Frequently Asked Questions

General Faqs

Dogs: 

Rabies vaccination is required. 

Distemper combination and Bordetella vaccinations or titers are required. 

Bordetella should be administered at least 7-10 days before boarding. 

Lyme and Canine Influenza vaccinations are recommended.

Flea and tick preventatives are recommended.

Puppies:

Puppies under four months of age must have been in owner’s home for 10 days prior to visit, need to have seen the owner’s veterinarian, and must be up to date according to the veterinarian’s vaccination schedule.  Bordetella is required 7-10 days prior to boarding.

Flea and tick preventatives are recommended.

Cats: 

Rabies and Feline 4-in-1 vaccinations or titers are required.  

Feline Leukemia vaccination is recommended. 

Flea and tick preventatives are recommended.

Please be sure we have your pet’s updated vaccination records and you have signed all necessary agreements in your customer portal. Bring your pet’s regular food and any medications. Be sure to make us aware of any health or behavioral concerns. If you would like, you can bring toys that are not soft or easily destroyed and any treats or snacks that your pet likes. We will supply bedding and bowls. 

For training dogs, we encourage you to bring your dog’s regular food so we can use it during the training process. Any leashes, collars or harnesses that you’re already using would also be great. We will provide everything else.

We require any new pet to have been in your home for 10 days AND to have seen your personal vet before using any of our services.

As all of our services are quite popular, we encourage you to book as far ahead as possible.

For boarding, the holidays and summer months tend to fill up 4-6 weeks in advance.

For grooming, our groomers’ schedules are typically booked out 3-4 weeks at any given time, and their weekends filling up even quicker. For this reason, we recommend pre-booking grooming reservations 2-3 appointments out to keep your pet on their regular schedule. 

Please call to check our availability. If we are full, please be asked to be added to our waitlists as we do sometimes have last minute cancelations. 

Boarding Faqs

Our staff are on-site from 7am to 7pm and regularly walk through the kennels to check on all the animals.

As long as the weather is agreeable, dogs have free access between their inside and outside private runs. Every reservation also includes  a one-on-one activity with a team member and bedtime tuck-in service with a biscuit. We are happy to enhance your pet’s stay with additional activities upon request. 

In most cases, yes. We offer several Specialized Care services that may be appropriate for your pet. This would include extra wellness checks through the day and additional assistance needed for multiple medications or monitoring. Our staff are trained in administering medications, including insulin, and we can accommodate most medical conditions. However, we are not a veterinarian and encourage you to discuss your pet’s specific needs with your vet ahead of time.

For your pet’s safety, there needs to be at least two weeks between any surgery and any reservation for any service.

Yes! As long as we don’t have any concerns about them safely boarding together. Our runs are extremely large and can accommodate up to four pets lodging together as long as they are of the same species and from the same family. Please understand that some pets behave differently when they are away from home. Some pets who live peacefully together may struggle to lodge together while boarding. We will always work with you and communicate any concerns for the safety of your animals and our staff.

Even though dogs and cats from the same family can not lodge together, we can make arrangements for them to have activities together! Ask us when planning your trip or at check in!

Our facility is designed for our team to be able to safely feed, water, and care for your dog in a completely hands-off manner, if necessary. We use a pressure-free approach to our Red Flag dogs that has been successfully shown to improve their experience while boarding with us. 

If you have any concern about your pet (of any species!) potentially being a danger, please let us know at the time of booking so we can make the proper arrangements to keep your pet and our staff safe. 

Additional fees may be applied to your reservation for the additional security measures needed. 

DAYCARE FAQs

Our play groups are usually less than ten dogs in each group and are grouped by size, age, and temperament. We usually have a ratio of one highly trained team member to five dogs. This ratio is very unusual for the daycare industry, but means we have safe and productive play groups rather than rowdy free-for-alls.

All-day play groups can be over-stimulating and stressful for many dogs which can potentially lead to overly adrenalized dogs who struggle to settle. Our play groups run between 11am and 3pm in rotating small groups. It is very important to us that dogs are given the guidance they need to learn to have polite social skills and also have the ability to turn off their excitement. We teach this while they are in their social group, as well as outside of playtime when they have rest-time in either a kennel run or crate.

Some dogs are fine with other dogs when they are with their owner, or one-on-one with other dogs, but they don’t enjoy a group play setting. Other dogs are dog selective and struggle with certain situations. We can accommodate some variables better than a lot of larger daycares, but we are always mindful of what is best for each individual dog. Please know that if we have recommended individual activities, it is only in the best interest of your dog and all the dogs in our care.

Training FAQs

Cost of training varies based on your goals and your dog’s needs. Our full programs range from $75 – $4,560. You can pay in installments, but the cost of your program must be paid in full by your start date. Our average training client spends about $3000 over the course of 1-2 years while participating in group classes, day training, social studies daycare and/or board and train.

Because our Social Studies group play has the primary goal of teaching dogs how to play calmly and appropriately, not all training dogs will be ready to participate in group play. Many training dogs will be introduced to group play while on leash so they can enjoy the interactions and we can support their decisions while keeping them from getting too rowdy.

Your puppy starts learning as soon as you bring them home, and we are here to help you through this exciting time. We can help you with every aspect of raising a great dog, from housebreaking and chewing to handling for grooming and vet visits, we are here to be your support and guide. In-Home or Virtual Lessons as well as Puppy Classes are a great place to start. It’s important to focus on crate training, potty training, shaping behavior, playing nicely, accepting handling, and other core foundations at this stage.

All our training focuses on helping dogs choose a calmer state of mind and own their choices. This approach addresses all behaviors you might be struggling with. We can assist you with more complex behaviors such as fears and phobias, guarding toys or bones, hyperactivity, and barking or lunging while on walks. We do not work with aggression at this time.

That depends on a lot of variables, such as: your goals, your dog’s age and behaviors, and your commitment to learning and using the techniques. Training can be anything from one group class or a few private lessons, to multiple programs over the course of your dog’s first few years.

We are passionate about educating owners on the safe, kind, and responsible usage of training tools. Every dog is different, and not every dog requires or benefits from a prong or e-collar. We strive to use the tool that both owner and dog are most comfortable and successful using, including regular buckle collars, martingale collars, slip leashes, slip chains, Starmark collars, prong collars, e-collars, head halters, and harnesses.

Grooming FAQs

Grooming is not just haircuts! Grooming is everything from keeping your dog’s nails nice and short to keeping their skin and coat healthy. Every pet, even hairless ones, can benefit from regular grooming! Keeping your pet on a 2-6 week grooming schedule will lessen shedding and dander, lessen the chance of matting and tangles, keep their nails short so that they walk comfortably, and your groomer will be able to notice and alert you to any changes in their skin or health that may otherwise go unnoticed. Our groomers have alerted pet owners to concerns of abscesses, cancers, skin conditions, and even diabetes so that their vet can properly diagnose and save their life!

All of our products are professional pet grooming products that are pH balanced to animal skin. We will never use human soaps or sprays on your pet!

Because all of our appointments are “Express Grooming” services, on average your pet will be finished and back to you in roughly 2 hours or less. Although, if your pet seems to be having a difficult time, our groomer will give them breaks as necessary to keep them comfortable and safe which may take longer than average.

As soon as 2 weeks after you’ve brought them home! Some people have heard that they should wait until their puppy is 6 months or older to be groomed. We strongly recommend getting your puppy into the groomer as soon as possible to start teaching them the grooming process is something to enjoy, not something to fear. While you may request for them to not receive a full haircut until they are older, visiting our groomers as soon as possible ensures they will be accepting of brushing, nail trims, handling, and the sights and sounds of a grooming salon. Once you bring them in, we suggest keeping them on a monthly grooming schedule, even if just for a bath, so that they can have a life filled with positive grooming experiences!

You can have your dog’s nails trimmed as early as every week if you wish! We suggest not going longer than 4-6 weeks to ensure your dog’s nails do not start to affect the comfort of their feet and joints.

We are able to give you an average price range for what your pet’s grooming service may be, however pricing can vary based off of things such as: tangled, matted, or impacted coats, complexity of the haircut, size of your pet, your pet’s tolerance to being handled and groomed, and the additional skills needed for pets with health issues, geriatric pets, and pets with physical limitations.