Doggy Day Care? Or Stay at Home?

[Linda Karell]

We're having some major construction done on our home--probably about four months of on and off madness--and I was wondering how best to make it less stressful for Chervil. She's nearly 6 months old, crate trained, and generally pretty laid back about strangers, although we haven't had strangers in our house when we're not home, which will be the case with the construction guys. Most days one of us will be home some or all of the day, but there will be times when we either have to crate her for several hours or take her to doggy day care.

Has anyone dealt with this? Should we continue our "normal" schedule and figure this is good socialization for her? Or should I enroll her in doggy day care for the especially crazy days? Be flexible and see how it goes?

She hasn't been to day care yet, either, so what should I look for in a day care? She loves playing with other dogs.

Thanks for any help!

[Linda,Yankee & Finn]

Personally, I would put her in doggie daycare for the crazy days. I wouldn't trust the construction guys not to let her out or who knows.

If she loves other dogs, it would be a good experience anyways.

[Tammy & Gracie]

I had a bathroom renovated last summer. I sent Gracie to daycare during the most of it, especially when there was demolition going on. It gave me peace of mind not having to worry about her developing fear or anxiety over it all (she was a young pup then). As things were being rebuilt (much quieter than demolition) I kept her in daycare some and at home some but only if someone from her family was home too...Good luck. It's a huge human hassle to get through that sort of thing!

In your daycare quest, go there unannounced, without your dog. Ask for a tour. Look for cleanliness and doggie activities. Ask about certain dogs you see and find out if the staff personally knows each dog. Are the dogs supervised by humans at all times? Are there planned naptimes or a way for the dogs to relax some? How do they disipline when needed? The daycare I use has all of the above traits, naptimes=each dog is kenneled and lights out every day 11-1. When I asked about a few dogs they told me all about their personalities. The dogs are grouped large and small but this is really more temperament than size. They also tested Gracie for temperament before accepting her and required vet records to be on file.

The construction has been over for a long time now but Gracie still visits daycare several days a week. She loves it!!! So do I, she is happy and exhausted those evenings. A tired doodle is a happy (good) doodle in my house.

[Linda Karell]

Thanks so much for the advice about how to check out a day care! There's no way I would have thought of all of that, so I'm grateful for your experience. One local place gets all sorts of recommendations, but that unnanounced visit is smart--will do!

[Steve Drury]

We did a 400 Sq Ft addition on our house in 2002. Broke ground September 24; finished January 10. We had two older dogs at the time---both over 12 year old. We had no concerns of them running which was important since the block wall was knocked down to allow access to the yard for all the equipment. Our dogs stayed outside with the workers all day while they were building the shell. Our experience was very good.
The workers loved the company of the dogs; they were concious of their presence and were careful not to put them at any risk while they were working. Both the workers and the dogs would hang out together at breaks and for lunch. The dogs seemed intuitive enough to know when to stay clear and when they could approach the worksite.
A six month old might not have the experience to know when to play and when to stay out of the way.

[Debbie and Thomas]

Doggy daycare for the crazy days is my vote. Also-some dogs get freaked out with some of the construction noises-especially when that compressor thing warms up. I hate that noise myself and dogs have such sensitive hearing. My last dog would try to run away or take off to a room and cower when that thing was on. So-if you could put the crate in a really quiet area she would probably sleep and not even notice. It could also be dangerous for her as she is still so young and might hurt herself or eat insulation or ....... etc etc. I renovate homes for a living. Sometimes I will bring my 8 mth old or even when he was younger to the house we are working on now and I usually have to put him out in the truck after 10 minutes or so because he is getting into trouble.

[Debbie and Thomas]

BTW I meant my 8 mth old doodle-not a human baby!! When I re read this it sounded like I brought my 8 mth old infant to the worksite and put him in the truck for misbehaving. Pls do not call the police....they may check out our permits!!!

[Linda Karell]

Hilarious--no calls to the cops from me! This is my first dog and my first remodel. . . though I know what a compressor sounds like, and it is pretty unnerving.

Thanks for the advice. This website is so helpful, with such a wealth of experience from all you generous people. Now I just need to find a renovation support group!

[Debbie and Thomas]

If you need any advice re your reno-send a msg to my page.