The Importance of Puppy Day Care

Enrolling your puppy into puppy day care is an important part of their training journey.

The first 6 months of a puppy’s life is a vital stage where they will learn all they need to be a well behaved and grounded dog. Let us help you understand the benefits this can offer and what to expect when your puppy enrols into doggy day care.

Bruce’s is a UK leading provider of doggy day care services, meaning we have the expertise and experience needed to provide you and your puppy with all the help it needs.

So your new puppy has arrived. This beautiful bundle of fluff and energy has settled into your home perfectly but after a few weeks you need to go back to the office. What do you do?

Puppy Day Care could be the perfect solution. Doggy day care centre hours typically reflect the average working day. Meaning while you are at work or away for the day experienced puppy pre school staff are on hand to take care of the new member of your family.

By sending your puppy to a puppy day care centre it can offer many benefits including:

• Increased puppy socialisation skills which is key for all dogs
• Offers safe spaces to learn and play
• Teaches better behaviour by learning from other dogs
• Helps prevent destructive behaviour bought on by boredom
• Offers mental and physical stimulation
• Helps defeat separation anxiety

When a new puppy joins the family there are always worries about how they will cope home alone and what mischief they may get up to. With your puppy in doggy day care you can be rest assured they will be safe and happy. With the added bonus of helping minimise the chances of unwanted chewing which is unfortunately part and parcel of owning a young dog.

Puppies can be enrolled in puppy day care usually from the age of 12 weeks old, once fully vaccinated.

However like children, puppies learn at their own pace so some may not be ready whereas others might be raring to go.

It is good if they have had some basic dog training at home but most doggy day cares will help with this and offer plenty of praise and encouragement, especially when going outside to go to the toilet.

Preparing for a puppy takes time and effort. Preparing for day care is no different.

Most providers will have some basic requirements needed for you to be able to enrol. These include:

• Vaccinations – Core vaccines such as the distemper vaccine, adenovirus vaccine and parvo vaccine should have been administered.
• Dogs Age – Be over 12 weeks old. Some day care providers will not accept dogs before they are 6 months old so it is important to check at what point your dog can start their day care journey.
• Dog Temperament Check – Puppies are still learning so some bad behaviour is expected. However all dogs will be checked to make sure they are happy and comfortable mixing with other dogs.
• Dog Breed – Not all dog breeds are suitable for doggy day care so ensure you check with your day care provider to ensure your dog is on the accepted breed list.
• Dog Health – Doggy day care is a group environment so it is important that all dogs that attend are fit and healthy. If your puppy is suffering from any health issues it is important this is treated by the vet before attending. If your dog has a long term problem make sure you discuss this to ensure staff can facilitate its needs. 

By preparing your dog and providing your doggy day care provider with all the facts about your new family member it will ensure your dog gets the best start in life, keeping them happy and their tails wagging.

The doggy day care journey begins.

So if you are happy your puppy fits the requirements needed and is ready to start doggy day care let’s explain the best way to prepare you for your dog’s first day at day care.

1. Meals – Most puppies will need to eat whilst away from home so ensure you have their food ready in a container with their name on.
2. Dog ID Tag – All our dogs must attend doggy day care with an ID tag with their pawrents details on. This can be on their collar or a harness, whichever your dog is most comfortable with!

All dogs when coming into a new environment may be a little shy and cautious. Be confident in knowing the dedicated day care staff will always be at hand to offer supportive cuddles if needed. Their job is to make sure your puppy has an enriched day full of fun and fulfilment.

Bruce’s is the ideal choice when looking for someone to help with puppy day care.

Our award winning doggy day care has dedicated puppy preschools that can help nurture your pup and help build them into a confident happy dog.

Our passionate team of dog lovers will do everything that is needed to help your dog get ready to graduate into our main doggy day care facility. 

To give you an idea, a typical day for your puppy includes:

• Collection and drop off to your home address (if required)
• Playtime in our outdoor safe space to meet their new puppy friends where they will engage in various enrichment activities to help fuel their minds and bodies.
• A tasty meal (provided by you)
• Plenty of doggy downtime in our comfy indoor area to help them relax and take a nap if needed

All dog parents will be kept up to date with their puppies’ progress and will receive weekly pictures to show you what they get up too.

If you’d like to find more information about doggy day care and where your nearest Bruce’s facility is, you can contact us by email or phone. 

Bruce’s can provide all the help you need when welcoming a new puppy.

As well as our puppy day care we also offer puppy training workshops and puppy grooming services.

Our 4 week puppy training course will help you teach your puppy everything from best walking behaviours to socialisation and recall skills. For more information about puppy training please email the team at [email protected]

Our puppy grooming introduction includes a brush, bath and blow-dry as well as an introduction to nail clipping. This relaxed method gets them used to all the sounds and sensations of what a groom entails to ensure they are comfortable within this new environment.

To make a booking or to speak with a member of the dog grooming team please contact your local centre for further information.

With 12 years of experience under our collars, Bruce’s continue to strive to learn about dogs and what makes them happy.

Not only do we have puppy and doggy day care, we offer dog training and dog grooming too. Meaning your pooch can look and feel good all while having fun with their friends at day care. Subscribe to our newsletter or download our app to make finding out about new locations and offerings easy!