Getting Started + Scheduling your First Day

Here at MDR we choose to have a low dog to supervisor ratio to keep your pups as safe as possible. In order to maintain that ratio and also ensure we give our new kiddos as much time and attention as possible, we ask that you please go through our office staff to schedule your pups first day evaluation. This ensures enough staff on that day, and a more calm day for your pup to be introduced to our pack.

Drop-off + Pick-up for Evaluations

With new evaluations, it can take a while for them to warm up and come out of their shell, so we ask that you give us enough time to properly introduce your pup to playgroups and see where they may fit best. This means an earlier drop-off and a later pick-up is typically better. This gives us enough time to fully evaluate your pup and build a relationship, even with nap time mid-day.

Alone Time

New smells, sounds, and sights can be extremely overwhelming for dogs. Even if a dog has attended daycare in another facility, they still tend to be generally freaked out by the new place for the first day. We choose to allow every new dog about 15-30mins to sniff around in a play-yard by themselves to smell, listen, and relax before trying to integrate them with our daycare crew.

Joining the Pack

Your dog likely doesn’t know any of the dogs at our facility, so this can be a very overwhelming process. We typically will ask you questions about their energy level, preferred playmates, and dislikes in play before ever trying them in a group. We then take those answers and hand-select dogs that are most likely to fit your dogs play-style and bring them in one-by-one to allow for proper and polite greetings.

Claire-Care

Some dogs are simply more timid and fearful than others, and that is OKAY! We are here to make your dog feel as comfortable as they can be in a new and strange facility. Typically, this means one-on-one time with a staff member. Lovingly called “Claire-Care,” we will typically send miss Claire into a playard with a new pup to just sit and hang out until they are more comfortable with staff and the new environment. This may involve toys, treats, playing chase, or simply sitting on the ground and waiting.

The Results

An evaluation comes with no guarantees that your pup will be accepted into our daycare program. We are firm believers that there are no bad dogs, but the daycare environment is not the best fit for some dogs. Some dogs are made for daycare, and some dogs just simply don’t enjoy being here. We will always evaluate your pet as deeply as possible, and we will always be honest with you about your dogs feelings about daycare. Your pet’s comfort and happiness will always come first at MDR, even if that means they don’t belong in daycare. 

The evaluation day is $10.75 after tax, and that cost is not refundable if your dog is not accepted into our program.