An intact dog is a male dog that has not been neutered. Intact is the proper term, there is no word un-neutered (even if spell check doesn’t reject it). At most doggie daycare and boarding facilities that have group play there is a bright line by which time a dog must be neutered or it is banned from the facility or at least from group play.
At Pet Camp we take a different approach and here’s why.
First, as with everything at Pet Camp, we think it’s our job to respond to your dog’s needs rather than impose some rule on them. The age at which an intact dog’s behavior changes AND more importantly when other dogs start responding differently to an intact male dog varies. While many doggy daycare and boarding facilities simply say, “your dog must be neutered by six months,” we don’t think such a rule makes sense and think that the better approach is a conversation with the pet parent and encouraging the pet parent to discuss neutering with their veterinarian.
Second, Pet Camp has many different playgroup options for intact dogs so while a doggie day care that only has one large playgroup might need to 86 an intact dog above a certain age, we have more flexibility. We currently have six turfed play areas plus the massive Savannah dog park.
This means we can create special playgroups for dogs that have “play limitations.” So even if your intact dog is at the stage of his life where playing with all others is no longer viable, we can create a special playgroup for him.
Now we want to be upfront that having an older intact male will impact his play at Pet Camp. He probably won’t be an ideal candidate for all day play in the Savannah and we may decide that your dog is a good candidate for a special playgroup of smaller size and with dogs that will respond more positively to him (and sometimes it is a challenge to find those dogs everyday). But we’re flexible about what “older” means and won’t ban you just because your puppy is one day past 6-months or a year and we certainly won’t ban your dog from all group play just because he’s intact.
Thanks for reading.
If you’re the pet parent of an intact male dog Pet Camp might be the solution to your doggie day care and play needs. Every day we offer a variety of play group options from all day play to structured group play. Our Ranger program is designed for dogs that either don’t enjoy group play or need even more physical and mental stimulation. Give us a call at 415-282-0700 and ask about options for intact dogs.