We appreciate that you have asked. Because we are so very careful to make sure that all dogs are uniquely managed and cared for, we do ask you to follow these three steps to becoming a Mindful Mutts crew member. You can also find out more information about dog daycare and boarding here.
- Fill out our online enrollment form to be placed on our waitlist.
We currently have a waitlist of a few weeks to a couple of months depending on availability. We will be in touch to set up a trial day once we have space. - Arrange a trial day.
Your trial day is considered a “first day” where we will assess your dog’s personality and behavior to ensure they are enjoying their time here (between 5 and 8 hours). We firmly believe that not all dogs belong in daycare, not even in small, controlled environments like ours. We want to make sure we can benefit your dog and ensure a safe, positive, low stress environment for your dog at all times and if we don’t believe we are the right facility for your fuzzbutt, we will happily refer you to a trainer and/or a reputable dog walker in your area (if we’re unable to assist you with that!) There is a cost associated with your trial day; it is $45 + GST and you will receive an emailed daycare assessment with 1-2 business days of your dog’s first day with important information that was collected after observing your pet within our group of fuzzbutts. - After your mutt’s “first day” with us, we may see a need to involve a trainer in order to help us set him/her up for success in daycare!
Often this may be as minor as working on basic manners or loose leash walking, or a little more intense with issues like leash reactivity or separation anxiety. If you are working with a trainer already, please inform us of the company name and we can discuss whether this will be a viable option, as we only approve of reputable, skilled, educated and certified science-based dog trainers. If you would like a recommendation for a positive trainer, please let us know and we will be happy to share a list of trainers we work with! Once we have agreed on training terms, if any, we can go ahead and schedule your first package whenever you are ready! Looking for a trainer? Feel free to ask us for a referral OR check the directories found here:
https://www.petprofessionalguild.com/Zip-Code-Search It is very important to note that if you have been working with a correction/punishment-based/balanced trainer or insist on doing so, there is a high likely-hood that we will not be able to take your dog. Because of a contradiction in training and handling methods, it is too difficult for us to manage a new dog in our group, potentially dangerous to have that dog within our group, not to mention possibly confusing for the dog without consistency both at daycare and at home. Thank you for understanding!
