Day Care Assessment

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

After a year of looking we finally found a Day Care facility and yesterday it was assessment day.  Here is the email I got back.  I just wondered if this was normal practice in your Day Care?  I am really really happy with this one and Riley will be going once or twice a week.  They even take pictures and videos which they post on FB throughout the day so you can see what they are doing.

Hi Nicky & Riley, 

It was so lovely to meet you both yesterday and I was thrilled you could make it over. I am really looking forward to having  Riley  join daycare, he has a super personality and I know he'll love it. Its so important to us that any of our doggy clients are happy and content so please make sure you let us know how he does on the evenings after attending daycare so that we can improve or change the routine if there are any issues.

Anyway on Riley 's assessment, he has a superb greeting with other dogs which means that I would be confident any negative reaction from him meeting another dog will most likely be a result from the other dog and not from  Riley. He gives all the right signals without being too forceful for play. He knows his boundaries and communicates in all the right ways. On that front you have done a terrific job. For such a young dog I was very impressed with his self control when it comes to greeting/playing. 

In terms of toys/food which are both high resources in the dog world Riley scored very high on his tolerance levels for sharing and stepping out of a conflict.  Riley  is a dog that would rather flight than fight which is exactly what you want in a social situation. For daycare that is the most important characteristic, because our daycare is very interactive and we us a lot of toy and food rewards it is vital that all the dogs are happy to "share".  Riley  passes with flying colours. 

Handling he scored in the high which is super, its not a very important behavioural trait but good for vet exams and for strangers touching him, he is only very slightly uncomfortable with this. That means he accepts it and does enjoy it a lot but is still unsure, we work on this using food and toys so that he will have a positive association with handling. 

He is still a little nervous of new objects & sounds. We will work on this by making every experience a positive one so he gains confidence. You have done a terrific job with him and he is maturing into a lovely dog. You should be very proud. We will work on some recall with him in daycare and fill you in on how he is doing and hopefully work together on perfecting a quick recall. If there is any thing else you'd like to work or improve on just let me know.

Looking forward to working/playing with  Riley, I can see he will become a favourite in daycare :)

Any questions just ask 

Kind Regards

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

WOW!  Impressive.  Sounds like a perfect place to take a dog.  Hope Riley does well. Please, let us know.  And, we want to see some of those pictures.

Sounds like a good Musing Topic  :)

[Katie and Sophie]

Way to go Riley!  sounds like you found a great facility and that he is going to do great!

Our daycare place is similar to this.  they have 24 hour live webcams that you can keep track of your pups on and every day you get a report card with a picture from the day and who they played with, what they did, etc.  I love that!  It really makes you feel like they know your dog on an individual level.  

[Elizabeth & *Kosci*.]

Well done Riley, and especially to you Nicky as you put in all the hard work.Riely is a credit to you.. Have fun at daycare.