What do I bring for my dog?

You can bring as much or as little as you'd like! We provide every dog with a Kuranda bed and a blanket, but you are more than welcome to bring their bed or blanket from home, too! Due to safety concerns we don't leave bones (synthetic, or natural) with dogs in their kennels unsupervised. If you'd like your dog to be fed food from home, please be sure to bring enough for the length of their stay.

Why is the gate always closed?

Even though the gate is closed, we are open! When we built Dog's Den with easy access to Highway 30, safety was of utmost concern. Our beautiful entry gate is there to have an extra layer of security in the unlikely event a dog were to get loose from their owner on the way into or out of the building.

When you arrive for your reservation, simply press the call box button. That button calls the front desk and we will let you in from there!

What if my dog has medication?

When you register your dog's information in our booking system, Paw Partner, you can put in all the information about their medication. The more detailed, the better. We're happy to make sure your dog gets any and all medication they require during their stay including pill administration or insulin shots for diabetic dogs. Please be aware that we cannot care for dogs with serious wounds or drain tubes. Please see your veterinarian for assistance with dogs who require 24/7 medical attention.

Can I bring my dog's own food?

Of course! All we ask is that you bring enough to cover their length of stay. Dog's who do not bring food from home enjoy either Iams or Kirkland brand food.

How old does my dog need to be in order to visit?

For the health and safety of all dogs in our facility, your dog needs to be current on all of their shots to board, join daycare, or be groomed at Dog's Den. This includes Rabies, DHLPP (Distemper Parvo Series), and Bordetella. Depending on the vet and the individual puppy, puppies generally have all of their vaccination series completed by 16 weeks of age. Please consult with your vet on your puppy's vaccination timeline.

My dog isn't spayed or neutered. Is that a problem?

Not at all! Just let us know if your dog is intact so we can make a note in our system. The only part of their stay that will be affected is which play groups they enjoy! We never want to put intact dogs in the same play group. We love puppies, just not surprise puppies!

What should I leave at home?

  • Your dog's chew toys from home. Bones, squeaker toys, ropes, etc. We do not want to see your dog's toys accidentally mixed in with the toys here at the facility when everything is removed from kennels for daily cleaning.

  • Your dog's bowls from home. We provide bowls for your dog's food and water. Every bowl is cleaned daily. Keep your bowls at home so we do not accidentally mix your bowls in with ours during cleaning and have it get lost in the mountain of bowls!

  • Your dog's leash. Please bring your dog into the facility on their leash. We will transfer your dog to one of our facility slip leads so you can keep your leash with you.

Does my dog require all the vaccinations if I'm just getting them groomed?

Yes. Our top priority is to maintain a safe environment for your dog and one of the highest priorities in maintaining a safe environment is disease prevention. Because Dog's Den is shared by our boarding, daycare, and grooming departments, all of the dogs in our care for any services may share spaces. A boarding dog may come up to the grooming room for an exit bath the day before they go home and then go back to their kennel.

We will not be able to schedule an appointment with your dog until we have all of their vaccination records on file. Please help us keep your dogs happy and healthy and make sure your dogs are vaccinated before requesting an appointment.

What are the vaccinations for?

Rabies: Rabies is a fatal neurological disease. Your vet will always administer a rabies vaccination as it is required by most local laws for dogs to be vaccinated against rabies. In general, vets will administer the rabies vaccination in puppies at 16 weeks of age. Some types of rabies vaccinations must be given yearly, and some types can be given every 3 years. Talk to your veterinarian about what is best for your dog. You can find more detailed information about rabies here.

DHPP: DHPP stands for Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, and Parvovirus. Your vet will always administer this vaccination in your dog. This is a series of vaccinations required in puppies and then it can be given yearly or every 3 years depending on the type of vaccine. Talk to your veterinarian about what is best for your dog. You can find more detailed information about DHPP here.

Bordetella: The slang term for Bordetella is “kennel cough”. Bordetella is an upper respiratory infection that is highly contagious in dogs. Think of it as if you take your child to school or daycare, they are eventually going to come home with a cold or the flu. The upper respiratory infection known as “kennel cough” can be caused by various contagions viral or bacterial. We require the vaccination as a safeguard and have sanitation protocols to assist in prevention. You may have to specifically ask your veterinarian to give this vaccine, as it is not considered a core vaccination. You can find additional information on "Kennel Cough" here.

Read Our Newest Blogs

Your Dog Needs a Job

Your Dog Needs a Job

January 27, 20233 min read

“Give your dog a job that fits with your life and not only will you have a happier dog, but you’ll also have a much better relationship with them.”

For hundreds, in some cases even thousands of years, all types of dog breeds have been developed for various purposes. It’s only been in the past one hundred years that humans have shifted our symbiotic relationship with canines to be one based more in companionship than work. Even dogs bred for pure companionship also had the job of being an alarm system that would call guards and their larger guard dogs. This is just one of the reasons why little lap dogs bark so much. They really do think they’re doing their job.

8 Reasons

When we say, “Your dog needs a job” we really do mean that. All dog breeds and the various mixes that form our favorite mixed breeds all have hundreds of years of dedicated breeding towards a specific purpose. You’re not going to overwrite that to a companion dog in one hundred years. Any dog can be a fantastic companion for your family, provided that their need for a job is met every day.

Think about the student in an elementary school class who is always disruptive. That one child who just can’t sit still, can’t focus, and is always talking to other kids. What do we usually find out about this kid? They’re bored! The same is often the case for our dogs when we don’t satisfy our dogs’ need for a job.

This need for a job really is a true need. If you’ve never had the privilege of watching a dog do the job they were bred for, I highly encourage you to watch some videos online. Watch a Border Collie herd. Watch a pack of Great Pyrenees coordinate livestock protection. Watch a Bloodhound track a scent. Watch a Labrador Retriever bring in a bird. Watch a Husky pull a sled. Even the little dogs have their jobs. Although many of those little dog jobs involve digging for and disposing of rodents so viewer discretion is highly advised. The one constant with all these dogs you’ll see is how happy and fulfilled they all look.

Think of that Labrador Retriever. Consistently one of the highest ranked picks for a family dog on internet lists. That is certainly true. I have a Lab myself and she is wonderful. However, think of the primary purpose of a Labrador Retriever. What were they bred for? They were bred to retrieve dead birds that were shot down from fields or lakes. Run out or swim out, bring back, wait for next bird, repeat. All day long. Therefore, most labs have high energy and high drive. If we don’t satisfy this need through exercise and mental stimulation, you develop behavior problems. We all know that one Labrador who is just vibrating with excess energy every second of the day who just will not listen to their owner. They’re like a bunch of firecrackers going off in every single direction.

If we do not give our dogs a job, they will pick a job for themselves. If a dog makes a dog-decision in a human world, we’re going to have problems. Just like you must teach your kids to color in coloring books and not on walls, we must teach our dogs what behaviors are appropriate and where. We never want to tell our dogs that their natural instinctive behaviors are forbidden. A Beagle is going to bark. A Border Collie is going to herd. A Retriever is going to want things in their mouth. What we want to do instead is find an appropriate outlet for those natural behaviors. Give your dog a job that fits with your life and not only will you have a happier dog, but you’ll also have a much better relationship with them.

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