Daycare

Daycare at Tails-A-Wagging is the care of your dog during the day while you are away at work, running errands, day travel, or just fun for your pet. It’s for fun, play, enrichment, day training, companionship, socialization, and love.

People who think this are simply uneducated about dogs. All dogs were bred for a purpose from Rottweilers (bred to herd and guard other animals) to Chihuahuas (bred to be a companion) to Newfoundland’s (bred for water rescue). Dogs who were bred for a particular purpose (like guarding or herding) have certainly been TRAINED to do other things. (Example: Pit Bulls and fighting) Why were they trained to fight? Because they were originally trained as a guard-farm dog and this makes them 1) Loyal 2) Tenacious 3) Pain tolerant etc…Also, for the same reason, they are GREAT for a family! Now, are some certain dogs (remember not breeds, but individual dogs) aggressive? Of course…these individual dogs can not come to daycare. But these are dogs who were not socialized properly, did not learn bite inhibition as a puppy, etc.

Any individual who tells you (and this goes for other daycares, trainers, groomers,s, etc) they don’t allow “aggressive breeds” are simply uneducated people who follow the stereotype of a bad dog. This should be a HUGE red flag to you, they think they are preventing problems by simply denying daycare for “bad breeds”. I honestly believe they are setting themselves up for a huge problem. It tells me they have no idea how to properly screen a dog, and this could result in a huge problem.

Your pup should be happy and healthy and enjoy the presence of other dogs. Dogs cannot be possessive over food and toys. Dogs must be current on all required vaccinations, and all dogs must be free from internal and external parasites, as well as be on a flea preventative (holistic treatment is accepted). A recent negative fecal test performed by your dog’s veterinarian, within the last 6 months is required. All dogs need to be licensed as required by their city Whatcom County Pet License

Since each dog is screened individually, no breed is automatically eliminated. There are, however, medical reasons your dog may not be allowed into daycare. Blindness and seizure-type disorders are two medical conditions that may not be allowed in daycare, although we encourage you to contact us to discuss your dogs’ condition.

We prefer dogs to enter Tails on a harness, (rather than by collar) for safety reasons, although they do not wear the harness or collar while in the playgroup. Some dogs may wear a harness (never a collar) in a playgroup if we are practicing recall manners with that dog from a short distance. We play collar-free for safety!

Your dog’s health is our number one concern.

Before we see a dog for daycare, classes, or socialization classes we have to have written proof they have seen the veterinarian, are in good health, and received their vaccines by a licensed veterinary hospital or licensed animal rescue organization. If the vaccines were administered by a non-professional we have no way of knowing: 1) If the vaccine was administered properly 2) If the vaccine was cared for properly prior to administration. One can purchase vaccines at a feed store and for all we know that vaccine sat on a pet food pallet for 4 hours, making it no longer viable. If your dog received their last vaccines via you or a breeder, we will have to wait until they see the vet and receive their next set by the veterinarian before we can see them for class or daycare.
We do accept titer testing for vaccine immunity.

Tails is not like any daycare you have ever known before.

For the dogs at our daycare, their day is very structured. Dogs are dropped off between 7 and 10 am. We break off into groups in the early morning (at 7:30 am), and do free play for a few hours, usually with minimal toys so the dogs can meet and greet. Each playgroup has their own indoor playroom and own yard. The dogs rotate in and out all day long. Typically that is 1 hr inside and 20 minutes outside. All dogs get a rest time during the day. Our rest time is in a crate with a soft bed and a treat like a stuffed Kong. If a dog has a mid-day meal, we can use this to stuff their Kong at rest time. Any dogs who need medication can be given it as needed throughout the day. Our goal at Tails, is to work your dog’s body AND mind. We want them tired out at the end of the day from playing, socializing, and experiencing many new things. Interactive games, enrichment, puzzles, storytime, grooming time, clicker training time- are just some of our activities. We are constantly working on good behaviors thru only reward-based training…since the dogs are NEVER left alone by themselves, someone is always working with them. Sitting and waiting at every door to learning new tricks, we provide it all for your dog! (and at no additional charge) The bulk of the day is spent clicker training, chewing, interactive games, pool time, petting, loving, and group wrestling games. Most dogs then get picked starting around 3 and all by 6 pm.

YES! You are welcome anytime.

We are open Monday through Friday from 7 am to 6 pm. Early morning and late afternoon times are very busy because dogs bring dropped off or picked up, so we may have more time to give you a more complete tour during the midday. The ideal time to stop by is 10 am to 3 pm, but you are welcome anytime. We have over 10,000 sq. feet of indoor and outdoor play areas for dogs. Beds for the dogs to sleep on, rubber floors inside for cushion, tons of durable toys suited for tough play, and dogs have access to water at all times. You can come down to meet our staff. All of our daycare attendants are trained in animal behavior and certified in pet CPR and first aid. No time to come down today? Go to our live video webcams and watch the dogs right now!  You can also go to our Facility page and see a video tour.

YES! All of our indoor flooring is rubber…made from 100% recycled tires.

We use biodegradable cleaners whenever possible (our daily sanitation product is specifically formulated to prevent canine disease) All wall paint is low VOC. We are part of the Towards Zero Waste Program with Sustainable Connections, and even won an award from PSE for being the greenest daycare around! We generate 80% less waste than other Daycare’s. We recycle all paper, cardboard, cans, glass, food/compostable items, formed, and film plastic. We use biodegradable poo pick-up bags at our potty stations. We reduce our waste by purchasing products in which the packaging can be recycled. We use our Food Plus Bin for all compostable waste. We have on-site compost and worm bins, for use in our landscape. We use washable hand towels instead of paper towels. Even our dog waste is picked up weekly by www.failtefarmfungi.org and composted in the mushroom farm.

All dogs who come to Daycare are required to either be on a flea preventative medication or holistic and will be check for fleas every time they come.

If fleas are found on your pet, they will be sent home. Our facility is specifically set up to not inhabit fleas as our outdoor yard and rubber floor are cleaned and sanitized daily.

We have two outdoor yards. One for large dogs and one for small and medium dogs.

The substrate is asphalt although this is hard ground it is actually one of two recommended grounds for outdoor yards in Doggie Daycare because it can be cleaned and sanitized. (the 2nd recommended ground is faux grass) Dirt, real grass, or rocks can never truly be sanitized. Our dog yards are cleaned and sanitized every day. Grass would not only turn to mud and be impossible to clean if internal or external parasites were brought in. The outdoor yard is fully fenced with 6-foot chain-link fence that is secured to steel poles embedded into the asphalt ground. Our indoor play area is covered with wall-to-wall rubber mats for cushion. In front of our building, we have a faux grass yard for potty time before coming inside and have the same faux grass pads in our yard.  Sometimes young dogs, new to daycare, can have what veterinarians term as “tenderfoot” this is when a dogs paw pads (which are just callouses that toughen up as dogs get older) are overly soft, usually from either being very young or that they have primarily been on soft ground to play. Sometimes paw pads can get sore, irritated and slough some skin when dogs play on harder ground like a rocky beach, our yards, or sidewalk running. It’s important to know that although this can make for sore feet, it’s good in the long run.  The tougher your dogs’ pads become, the more protected they are as they get older. 

The dogs are taken out to the yard every 60 minutes for potty time.

Every time a dog goes potty outside we reward them by marking the behavior with a “click” then a treat. Solid waste is picked up immediately and liquid waste is pumped via a drain back into the building to the sewer.

At Tails, we currently average 76  dogs per day.

The maximum capacity is about 36 large dogs, 18 medium-sized dogs, and 22 small dogs. Some dogs come every day, some 2 to 3 days per week, some maybe just once a month, and others maybe twice a year. It all depends on your needs, however, we are by reservation only.

Many small dogs may think they are a big dog, but any daycare should have separate rooms for both small and big dogs as they need to be separated for different play games.

We have four large playrooms. Two for large dogs, one for medium, and one for small dogs. We will, on occasion, have a medium to large size calm older dog in with the little dogs to help them have a positive association with bigger dogs.

Let’s talk about fighting in dogs…it is inevitable that if you get a group of dogs playing in a room together someone may get a scratch to small “owie” now and then.

Dogs often come to daycare because they have high energy and play rough, therefore they seek out other rough players. But no daycare should have a continuation of full-blown fights. If they do it means dogs are not screened properly. Play nips that may have resulted in a wound can occur, you must know this going in. DOGS PLAY HARD…this is the nature of dogs. Big Teeth and big nails. But know this, every daycare… no matter how great, has had a dog fight before…don’t let anyone kid you. But with properly screened dogs, who are playful but well-mannered and that care for by staff that have the opportunity to work WITH the dogs, not simply run around and manage them all day are not in situations likely to fight.

Dogs love toys! We use more indestructible types of toys:

Kong’s, Nylabones, Natural Rubber toys, Cotton Tugs…Many daycare centers do not allow any toys in their facility, of any kind. Why? Because they allow dogs who are possessive around toys, so to prevent fights they simply do not allow toys at all. At TAW, we have a different approach. Why punish many for the behavior of a few. We simply do not allow dogs who have any possessive behaviors around food or toys to come to daycare. However, we never have any plushy toys, tennis balls, or food-related toys, due to their destructible qualities.

Maybe. Daycare is for already social dogs to have fun.

If your dog is shy but completely appropriate in their behavior and canine communication skills, we may be able to assist them in learning how to play more.

If your dog is shy and acts inappropriate to other dogs (poor dog body language, reactive at other dogs, etc)… then no, daycare is not the place for you. We encourage you to first come down for a tour. See the facility, see how safe the dogs are and how much fun they are having. Many dogs come to daycare for many different reasons. Some come because they are an only dog and want fun and exercise. Some come for the socialization and ability to “be a dog”, and some have separation anxiety and need to be around people and other dogs. Because we have different areas of the daycare, we can help your dog socialize with other dogs their own size and temperament. We have had many dogs who have been timid before coming to daycare who are now confident, socialized dogs who are more confident of themselves in group situations.

We have over 29 years of experience in professional pet care.

Owner Angela Lenz is a licensed Animal Health Technician in Washington State, as well as a dog trainer since 1989. We have received accreditation with the American Boarding Kennel Association in accordance with Doggie Daycare and are certified American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Evaluators and members of the Association of Pet Dog Training. All lead staff are certified in pet CPR and first aid as well as extensive behavioral training using only reward-based methods.

Pre Paid packages are not subject to a refund. 

New dogs, those who have not yet passed their evaluations are “pay as you go” . We strongly suggest you do not buy your dog a package until they have passed their evaluations and get their “wings”. DAYCARE PACKAGES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE.  For refunds on our training, please check the FAQ training page.