Boarding your dog at a doggy day care can be a wonderful way to make sure your dog is cared for and has fun as well. Doggy day care is great for dogs who don't like to be alone all day. It's also good for people who are visiting an area and don't want to leave their dog in their car or a hotel room while they're taking care of business. Day care is also great for high energy and extremely social dogs whose owners aren't always able to accommodate their needs. But some dogs are not ready for doggy day care or are not good candidates. Here are a few of the most common requirements facilities ask for.

Health requirements:

All doggy day care facilities require dogs to be vaccinated for specific diseases, such as rabies and distemper among others. In addition to vaccinations, most places have restrictions against un-fixed males, females in heat, pregnant and nursing dogs. Some will accept them with restrictions and keep them away from others. Dogs with certain health issues may also be denied or kept away from other dogs. Dogs should also be free of fleas and other parasites.

Behavioral requirements:

In order to fully participate in doggy day care activities, dogs will need to have certain social and behavioral skills. They will be evaluated for behavioral issues when they arrive at the facility. Dogs that are very dominant, aggressive, like to guard toys and herd other dogs, are usually not good candidates. Dogs that do well in day care are usually those that get along with others and have good manners. Before deciding to take your dog to a day care, try observing how he or she responds to other dogs at the park and see how well things go with the interactions there.

Before choosing a day care for your dog, visit the facility, talk to the staff, and see if you can take a tour and meet the other dogs. Bring up any issues and concerns about your dog and whether or not the staff is able to deal with them. The facility should give you a registration packet with the health and behavioral requirements spelled out. If you feel that the facility and your dog are a good match, you can try a few short days at first and longer ones later. Once your dog becomes a regular at a day care facility, he or she is will develop relationships and, soon, will look forward going there as often as possible. 

For more information, contact a professional doggy day care like All Pets Hospital Ltd.