Reputable dog kennels will schedule an assessment for any new dog before allowing them to play at the facility. This is very important for you, your dog and the safety of the other dogs at the facility.
An assessment is integral for many reasons – one of the reasons is to determine the temperament of your dog – is he shy, is he anxious, is he high energy, does he have issues with puppies, is he a puppy who loves everyone without knowing signals from older dogs. Kennel staff are trained to see the nuances and signals in order to find the right pack for your dog. i.e. which pack will he succeed in most. The second reason is for you to take a tour of the facility and playground so that you are comfortable leaving your Kennels for dogs under the care of the kennel staff – will my dog have ample room to run, will there be other dogs his size and energy to play with, and do the kennel staff know what they’re doing.
Without an assessment, the kennel staff has little to no information on a new dog coming into the pack. They won’t know what signals to look for or how pre-empt a potentially dangerous situation. ie. If your dog is high energy and an elderly dog in the pack doesn’t appreciate that kind of attention, the kennel staff wouldn’t be on the look out for that situation.
And obviously, a reputable kennel will ask preliminary question such as: is your dog current on vaccinations (please bring a copy with you for the assessment), is your dog neutered/spayed, and is your dog social. Ie. does he/she go to dog parks to play with other dogs regularly. These are routine questions to ensure the safety of the other Kennels for dogs at the doggie daycare.
