WHAT WE DO
GOOD FEELING
TAIL WAGGING
DOGGY DAY CARE
Our dog experts will help your dog flourish!
WHY DOGGY
DAY CARE?
We pride ourselves on offering unrivalled convenience, but Wagtails is about so much more than that. We promise to do all we can to help your dog flourish.
Wagtails offers a safe and loving environment for your dog to spend their ‘canine to five.’ Our day care service is the optimum way of meeting your dog’s emotional, social and cognitive needs.
THE WAGTAILS DIFFERENCE
So many doggy day care facilities purport to offer the best for your dog, whilst providing a ‘one-size-fits-all’ service. Staff at Wagtails group dogs based on their size and play style and encourage breed-specific enrichment, allowing your dog to be comfortable, socialised amongst their peers and able to partake in individualised activities safely.
Many day care providers utilise an open space with as many as 50 dogs per acre (or very little outdoor space at all, with the dogs cramped together in industrial units). At Wagtails, our numbers are specifically limited to ensure that dogs get the care and attention they need. We ask for our canine clients to commit to at least one day per week to enable staff to fully get to know their personalities and foibles.
Our staff have experience in canine rehabilitation therapy, agility and flyball instruction and have canine behaviour expertise. You can be confident that your dog will be in expert hands whilst visiting our facilities.
Some day care services will take on underqualified or inexperienced staff and then fail to train them to the level that your dog deserves. At Wagtails, all new staff members go through a rigorous induction and training process, and are empowered to take ownership of their professional development. This includes us supporting them to achieve OFQUAL accredited qualifications in canine behaviour and welfare.
Even more reasons to
Choose Wagtails
TAKING
THE LEAD
We pride ourselves on our facilities and our enrichment programme. We are certain your dog will not have a better day anywhere else in the area. Come and visit to see what we can offer you both.
RURAL
RETREAT
Our securely fenced sites have more space per dog than other facilities in our catchment. We are surrounded by farm fields and our heated cabins ensure that we run all year round.
FEAR
FREE
We are proud to adopt a Fear Free approach to handling the dogs in our care. Our staff are experienced in dealing with all types of dogs using reward based training techniques.
THE JOINING PROCESS
1
ENQUIRY
Give our friendly team a call or email and we can have a chat about you and your dog. We will discuss your dog’s preferences and favourite activities. If you like what you hear, we will book in a meet and greet for you.
2
MEET AND GREET
The Meet and Greet is a chance for your dog to experience Wagtails to the full. It's also an opportunity for us to assess whether day care is a good fit for your dog. We will be looking at their play style with dogs and interaction with people. Don’t worry - it’s not a test! We just want to ensure each and every dog has the very best possible time at Wagtails.
3
ENROLMENT
That’s it! Your dog’s place in day care is secured. All you need to do now is confirm some final preferences, provide us with some additional information and we'll then get everything booked in for you. We'll send you our Terms & Conditions and ask you for evidence of vaccinations.
4
FIRST DAY
On your dog's first day we will spend lots of time building their confidence and getting them used to the staff and day care environment. We will give you extra updates throughout the day in order to put your mind at ease.
OPENING HOURS
MONDAY - FRIDAY 08.00 - 18:00
BOOK YOUR FREE
TASTER SESSION
Let's discuss how Wagtails will benefit you and your dog.
FAQs
Q: Are you licensed and insured?
Yes, we are fully licensed by the Council and we are comprehensively insured.
Q: Do you take ad hoc bookings?
For the sake of consistency, we ask that dogs come to us on a regular basis. That way the pooches can all get to know each other and we can ensure we’re adequately staffed. Dogs love routine and we try to keep their schedules as regular as possible to avoid stress. If you need extra days, feel free to give our team a ring, we may be able to accommodate you.
Q: Do dogs have to be well trained?
Although we require that dogs are friendly towards other dogs and people, there’s no need to worry if you’re struggling with the more difficult side of training. We require that dogs can follow basic commands, and our expert staff can help you with other aspects of training such as loose lead walking, recall and basic obedience whilst they’re with us at Wagtails.
Q: How does the Doggy Shuttle work?
If you choose to use our doggy shuttle service, then we can pick up the dogs from your home and drop them back again later in the day.
For ultimate convenience, you can provide a spare key to your home which is kept securely in line with our key holding policy. This is a comprehensively insured service.
Collection of the dogs will be any time from 7:30am to 9.00am and drop off in the afternoon will be any time from 4:30pm to 6.00pm.
The van is fully equipped with safe crates, comfortable beds and an air ventilation system. All our drivers are DBS checked and have experience in safe animal transportation and handling.
Q: What vaccinations does my dog need for day care?
Your dog must have the following up-to-date vaccinations:
- Canine Parvovirus
- Canine Distemper
- Leptospirosis
- Infectious Canine Hepatitis (Adenovirus)
- Bordatella (Kennel Cough)
- Any other vaccinations your vet deems necessary for day care.
Your dog’s vaccination book should be presented to a member of staff before the trial day. Alternatively, you can upload this via our Client Pawtal. Once registered, you will be reminded once your dog’s vaccinations are due each year. Please note, if your dog’s vaccinations lapse, we will not be able to accept them into the day care.
Q: What breeds do you accept?
We welcome all breeds except those listed under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (also known as Breed-specific Legislation). Our staff are experienced in supervising all types of dog, and we introduce a unique breed-specific enrichment plan to provide the best fun for your dog.
Q: Do you feed or administer medication at day care?
Yes! Our staff are able to feed your dog in a separated area at day care at their normal feeding times. We have safe storage areas for both raw food and kibble. Mostly, our dogs do not eat at the day care and have breakfast and dinner at home. However, if your dog has lunch, we’d be more than happy to do this for you if you provide the food in a sealed container. Any uneaten kibble or wet food will be returned back to you, but we are unable to return uneaten raw food.
Staff are able to provide any medication your dog needs in oral or topical form, following vet’s advice for storage and administration. We are unable to administer any injections to your dog.
Q: What is involved in your behavioural assessment?
Our behavioural assessment is conducted by a senior member of staff who will gauge your dog’s temperament, reaction to new people, reaction to dogs and how your dog plays. This is to allow us to see what setting your dog will thrive in, and assign them a group with similar likes, temperament and play styles.
This is done as part of your dog’s Free Taster where they get to explore the day care and you can see the facilities as well as how the staff care for the dogs. If we feel that your dog is a good fit for our dynamic environment, you can then proceed to book your dog in for their next big adventure!
If we feel that your dog is not a good fit, please don’t be disheartened! Dogs, like people, have varying levels of sociability and sometimes a group environment can be overwhelming. We do our best to accommodate different personalities, however, our priority is the welfare of all the dogs in our care.
Q: Will my dog miss me?
Whilst it’s common for dogs to be a little anxious the first time they visit day care (just like children at school), we involve your dog in so many interactive and fun activities that day care becomes their happy place! We strive to ensure that your dog is content and relaxed at Wagtails, so that you don’t have to worry about them missing you.
Many owners tell us that doggy day care has improved their dog’s separation anxiety.
