Kennel Cough is an upper respiratory infection which can produce a dry, hacking cough which is sometimes followed by vomiting or gagging as the dog tries to clear its throat. Your dog can get this at dog daycare, the dog park, the veterinarian’s office and even from a casual encounter while walking around the neighborhood.

All dogs are susceptible to catching kennel cough. It is important to know that even if your dog has the bordetella vaccine, it is still possible for your pet to contract kennel cough, just like humans can still get the flu after getting the flu shot.

We have done our best to minimize the risk of your pet contracting kennel cough. We have very strict cleaning and sanitation protocols that have been reviewed by a veterinarian. However, just as a child can catch a cold at school, regardless of how well the school is sanitized, a dog can still catch kennel cough at daycare. The higher the volume of dogs, the greater the risk. Once we hear a dog coughing, we will quarantine the affected dog and send him home. If your dog starts coughing, we will let you know immediately ask you to come pick them up and we will sanitize the daycare thoroughly.

Injuries can and do happen. In any group setting of canines, risk is always present as dogs regularly play with their teeth. A dog bite can occur in a fraction of a second which can be much too quick for even the most skillful dog handler to prevent. However, all-out dog fights are extremely rare. Most incidents usually end pretty quick (as soon as our handler calls the dogs off) and are fairly minor in nature. However, it is important to note that even superficial wounds can create an expensive veterinary bill.

This is why our staff is trained to try to prevent incidents before they occur. Dogs generally show one or more signs of stress before taking any aggressive action. All staff members are trained to recognize these signals and to intervene to re-direct the dogs’ attention. If any dog is feeling particularly cranky, he or she will be taken to a time-out dog run for a 3-5 minute cool down before returning to daycare play. In the rare event that a serious altercation does occur, the aggressor will be taken out of play for the remainder of the day and depending on the circumstances, may be asked not to return.

In order to participate in our day and overnight retreats, all applicants must go through a social evaluation to help us determine if Canine Retreat will be a good fit for your pet. During our social evaluation, we slowly introduce your dog to members of our pack and look for proper canine etiquette to be displayed. This process helps us determine if the dog is friendly, nervous etc. It also helps us know in which play group your dog will have the most fun.

Our goal is to make sure each dog enjoys every moment of his day at Canine Retreat. Training our staff to understand canine body language and surrounding your pooch with the right pals helps us achieve this.

Dogs must be in good health and current on all vaccinations including Rabies (1 or 3 year), DHLPP, Bordetella and Canine Influenza. Dogs must be 4 months or older, with all shots completed. Dogs must be spayed or neutered by 7 months of age. Dogs must be non-aggressive towards humans or other dogs and deemed a good fit for Canine Retreat through a social evaluation.

Because this is a group play dynamic, the more powerful breeds receive a more thorough interview and are typically held to a higher standard and may be required to demonstrate a response to basic obedience commands.

We hear first-hand stories from veterinarians about the negative effects of dogs spending all day playing on epoxy or concrete floors in other dog daycare facilities. Dogs tend to slip easily on concrete floors after they are mopped. Slips and falls can quickly lead to injury. Some injuries we’ve heard about have been so bad they require knee and hip replacements. Rubber provides much more traction than concrete (especially wet concrete) floors.

Sometimes rubber flooring can lead to sore paw pads, especially in the young more active dogs, as their pads may need to callous to become accustomed to the floor. Typically, this adjustment period only takes a few weeks.

Yes, rubber floors cost much more than bare concrete floor, but it is well worth the price to help keep the dogs safe. Our rubber floors are sealed, waterproofed and regularly cleaned to ensure they are sanitary and odor free.

While we do encourage dogs to be dogs, instead of just letting your pets run amok, at Canine Retreat we feel it is our responsibility to promote both the physical AND emotional well being of all our guests. One of the keys to achieving this is having staff that understands canine body language and group canine behavior.

To that end, each staff member is put through a supervised training program complete with dvd tutorials, workbooks, quizzes and plenty of hands-on training that typically lasts between 2-3 months. This enables them to coordinate group activities and spot signals that dogs give when they become uncomfortable or anxious. This helps us to encourage appropriate behavior and prevent unwanted situations.

A look on our webcams at any point should reveal a bunch of happy, healthy dogs with wagging tails displaying appropriate play behavior. Our large parks complete with dog beds and dog houses also give the dogs space to rest when they want to take a break. Our goal is to keep each dog happy 100% of the time.

In addition to giving you the peace of mind that your loved one gets their own vacation at our retreat, doggie daycare supports the mental and physical well being of your furry pal through exercise and socialization. A stay at Canine Retreat provides numerous benefits and helps:

• Combat the majority of common canine behavioral problems such as chewing, digging and barking which often stem from loneliness and lack of exercise
• Promote incredibly important socialization skills
• Facilitate getting an adequate amount of exercise
• Provide a safe, monitored play environment

Yes, dogs can definitely experience separation anxiety. Although this group environment may be too stressful for some, we have also been very successful working with others that have separation anxiety, but it can be a process.  Many dogs exhibit some form of separation anxiety at their initial day of daycare. Different dogs show anxiety in different ways. Dogs presenting low/moderate anxiety will usually stay near the gate or by our handlers and may vocalize with short, sharp barks and whining.  Dogs with high anxiety may bark or howl continuously and circle the play areas looking for mom and dad.

Our feeling is that each dog has his/her own personality and experiences differing degrees of emotional stress. One dog may run through the entrance ready to play immediately while another may feel separation anxiety for over a week. We will inform the owners of any separation anxiety and we will let you know if we don’t think this is a good environment for your furry friend. Our experience has been that except for the more severe cases of anxiety it will typically pass and it seems like most dogs will be wagging their tail and pulling you to come in to our facility after just a few visits.

At Canine Retreat, the health and well-being of our guests is our primary concern. Any unusual behavior such as limping, vomiting, regurgitation, lethargy, etc is detailed in a daily log and monitored for progression. Owners will be notified upon pick-up of any such events, unless cause for immediate concern arises in which case owners will be contacted immediately. If medical attention is deemed necessary, we will try to contact the parent first to see if they can pick up the dog and take them to their veterinarian for treatment. If the owner is not available, at our sole discretion, we will transport the dog to OUR contracted veterinarian (or emergency hospital of our choice if after hours) at the owner’s expense.