Daycare question/opinions...

[Laura & Chewie]

Chewie goes to a great daycare 2-3 times/weekly for half days (5hours). It's a great place...they love him and he loves them. I am very pleased with this place, the only drawback being very limited weekend hours. There is another place nearby with better weekend hours, but a completely different approach to daycare...seems to work for them. I like our current place better, but need somewhere for the occasional weekend day when I need to be away longer than I would like to leave him alone. This doesn't happen very often.

I am wondering if it would be confusing/stressful to him to mainly go one place and just on occasion get dropped somewhere else. He has shown to be quite adaptable in outside the home situations...daycare, grooming, training and I guess the only way to know is try it.

I guess what I'm asking is do you use more than one daycare and how does it work out?

TIA!

[Camilla and Darwin]

Is the second place somewhere that you would be uncomfortable leaving your dog, or just a different style from the other place? If you feel like he would be save at the second place I would go for it. I have taken Darwin to three different daycare centers since we have gotten him, all for different reasons. I would say it depends on your dog's personality, but personally Darwin loves meeting new dogs and being in new places, it's very exciting for him. he always comes home with his tail wagging and naps for hours after from all his play.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Totally depends on Chewie. I only use one daycare, but I feel pretty confident that Peri would like any place I took her. She is really outgoing and changes/strange situations do not phase her.

The only other thing I would worry about is the different "approach". What is that approach?

For example, the daycare I use has the big dogs in completely separate, soundproof rooms from the smaller dogs. Another place in town uses chain link fences between the groups. Just IMO, I think that is a little chaotic. Peri is in the "toybox" room with dogs her size - she goes outside contstantly with those dogs also. But it is separate from other areas...murals are painted and there are tons of toys and playground equipment. Only time they are crated is during naptime - 12-2pm daily.

[Natasha]

Our vet is a friend of ours. I asked her a similar question. She asked me, "Does Rouser look happy when you pick him up? Does he look happy when you take him there?" Yes to both. So, watch Chewie's body language and that will tell you what's best for him. If his tail is between his legs or his head is down when you get there - then probably not a good fit for him. If he walks in with excitement, doesn't stick too close to you, has his tail up, etc., then it's probably great.

[Laura & Chewie]

Thanks for your opinions. Chewie is VERY happy where he goes now...can't wait to get in the door! The dogs are separated based on size and temperment...he is in with the more medium size dogs. They can see the bigger dogs in the other area, but it has never seemed to be a problem. Each individual area has access to an outdoor area just for them, so again they are separated. They also have a "rest time" from 11:45 - 1:15, but they are not in a crate like we think of a crate...more like a wire enclosed room. There are different sizes, but Chewie's is 5' x 8' with a little raised bed and I bring some toys for him...his own little room. LOL.

The other daycare I believe started as a grooming place and added the daycare area. There is one big room where all dogs are together for daycare. The other half of the building is for grooming. They have an open door to the grooming area also...the dogs are able to go back and forth, so they kind of have access to the entire place. When a dog is there for grooming, they get free daycare for the day. There are a lot of people around, so there is a lot of supervision. This is actually a groomer that I have been wanting to try as they came highly recommended. I also talked to a lady who said her dog loves the daycare. I questioned having all sizes and temperaments together and they said it has never presented a problem because of so much supervision. Like I said, I mainly would use it for the occasional weekend day as needed...not often and if I wind up liking the grooming, on those days also. I would continue with our original place on a more regular basis.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I don't think it matters if they mix sizes. I wouldn't care if my daycare did it that way. The reason I like separate rooms is because when there are a lot of dogs (regardless of size), it seems chaotic if they are all together and not split up - know what I mean? Peri loves big dogs also, but I am fine with our daycare keeping her with the smaller pups.
I think you should definitely give the new place a try. Chewie will probably let you know if he doesn't like it....

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Guinness goes to a Daycare once a week, and he is with dogs of all sizes. He is one of the smaller ones, but he loves to run with the "big boys". They tell me he actually is much happier playing with the larger dogs than with the small ones, so I wouldn't be too worried that they don't separate them based on size. I think cleanliness and good supervision are keys. We get to watch Guinness on video when he is playing, and I have noticed that there are always two daycare workers walking around the room and closely monitoring what is going on. He is also with other dogs when we go to obedience training and agility. He really doesn't care where he is as long as he is running, playing, and just being a dog.

[Laura & Chewie]

ITA...Chewie loves everyone...dogs and people alike. The place he normally goes to does have camera access..the other doesn't. I will probably give it a try...like I said, he's very adaptable.