Is your Doggy Daycare too Crowded?

A Closer Look at Staff to Dog Ratio for the Dog Daycare Industry

Dog daycare can be a great way for your dog to expend energy and meet new doggy friends, but is it possible to make too many friends? It depends on: the types of dogs that are accepted, the size of a facility, and the staff to dog ratio.

Social dogs versus unsocial dogs. It starts with dogs that are accepted into a particular dog daycare program. Regardless of the training and experience of the dog daycare handlers there are dogs that are not a "good fit for dog daycare". The level of socialization of a dog makes a difference. If your dog is ultra-social but it in a group of dogs that are unruly and currently not social it can create potential issues. For example, if your dog is trying to initiate play with another dog that is less social they may perceive this as a threat and attack your dog.

Size doesn't always matter, but it does if you have a lot of dogs at a daycare facility. Dogs like people need their space. If insufficient space is provided then a dog that needs some time to relax can escape the rigors of being in a big group of dogs. This is not to say that a large scale facility is superior to a smaller boutique facility. Believe or not too large a space for dogs to play and roam is very dangerous. For example, if there was a dog fight a dog handler would have to run all the way to the other side of the facility to stop a dog attack. At this point a dog many sustain fatally injuries if the dog attack goes on too long. It is difficult to create a situation with sufficient space without too much space you can't stop a dog attack in time.

Staff to Dog Ratio Matters. While most dog daycare have an average of 1 staff to 35 dog ratio on average this can create a perilous environment for the dog daycare attendant. Only the most skilled dog daycare attendants could maintain consistent control over a group of this size. In most cases that individual would need to have 10+ year of experience on average. We recommend whenever possible to not use a dog daycare that has greater than 1 to 20 dog ratio. The smaller the ratio the better. The lowest average we have ever noticed at a dog daycare was 1 to 8 ratio at the Boston Dog Company in Cambridge, Mass. The U.S Pet Review utilized 15 different volunteer staff to anonymous visit mystery shop Boston Dog Company over several years and consistently found an average ratio of 1 staff to 8 dogs. This is very impressive to say the least.