Dog daycare

Does your dog love the dog park? Does he get tired of watching re-runs or soap operas while you are at work? Day-dreams of play buddies become a reality at daycare, the answer for dogs bored at home all day.

Urban Tails has been referred to by other dog daycares as "the gold standard of daycare". We are proud of this and proud that we have been a leader in the industry in offering fun and safe play for dogs. Our staff have been actively involved in writing the standards for safe daycare operation that are being used around the country and the world.

All dogs playing in our daycare are supervised 100% of the time by a "puppy hugger" who is on the floor with the dogs at all times.
On hiring, each of these staff members at Urban Tails are put through an extended, supervised training program prior to working with the dogs by themselves.
Additionally they go through quite an intensive course on dog body language so that they are really good at interpreting what each dog is "saying".
Throughout their career with us, animal care staff continue to take both internal and external continuing education to ensure that they can be the very best "puppy huggers" out there.

In order to come play in daycare at Urban Tails, all of our applicant dogs (and sometimes their owners . . . ) must pass a social evaluation or temperament test. At over 1,200 temperament tests performed in the nine years we've been in business, we're getting pretty darn good at it!

This test helps us determine if daycare is right for you and your dog.
It also helps us know which play buddies your dog will have the most fun with and match him up in the right play room for him.
The really cool thing is, you also learn a lot about your dog and how we operate by being present at the temperament test. We feel this is important so you understand why we do what we do.
Even more importantly, if your dog is not a good fit for daycare, you know why.
Together we can work out a "go forward" plan to help your dog resolve any issues it may have, like being painfully shy for example . . .

How old does your dog have to be to come to doggie daycare? Well, that's a very good question.

Generally we find that 4-1/2 to 5 months is about the right age emotionally for the larger breeds, such as Labradors and bigger.
The smaller dogs seem to do well at a slightly earlier age, as do the herding and working breeds.
If you think your dog is ready we'll be happy to do a social evaluation to find out.
If we feel that daycare would be too intimidating for your dog and he needs just a little more time to grow up, we can always take them in our specialized Puppy Tails daycare.
Other options include our puppy dayboarding & socializing or they can enter our on-site potty program where they get lots of socializing as well, just in a little less intimidating environment. Check out our Puppy page to find out more about these programs.

In addition to having good social skills and being emotionally mature enough for daycare, it is also important that all dogs attending daycare at Urban Tails be spayed or neutered by 6 months of age. Yes, this is us doing our part to prevent unplanned pregnancies as well as unnecessary hormonal temper tantrums . . .

Over 5,000 square feet of climate-controlled indoor play space is waiting for your dog at Urban Tails' dog daycare. Our puppy huggers will make sure your dog’s day is full of fun play with their dog buddies. At the end of the day you pick up a pooped pooch that’s ready to relax with you.

Sound fun? To enroll your dog and get him started playing, please complete the daycare enrollment forms & get them to us.

You can bring them in, mail them or fax to 713-658-0920.
We'll give you a call to schedule a good time for you and your pet to come in for his social evaluation and to get comfortable with the facility prior to their first play day.
You'll need to plan about an hour for this initial enrollment visit.
This is important since doggie daycare involves group play with other dogs.
For safety and good fun, sandbox skills are essential after all!

As you've probably heard, Dog Daycare is hugely popular! Once enrolled, you will need to call ahead to make reservations for your dogs' play days. This ensures both room for your pooch & that we are appropriately staffed for the dogs playing on any given day. To ensure no one is left sitting at home when they'd rather be playing, a 24-hour notice is required for cancellations and the reserved daycare rate will be charged for no shows.

"I wish I was down at Urban Tails playing!"