Question 1

What makes us different from other daycares and boarding facilities?

Accepted Answer

We are an open pack facility dedicated to utilizing positive reinforcement and fear free management supported by scientific research. What does open pack mean? This means that our facility is not a kennel. Our boarding pups will not be kept in individual rooms monitored by cameras, but rather in group with other pups and a handler who will cuddle them at night. Our facility has plenty of human sized beds for all the pups. We strive to create a boarding experience for our furry family members that feel like home. The happiness, comfort, and well-being of your pup is of utmost importance to us.

Question 2

Why do you not accept walk-ins and require an intake process?

Accepted Answer

​Understanding and getting to know your pup is imperative to safe and fun play at Playful Pups. Our daycare can be high pace and high energy for most pups and not all are comfortable with this environment, which is completely okay! Not all pups enjoy being social. Just like for us introverts and everyone for that matter, not every place is suited for us! With our intake process, we ask a series of questions to ensure we are aware of how best to make your pup feel comfortable and leave excited to come back! At our facility, we work with a multitude of reactive pups and pups with behavioural issues, and through our intake process, we can better understand the needs of your pup as an individual.

Question 3

What vaccines does my dog need in order to be in daycare or boarding?

Accepted Answer

​At Playful Pups, our dogs are required to be updated on their necessary vaccines. This includes rabies, bordetella, deworming twice a year, DHLPP, their puppy vaccines if still a puppy, and flea and tick. Although we take sanitizing and the cleanliness of our facility very seriously, dogs can also catch the flu and so with this, just like any daycare or school we ask that you do not bring your pup in if they are not feeling well.

Question 4

​Why must I bring my dog at 10am for their first day?

Accepted Answer

We are strict on first day arrival times as it is best for the pups to come early prior to our morning rush of usual clients. This ensures that your pup can have some time to get to know our handlers and be introduced to the pack and space gradually. A new environment with so many new different smells and stimuli can be plenty overwhelming for our furry friends, especially for those who have never been to a Doggy Daycare before or for those that struggle with anxiety. Arriving early in the day allows your pup time to decompress and take in the new environment at a pace that is most comfortable for them!

Question 5

Why do I have to call and wait in the car for pick up and drop off?

Accepted Answer

At Playful Pups, we work with numerous dogs with differing behavioural needs as our handlers are experienced in caring for and interacting with high anxiety, reactive and stranger danger dogs. We utilize a one at a time calling system because of this, meaning that we only allow one group to come up and down the path at once, for both your safety, your pup's safety, and the safety of the other pups. It is crucial that you call when in the parking lot and remain in your car until it is your turn to come up the path for safety reasons. This is also why we have a 15 minute grace period as we are here to support our clients, their dogs, and what they need. At Playful Pups, we hold transparency and honesty with our clients to a very high standard. Your pup's behaviour, progression, growth, and happiness is our top priority and thus we are always willing to work together with our clients on building a plan that is best for each pup that come through our Playful Pups doors.

Question 6

​Why are you closed between 12-1PM?

Accepted Answer

​12-1pm is when pups have their lunch and undisturbed rest hour to avoid any bloating after eating, which can be very dangerous. Rest is super important for the pups here at daycare as dogs actually need around 8-13 hours of rest and even more so for puppies, who require 18-19 hours of sleep. Even for high energy pups, it is important they get proper rest to ensure the pups don't get overstimulated during play time. We do not allow pick up's or drop offs between 12-1pm as the hustle of dogs going home can be disruptive to their rest hour and ability to settle. Additionally, between 12-1 is when our handlers are on their break, allowing them some down time to reset as well.

Question 7

Why are daycare and boarding drop off times restricted?

Accepted Answer

We restrict daycare drop offs to 12pm as this gives our daycare pups ample play and outdoor time as we start playgroups around 8am and end around 4pm. You may be denied at the door after 12pm daycare drop off as playgroups have already been made for the day. For boarding, we do not accept drop offs after 6pm as most of our pups have settled after dinner and are ready for bed. Drop off at a later time can be disruptive and overstimulating for our boarding pups and can also make it difficult for your pup in settling for the night as they have not gotten the chance to burn off their energy. For these reasons, we restrict drop off hours and may deny at the door.

Question 8

Do you offer early-drop off or late pick-up?

Accepted Answer

Yes! We allow early drop-offs as early as 6am and late pick-ups as late as 10pm, however this is done through booking and approval from a member of staff as we only allow a limited number of early drop offs and late pick-ups.

Question 9

Can I tour the facility? Why do you not allow customers in the office?

Accepted Answer

Unfortunately we do not allow anyone, but staff into the office or facility. We are a 24/7 facility and have stranger danger and reactive dogs that frequent our daycare and boarding services. Any drop offs and pick up's are done on the deck of our facility, and rest assured we utilize a double door system for your wiggly pup's safety. If you are wondering about the layout of our facility, please check out our Instagram and Facebook pages @playfulpupsdoggydaycare for a fun little tour of the facility!

Question 10

Why are boarding services only available for existing daycare clients?

Accepted Answer

As all our pups sleep in group overnight, we require boarding pups to come in for consistent daycare prior to boarding. This is so they can get to know our handlers, the other pups, and feel more comfortable and safe at our facility. For a lot of pups, being away from home can be very hard and stressful, so at Playful Pups, we want to make their boarding stay feel like a second home.

Question 11

Do you accept all breeds and all sizes?

Accepted Answer

We sure do! At Playful Pups, we do not discriminate against any size or breed of dog! Our handlers are experienced and knowledgeable on many breeds, their typical behaviours, their temperaments, and their genetic needs.

Question 12

How do you determine play groups?

Accepted Answer

At Playful Pups, we determine groups based off of each dog's temperament, their friends inside and outside of daycare, size, and energy level. We take a multifaceted approach to making play groups and if any pup is not enjoying a particular play group, we will move them around to other groups to ensure they enjoy their time at daycare. As we cater to a multitude of pups with behavioural issues, we have multiple programs that we offer aside from regular group play! This is where we offer Special Care programs designed for your pup if they cannot go in group which consists of one on one time with a handler, enrichment games and puzzles, and specialized groups. Additionally, we have a Puppy Program in which we have smaller groups of other puppies or dogs good with puppies to help integrate pups into groups, learn socialization skills, and feel more comfortable at daycare and around other pups!

Question 13

Can I just bring my dog in for grooming?

Accepted Answer

Unfortunately, we are not professional groomers and only offer light grooming services such as baths, deshedding, nail trims, and ear and teeth cleanings to our existing clients. As we are a fear free facility, we never push our pups to do anything they are not comfortable with, which is why we only do grooming for existing clients who we have built that trust with. Having that bond and trust with your dog is imperative to creating a fear free environment, so our handlers put in a lot of work with desensitization and formulating a bond with your pup before providing grooming services.

Question 14

I just adopted my dog, can I bring them for daycare?

Accepted Answer

We do not recommend and do not accept pups that have not been with their new family for at least a month. This is because your pup has not created a bond with your family and risks confusion and emotional distress for the pup if they bond first to one of our staff. Having a new pup can be stressful and completely new to both parties, and so we suggest pet parents spend much needed quality time with their pup before brining them to a daycare facility!

Question 15

Do you accept un-neutered males or non-spayed females?

Accepted Answer

This is based on a case to case basis! We definitely accept puppies who have not been spayed or neutered yet due to their young age, however, typically for males, we recommend they be neutered by the age of 1. In our experience with un-neutered males, many do not typically do well in group due in increased levels of dominance and sometimes aggressive behaviours, however this can definitely differ depending on your pup, thus we provide a trial period of 5 daycare days to access your pup and what works best for them at our facility! As for non-spayed females, we also accept them for daycare as long as pet parents keep track of their heat cycles and do not bring their pup when in heat, as we do have some unneutered males that attend daycare regularly.

Question 16

Why don't I see my dog in pictures?

Accepted Answer

The well-being of the dogs is first priority and capturing photos is merely a secondary pursuit. There are various factors that may interfere with photos. Images may not meet social media standards (blurry, cropped angle, obstructed). Some dogs visit more frequently, some are easier to photograph. Photos may have been taken before or after your pup arrived at daycare. If a pup is nervous, our handlers prioritize spending time with them and getting them comfortable, rather than posing for pictures. At the end of the day, we are dog handlers, not photographers. While we strive to get pictures of all the pups, we are going to prioritize their safety and well-being over their headshots.

Question 17

What does my dog's day to day look like?

Accepted Answer

For all pups, once they come in, they immediately go out into the yard for a pee break, so no worries if they have not had their morning tinkle yet! In the mornings we keep the doors to the covered yards open to allow the dogs to get a little morning play in and for those morning sleepyheads, access to our comfy beds and blankets. Organized playgroups start around 9am and all pups come in to rest for the day at 4pm, to which dinners will be handed out. Generally playgroups run 1 hour out in the yard and 1 hour in for rest to ensure every pup gets proper rest and down time to avoid any overstimulation! This is also dependent on your pup and the weather as well! We listen to when some pups tell us when they are done and when they would like more play time, or when it is too hot or too cold for their liking. Lunches are served between 12pm-1pm and after every meal, pups are required to rest for a minimum of 1 hour before play to prevent bloat! For our boarding pups and those that stay past 5pm, rest assured, they get more pee breaks and play time in towards the end of the day with the doors to the covered yard open, where they can go out to play, or lay on the beds for a little nap, or even chill inside to watch some movies and shows we put on for them!

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes us different from other daycares and boarding facilities?

Why do you not accept walk-ins and require an intake process?

What vaccines does my dog need in order to be in daycare or boarding?

Why must I bring my dog at 10am for their first day?

Why do I have to call and wait in the car for pick up and drop off?

Why are you closed between 12-1PM?

Why are daycare and boarding drop off times restricted?

Do you offer early-drop off or late pick-up?

Can I tour the facility? Why do you not allow customers in the office?

Why are boarding services only available for existing daycare clients?

Do you accept all breeds and all sizes?

How do you determine play groups?

Can I just bring my dog in for grooming?

I just adopted my dog, can I bring them for daycare?

Do you accept un-neutered males or non-spayed females?

Why don't I see my dog in pictures?

What does my dog's day to day look like?

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Frequently Asked Questions

What makes us different from other daycares and boarding facilities?

Why do you not accept walk-ins and require an intake process?

What vaccines does my dog need in order to be in daycare or boarding?

​Why must I bring my dog at 10am for their first day?

Why do I have to call and wait in the car for pick up and drop off?

​Why are you closed between 12-1PM?

Why are daycare and boarding drop off times restricted?

Do you offer early-drop off or late pick-up?

Can I tour the facility? Why do you not allow customers in the office?

Why are boarding services only available for existing daycare clients?

Do you accept all breeds and all sizes?

How do you determine play groups?

Can I just bring my dog in for grooming?

I just adopted my dog, can I bring them for daycare?

Do you accept un-neutered males or non-spayed females?

Why don't I see my dog in pictures?

What does my dog's day to day look like?

Subscribe Form

Follow Us:

Contact Us:

Why must I bring my dog at 10am for their first day?

Why are you closed between 12-1PM?