Frequently Asked Questions

Please Note:

Wag ‘N’ Tails is monitored twenty-four hours a day by a state of the art alarm security system and multiple security cameras. Currently, for the safety of our dogs and staff, camera feeds are not broadcast to the public.

IMPORTANT
If your dog has ever growled at or bitten and drawn blood on anyone or anything they will not be permitted to even begin boarding or play and train care at Wag ‘N’ Tails. We must keep our guests and staff out of harms way, also this program could make your problems worse if your dog is exhibiting any signs of aggression. If your dog has ever acted out aggressively, then our drop off service is not your best option.

We have structured programs designed just for these cases and we strongly encourage you to become involved. Our experienced and dedicated behaviorists will meet with you at the school or in your home. The training and behavior lessons will be tailored to you, your pet and your individual needs. See the in home and personal trainer page for more details.

Complete and Return to Get Started

All guests must fill out a Pet Profile and Hold Harmless Contract. Download these documents below and bring them with you on your first day to save time.

Pet Profile Form         &         Hold Harmless Contract

We offer yearly memberships that are very cost effective, offering lots of “freebies”. This is usually the best way to go depending on what you’re looking for in the service. You can use the care and training however you wish for one full year. You can design your discounted membership visits around your dog and his/her desire and needs for the service. We also have weekly and monthly packages. The cost for day care ranges between $20-$42 per day, depending on how many visits you commit to. The more visits you purchase, the more you will save…and the more benefit you and your dog will receive from the service.

Not necessarily! This service is designed to start young dogs off on the right foot, keep adolescent high energy dogs active, and provide a regular socializing and training routine to our adult or senior dogs keeping them happy, content and “stress-free.” Over time if you wish to reduce your visits, it’s best to taper your visits down slowly, eventually adjusting your dog to his/her new home schedule. Your dog will adjust just fine, and the privilege that you provided will definitely show in your dog’s adult life.

Initially, we do not recommend this type of care. This would be very much like being the “new kid” at school over and over again. Your dog will have to start all over again with the “introduction” process. For many, this can be tiring and become “counter-productive.” Also, dogs coming only occasionally can also upset the routine with our “regular attendants.” Visits should be within one week of each other. If we only see your dog occasionally it makes it difficult to for us to give you a thorough analysis, depending on what you are looking for in the service. The more regularly your dog comes, especially if under two years of age, the better.

No. Not all dogs are cut out for this type of structured socialization. The only way you will be able to find out is to leave your dog in the care of a professional. Usually we are able to determine if the day care or boarding is right for your dog after about four visits.

Punishment methods are forbidden at Wag ‘N’ Tails. We use only motivational training techniques in order to teach and gain attention. If a dog is involved in play and we find with the use of “bait” or food rewards or possibly toys, that we just can’t gain attention, then this means we need to adjust the playgroup. It will take us time to determine which play partners are best for your dog. Our “kids” can’t talk. Much of what we go through is process of elimination. Consistently changing the environment in order to find the dog’s comfort level is part of what we do. Examples might include switching playgroups, changing sizes of dogs in the group, changing the room the playgroup is in, switching breeds, etc.

This term is used by behaviorists explains the following: Counter conditioning is changing a dog’s thought process in the presence of something the animal finds stimulating, or that may cause anxiety. This type of learning must have a reward present in order to be effective.

“Aggression” is a term that tends to be used too loosely by many. We are only human so when we hear growling or see lunging and snapping we tend to assume this is “aggressive” behavior. Many times what we are trained to observe carefully is in fact normal dog communication and behavior. Playgroups are designed based on the size, age and temperament of the dogs. There is going to be sounds of barking, there is chasing, pouncing, game playing such as keep-away and more. If the games or play becomes too intense or competitive in a particular group we do not necessarily consider locality or lunging to be aggressive. If upon completion of several “counter conditioning” training methods that we use in order to gain a dogs attention to no avail, we then resort to several other behaviorally sound training techniques to teach this newcomer “appropriate play,” such as environmental changes.

The only time your dog will not be active, unless you request differently due to age, health restrictions, etc. and is from the hours of 12pm to 2pm. This is naptime. Yes, the dogs literally do take, and need a down time. This is like Chucky Cheeses for kids for eight hours! Or much like you taking an aerobics class. The dogs need some time to rest, re-energize, drink some cool water with a comfy blanket for a little while and gear up for the second half of the day’s activities.

Sure! We welcome and look forward to your calls. We like to give you a quick idea of how it’s going. Of course, we don’t want to take too much time away from our responsibilities with the dogs, but we definitely like to share stories of the day! If you are too busy to call, don’t worry you will get the full report at pick up time! Also the first week of every month our day care clients receive a “daily scoop” keeping you appraised of your dog’s favorite buddies, training accomplishments and so much more!

We know that you would like to stay…most of you would like to stay all day, I’m sure! Although, much like children your dog is going to react to the excitement and in most cases adjust much quicker to the routine, shortly after you’ve gone. It takes a few visits for some dogs to really understand that they have begun an exciting adventure. He/she might think they are at the vet’s office, or they may associate coming to a place like this with your absence at first. Usually it takes a couple visits to truly see your dog’s spirit shine through.

It may be difficult for your “dog kid,” no matter what his/her temperament when you bring him/her for the first time. It’s best if you can schedule a visit for the first time without your dog so that you can take a look around, pick up some literature and ask your questions without a lot of distractions.

You may have heard about us from your veterinarian, friend, relative, neighbor (we have lots and lots of neighbors!) or maybe you are just opening up the yellow pages or checking the web for a nearby, trustworthy service. Please don’t forget to check out our client testimonials on our Home Page or Google Plus. So many of our clients have such wonderful things to say about us and really, they are the ones to ask! All of us at Wag ‘N’ Tails are so enthusiastic about what we are and what we do and everything the school has to offer, but truly the best the way to get to know us is listen to what previous and current clients have to say! We always have an “open door” policy, although because we are caring for so many of our furry friends and of course because of safety issues, the design of the building doesn’t really permit us to have “open doors!” The best thing to do is to schedule a tour and a visit in advance, so that we can invite you to visit during the best times. Call 586-781-6400. An associate will be happy to take your call and answer any questions you may have or schedule a block of time for you stop by with questions and take a look around…the dogs are a sight to see!