Benefits of Readiness Checks for Daycare and Lodging Dogs

Where’s Rover? One of the mysteries of professional pet care are the dogs that suddenly disappear from daycare for no apparent reason. These dogs can also be a challenge when they want to return after several months away from the playgroup. Do you evaluate the dog again before letting them return? 

There is definitely value to the dog, your playgroups and your business in establishing a formal readiness check process for existing dogs that have not visited in six months or more. Not only is this important for daycare, but is also a helpful practice for infrequent lodging dogs as well.

As pet professionals we understand that dogs view the world as experiences that are either familiar or unfamiliar to them. You also know that behavior changes based on daily life experiences and the more time that passes between visits the more changes that can occur.

For dog parents that have used your services before it can be challenging to explain why a daycare or lodging assessment is required when they have been to your center previously. During the COVID pandemic the number of dogs with extended absences has increased significantly for many pet service businesses.

To help the dogs, your team and business we created an Existing Dog Readiness Checklist that is a done-for-you evaluation system. In a short 2-hour visit you can provide an initial assessment of a dog’s readiness to return to daycare or lodging. We use our color-coding system of green, yellow or red to score the dog during the visit so there is an objective result to share. The guide also includes sample scripts for sharing your readiness check process with pet parents.

We know many of you are doing these checks informally and frequently without a fee. We hope our guide will help you formalize the process and get paid for your expert assessment. The end result will be confirmation that a dog is still a good fit for your environment or proactive recommendations on how the dog can ease back into the environment at their pace. You will definitely set your expertise and professionalism apart when you formalize an Existing Dog Readiness Check process in your pet business.