Our Dog Daycare Philosophy
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 comfortable, safe, daycare environment at our locations in Arlington and Alexandria. 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.
We understand that not all dogs are the same so we match energy levels, comfort levels, and play styles to create the perfect day with each dog in mind. As the dynamics fluctuate throughout the day, participation in playgroups and other activities are monitored and customized to ensure that all the dogs stay safe, happy, and healthy. Our goal is to provide a positive play space for dogs to flourish and be dogs. Our approach is always fear and force-free, and follows standards that build healthy relationships between our dogs and the staff they interact with. However, it’s important for all caretakers and parents understand that not every dog is going to love daycare for their whole lives.
The Board Hound always prioritizes behavioral health, and we will customize your dog’s daycare schedule and activities to their preferences. As every dog experiences behavior changes throughout their lives, we do our best to maintain your dog’s love for daycare by providing enriching activities and custom social outlets that are best suited to them.
Our facilities are temperature controlled for comfort, with flooring made of epoxied concrete to prevent paw and pad injuries. And because our floor and walls are non-porous, they are easy to clean and disinfect. Our play areas are thoroughly disinfected to provide an exceptionally clean daycare environment every day.
Our Shirlington location includes our trademarked RoofTop PlayTM space. The Board Hound is the only dog daycare in Arlington with an outdoor play area! Our unique outdoor space provides your dog access to fresh air throughout the day in monitored playgroups. RoofTop PlayTM is approached just the same as our other play areas to provide a low-stress, safe, and clean environment. Our Old Town location also features a fully-covered outdoor play space for dogs to get fresh air in any weather.
At The Board Hound, we understand that every dog has unique needs while in daycare. We do our absolute best to accommodate any special request for your dog while in our care. We can accommodate a wide range of requests to suit your dog’s needs ranging from midday lunch to scheduled rest time.
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 locations in Arlington and Alexandria. 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.