![The Board Hound [ Premier Boarding Facility: Shirlington, Arlington, Virginia + Old Town Alexandria, Virginia ]](/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/the-board-hound-logo.png){kind=logo}
STEPP is coming to Shirlington!
We have some very exciting news for our clients regarding our daycare and boarding services, and the upcoming changes for the future of The Board Hound.
Over the last decade, The Board Hound has been dedicated to providing quality daycare and boarding services by prioritizing safety and creating an enriching space for dogs to enjoy through very high staff to dog ratios, small playgroups, and ample rest time built into the day. Most importantly, we have always had a primary focus on canine behavioral health.
Within the last year, we have added enrichment and training options as add-ons to daycare and boarding, as well as introducing our enrichment daycare program at our Old Town location, with HUGE success. We have seen these enrichment add-ons and services change how a dog responds to daycare and boarding. This small change has allowed us to create a space to re-focus on what matters most – providing individualized enrichment for every dog we care for.
Daycare and boarding can be a great resource for dog owners. However, we have seen the negative effects of traditional daycare, too. Prolonged and frequent exposure to intensive social situations can be the cause for common behavioral concerns such as mild anxiety and declines in social tolerance. By prioritizing behavioral health, we are able to work with owners to make sure daycare and boarding remains enriching and enjoyable for their pups. This expansion to include enrichment-style services will give us more flexibility for customized enrichment and cultivate a lower-stress environment for our dogs and the humans that care for them.
We are very excited to expand STEPP to our Shirlington location! Beginning September 14th, Shirlington location clients will have access to STEPP, too!
STEPP stands for Socialization, Training, Enrichment, & Play Program
STEPP was created as a solution to these two questions about the animal care industry:
Are we doing everything within our means to help maintain and/or improve canine behavioral health?
Where can we implement changes to our services to influence necessary changes within the animal care industry?
Here is a great article about dog daycare and enrichment for a deeper look: https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/care/dog-daycare-what-you-should-look-for/
Mini Q&A
What is STEPP?
STEPP is not daycare, but a whole day of activities that include a combination of social outlets, decompression activities, walks, brain games, training activities, crafts, and more. STEPP can be fully customizable to your dog’s temperament, energy level, and dietary preferences. Most importantly, STEPP is a sustainable daycare option for dogs of all ages, social tolerances, and energy levels.
How do I know if my dog would prefer STEPP to Standard Daycare?
If your dog enjoys daycare, your dog will love STEPP. It still has all the play time that your dog needs, with other activities built in to offer decompression and variety in activities.
Is my dog eligible?
If you are a current daycare client, your pup is eligible for STEPP at either location!
How do I sign up?
We are giving our current daycare clients priority registration before opening STEPP to the public. Switch your standard daycare reservation(s) to STEPP daycare reservations! In September we will be releasing a new daycare scheduling portal where you will be able to schedule and manage all your future daycare visits.
When can I schedule my dog for STEPP?
STEPP daycare is offered Monday-Thursday at both locations.
For more information about STEPP, please visit our website at: https://theboardhound.com/stepp/.
We look forward to continuing our work to improve the animal care industry. We are excited that you and your dogs with us as members of The Board Hound Family.
The Board Hound Staff
At The Board Hound, our daycare was established to enrich the lives of the dogs in our community through healthy outlets for play and socialization. Our smaller play groups come with individual care and attention, while providing a low-stress, safe, daycare environment at our location in Alexandria, Virginia. Since safety is our first priority, we start with providing a high staff to dog ratio of about 1 to 10. This personalization ensures that your dog is always closely monitored.
