Frequently Asked Questions
​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.
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.
​Why are you closed between 12-1PM?
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.
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!
I just adopted my dog, can I bring them for daycare?
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!
What makes us different from other daycares and boarding facilities?
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.
Why are daycare and boarding drop off times restricted?
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.
​Why do you not accept walk-ins and do a whole intake process?
​Why are boarding services only available for existing daycare clients?
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.
​Why must I bring my dog before 8am for their first day?
​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!
Can I just bring my dog in for grooming?
What vaccines does my dog need in order to be in daycare or boarding?
​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.
Why do I have to call and wait in the car for pick up and drop off?
​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.