog kennel boarding near me to determine their play style, personality, and comfort level with other dogs. This information can help staff to place dogs in groups with similar personalities to reduce the likelihood of aggressive behavior during group play.
Maintaining a clear acceptance policy and requiring a temperament test is an important part of running a safe daycare for both pets and their pet parents. To protect your facility, consider implementing a custom icon on Gingr’s pet business software to indicate pets who are not accepted due to their behavior or temperament. Then, communicate this policy clearly with your staff.