Daycare
Dog daycare on the farm. Pickup and training included.
Open ground instead of a room, a group that teaches your dog something, and a driver at your door. From $60 a day across the DMV.
What the day is
A day with room to run and time to settle
Dogs run on open ground, swim, chase a ball, walk out across the property, and then come inside and learn to switch off.
Basic training includes indoor settling as well as the time outside. The evaluation helps decide whether this mix of shared care and training fits your dog.
Exactly how a day runsIncluded at no extra cost
- Pickup and drop off at your door
- The Basic training level, every day
- Open ground, not a playroom
- Supervised group time with dogs that suit yours
- Indoor settling after outdoor play
From $60per day, transport included
How the pickup worksChoosing dog daycare
Group play and comfort are different questions
Enjoying a game with another dog is one part of daycare fit. Travelling with the group and settling when play stops matter too.
A dog may be keen to chase a ball yet find a busy group difficult to leave or relax around. That is why the evaluation considers the whole setting, not just how much exercise your dog wants. Basic care here includes indoor settling as well as outdoor activity.
When comparing care, ask how dogs are assessed, how behaviour is watched and what space a dog has to step away. These are useful welfare questions from the RSPCA's daycare and boarding guidance. Its licensing rules apply in England; the care-setting questions are relevant when choosing a provider here.
If your dog needs company or a break but struggles with groups, discuss an individual care arrangement or training first. A walker or sitter is a different format to compare, not an automatic solution for every dog. Admission to group daycare is a separate decision from a behaviour training plan.
Help with reactive or fearful behaviourPlanning care while you are out
Dog daycare or a dog walker: compare the whole day
A booked walk can give your dog a break while you are away. Compare its visit window with your whole day out, then plan for any time alone before and after it. A longer daycare booking still needs to suit your dog.
Ask each provider about the actual arrangement
Copy these questions and fill in each provider's answers. Leave anything you have not confirmed as unknown. The AKC's daycare selection guide covers assessment, rest and communication. Its dog walker selection guide helps with walk format, duration, home access and updates.
Care times
Ask the daycare provider
When does care start and end, including pickup and dropoff windows?
Ask the walking provider
When does the booked visit start and end, and how much of it is walking?
Time alone
Ask the daycare provider
What gaps remain before pickup and after dropoff?
Ask the walking provider
What gaps remain before, after or between booked visits?
People and dogs
Ask the daycare provider
Who will my dog spend time with, and which parts of the day are shared with other dogs?
Ask the walking provider
Is this a group or solo walk, and what people or dogs might my dog meet?
Travel and handoff
Ask the daycare provider
How does my dog travel, and how do pickup and handoff work?
Ask the walking provider
How do home access and handoff work, and is any travel involved?
Rest and settling
Ask the daycare provider
How does my dog rest or settle between activities?
Ask the walking provider
How does the visit end, and what is the plan for settling after the walk?
Fit and backup care
Ask the daycare provider
How is my dog assessed, and what happens if this setting does not suit them?
Ask the walking provider
How is my dog assessed, and what happens if this walk arrangement does not suit them?
Changes and updates
Ask the daycare provider
Who tells me about changes, and what updates do we agree on?
Ask the walking provider
Who tells me about changes, and what updates do we agree on?
A booked visit can leave two gaps in the day
For example, suppose you are out from 8am to 6pm and book one visit from noon to 1pm. That leaves four hours before the visit and five hours after it. Those two gaps still need a care plan. These times are hypothetical: they describe no real provider and are not a recommended limit for time alone.
More hours of care still need to fit your dog
A fuller-day arrangement may cover more of your absence. If your dog struggles with its group or van contact, the longer booking still needs assessment and an alternative care plan. Neither daycare nor a walker is automatically better for a reactive or fearful dog. Raja's evaluation checks van, group and indoor settling fit before the first pickup.
Request an evaluation for daycare fitWant more than the day teaches on its own?
Add training to the same day
Daycare with training is the same day plus dedicated one on one work. The evaluation sets the starting point, and the plan changes as your dog responds.
Every daycare day already includes the Basic level. The paid levels add one on one time on top of it.
From daycare clients
What they say
“Michael and RAJA K9 have been a huge help with my golden retriever puppy. She came to me with resource guarding issues, and they worked to eliminate those. They also gave me techniques to use should they crop up again. She is a new dog thanks to RAJA K9! Also my puppy has been going to doggie day care with them and it has been a huge help to me. I would recommend RAJA K9 to anyone.”
“Great dog training / day care. Mike is doing great work with my 15 month old pup. Always above and beyond!”
“Michael and crew at RajaK9 have been so helpful to our dog and family. We have a large dog that grew more and more reactive and territorial as he grew into adulthood. Michael and his team spent a week boarding and training our dog to wear a muzzle and respond less aggressively to stranger dogs and people. Then Michael trained us how to better guide our dog's behavior and has provided tuneups ever since. We now board our dog with Raja when we travel and send him for daycare 2 days per week. Having a reactive dog is a journey - we're so happy to have RajaK9 to guide us.”
Questions
About daycare
- How much is daycare?
- From $60 a day, and pickup and drop off is included in that. There is no separate transport charge.
- Is training really included?
- Yes. Every daycare day includes the Basic level: reading other dogs, coming when called, off people and counters, settling indoors. You are not paying extra for it.
- Can my dog come just one day a week?
- Yes, though dogs settle in faster on a regular pattern. Several of our clients do two days a week.
- What if my dog has never been in a group?
- A first group experience needs an individual assessment. The evaluation checks whether van travel, time with other dogs and indoor settling suit your dog. Specialized work may be the better first step; a nervous dog is not automatically admitted to group care.
- Do I need to bring anything?
- Food if your dog is on something specific, and any medication. We sort the details out with you before the first pickup rather than at the door.
Daycare includes van travel, group play and shared training. The evaluation lets us see whether that environment suits your dog before the first pickup. See what the evaluation checks.
Start with the evaluation.
An hour with your dog, in your home or at the farm. You will know what it needs and whether we are the right people to do it.
$125 at your home, $50 at the farm. Your full evaluation payment is credited toward your first purchase.