Frequently Asked Questions
How old does my dog have to be to come to daycare?
There is no minimum age to begin your dog’s socialisation journey; it is a requirement that all dogs are fully vaccinated prior to joining us.
We love happy dogs, so we ask that all dogs have been in their home and with their owners for a minimum of two weeks prior to commencing daycare, this gives them the opportunity to settle into their new home and new routine prior to trying out something as exciting and new as Dogcity Daycare.
There is no maximum age that your dog can attend until, we have lots of Senior friends who we accomodate with fluffy beds, extra relaxation time and cuddles; our team will work closely with owners to ensure that their dog is loving their play time, every single visit, and will discuss any changes.
Dogs can reach social maturity around the age of 6, and some dogs at this point decide that they would prefer the couch to a day of fun with their friends, alternatively if your dog is a party-pooch then they’ll likely keep wanting to play and interact; every dog is different and that is why our team work so hard to get to know everything about your dog so that they are able to detect any subtle changes and discuss these with you.
When can my dog come for their first day?
We accept new friends from Monday- Friday at Kent Town and Tuesday - Friday at our other locations each week, with a maximum of three new dogs per day; we have an additional team member available during these times to not only help our newest furry friend settle in and perform a suitability assessment, but also to chat with owners while they watch all of the fun from our Viewing Room.
New dog spaces often book up weeks in advance, so planning ahead is extremely important.
It’s imperative that you make yourself available to pick your pup up at anytime during their first day with us; our priority is ensuring that your dog is having the most positive introduction to group socialisation as possible, and sometimes ‘short and sweet’ visits are invaluable in ensuring this.
Our team will dedicate their time to getting to know your dog and reading their body language, and will keep you informed throughout their visit.
Here is some more helpful info around your dog’s first day with us.
Does my dog have to be desexed?
Desexing is compulsory in South Australia for all dogs born after 1 July, 2018. Dogs must be desexed by the age of six months.
At Dogcity Daycare it is a requirement of enrolment that all dogs in attendance are desexed by the age of six months, with puppies younger than this welcome to attend daycare while still entire.
There are, however, some exceptions to this. In line with new research, it is now widely regarded that some breeds can benefit from delayed desexing (e.g Giant & Large Breed dogs as well as smaller breeds like the Miniature Dachshund). In these cases, if we deem the dog’s behaviour is not impacted by the hormonal changes, we will offer a conditional, continued enrolment when a written Veterinary Medical Exemption is provided. This enrolment is conditional and can be revoked at any time to ensure the enjoyment and wellbeing of your dog and all of the other dogs in our care.
A Dogcity desexing exemption is valid until after a first ‘season’ (female dogs), until the end of the period of time prescribed by the Veterinarian (male dogs), or until the time where our team notice that you dog’s hormonal changes may be impacting their daycare experience e.g. excessive interest in humping, excessive interest of other dogs in sniffing their fluffy behinds!
Click here for more info about our desexing exemptions.
What happens if my dog isn’t suitable for Dogcity?
At Dogcity we make it our mission to get to know your dog, understand their likes and dislikes and read their body language so that we can provide them with exactly the environment that they are most comfortable with, and help them to thrive within the group socialisation setting… and for some dogs, group socialisation just isn’t there thing. Guess what? This is totally, 100% fine. Not all dogs are suitable for daycare; at Dogcity Daycare we see suitability as encompassing both behaviour and enjoyment - so not only should dogs feel confident in this setting, but they should also show us that they want to be here too!
Our team are expert doggy language readers and see themselves as doggy advocates, so if your dog is letting us know that they’d rather be at home on the couch, then we will see that and we will give you a call to get them picked up, and one step closer to that cosy couch at home.
Dog Daycare is like the deep end of the swimming pool, it requires confident swimmers who both have the skills to swim, and who enjoy swimming. Dog Daycare is for dogs who are confident around their canine counterparts and who enjoy the company of other dogs too.
If your dog doesn’t like daycare then that is more than okay, it simply means that their interests lie elsewhere or perhaps they just don’t feel confident hanging out with lots of doggy friends - either way, we will let you know because if a dog isn’t happy at Dogcity Daycare then we’re not happy either.
Does my dog have to be vaccinated?
Yes! It is a requirement of enrolment at Dogcity Daycare that all dogs have a current C5 vaccination.
Some owners prefer to Titre test their dogs as a way of checking for immunity, and thus alleviating the need for annual vaccinations. We accept Titre Tests showing full immunity providing they - like a vaccine - are carried out annually.
Canine Cough is an essential vaccine required annually by all dogs attending Dogcity Daycare, with no exceptions. The Canine Cough vaccine is very similar to the human flu vaccine in that it vaccinates for the most prevalent strain. It does not prevent a dog from catching Canine Cough, it does in most cases, lessen the severity of symptoms. Dogs in any social setting are more prone to exposure to Canine Cough as it is an airborne virus, often totally undetectable until after the infectious period.
After a successful first day, how do I book my dog in for regular sessions?
Dogs thrive in situations were they experience consistency and routine, particularly within the daycare environment. For this reason we like when dogs join us regularly, rather than sporadically throughout the year. Inconsistency can feel a bit like a first day all over again, where pups have to reintroduce themselves to us as well as all of their furry friends, plus take in all of the new sights, smells and sounds.
Once your dog has successfully completed their first day with us you can use our online booking form for all future visits. Once a booking has been requested, our team will get back to you to confirm. We prefer at least 24 hours notice for all bookings.
During inclement weather - particularly Summer - daycare places fill up extremely quickly and we are unable to accomodate all bookings, so booking well in advance is always recommended.
What days do you offer the Positive Puppy Pawgram?
Our Positive Puppy Pawgram (PPP) is offered alongside our regular daycare program, during our opening hours. Because the PPP is not a pawgram where owners are required to stay and facilitate, we are able to offer PPP visits during all of our opening hours, Monday to Friday.
Our PPP puppies spend most of their time within our regular daycare program with carefully selected playmates, and our team take the puppies to a seperate play space to participate in desensitisation, small group play, basic training reinforcement and for lunch breaks.