Do You Use Doggy Daycare For Your Cockapoo?

Luna goes to dog daycare once or twice a week. It depends what we have on. Some people laugh at the thought of it, while others say its a great idea. It’s not for everyone, as it can be costly which we will talk about later on.

Benefits

You Can Go Out All Day

The daycare place we use is open from 7pm until 6pm. This is great for people that work all day or may have commitments that they need to attend to. No dog should be left at home from 9am to 5pm all day. It’s not good for them and cockapoos are quite a needy dog when compared to other breeds and one that can easily suffer from separation anxiety.

Meeting Lots Of Other Dogs

If your dogs one of those that loves to meet other dogs when you are out for walks then daycare will be great for socialising and might help get their need for meeting other dogs out of their system. When they are there they are likely to meet dogs of all ages and sizes. I was always a bit concerned about Luna meeting bigger dogs when were out. However, when I look at videos that the daycare place puts on their Facebook and Instagram I see that shes out with German shepherds, Huskies and a wide variety of dogs.

The Daycare Might Offer Grooming

We used to take Luna to a separate groomer which could sometimes be on a weekend. However, it turns out that our daycare place also does grooming. This is a great time saver and makes our life that bit easier. Luna also isn’t great with strangers and used to hate going to the groomers, but with her knowing all the staff at daycare its great as even when shes been groomed she happily runs into the daycare the next time she goes. This was not always the case at the groomers where she would dig her heels in and not want to go inside the shop.

Disadvantages

For me, there are only 2 disadvantages.

Cost

The costs can really add up. When we take Luna its rarely for a full day. We pay about £16 for up to 6 hours. The cost after that is £20 for the full day I think.

If you took your day every day then £20 a day, times 5 days a week is £100. This could mean that your daycare bill is £400 a month. Think carefully how much you need to use a daycare facility before you get your cockapoo.

Bonding

After my dogs been to daycare, shes shattered and doesn’t get taken for a walk. I wouldn’t want her to go every day as I enjoy taking her for a walk and its good bonding time for us.

Alternatives To Daycare

There’s a few alternatives. 

You could hire a dog walker that comes to your house and takes your dog out at some point during the day.

Or maybe you could ask a family member if they would come in and walk your dog one day a week.

My mum sometimes pops down (she only lives 10 minutes away) and will check in on Luna if we are out for a long time.

Let me know in the comments below if you use a daycare service or are considering using one.