What is a Temperament Evaluation?

A temperament Evaluation is the process K9 Kampus uses to evaluate each and every dog that will be left in our care for daycare or boarding.

What does a Temperament Evaluation involve?

The evaluation consists of an interview process between a K9 Kampus Pet Pal,  the Pet Parents and dog being evaluated.

After the initial interview we introduce your dog into the play area with the other dogs and continue to evaluate their behavior, body language, personality with other dogs, etc.

What are you looking for during the Temperament Evaluation?

During the initial interview we are asking questions that will better help us provide a fun and safe environment for your dog while at K9 Kampus.

We are asking specific question that will allow us to learn what the expectations of the pet parents are as well as any special needs your dog has or special requests of the pet parents. We are also evaluating the over health of your dog during the interview process and we perform an overall observation of your dog, looking for bumps, bruises, scratches, boo boo’s, scars etc.

Once we introduce your dog into the play area we are initially looking for any aggressive behavior towards the other dogs or pet pals, once we rule out any potential for aggressive behavior we are looking for general personality characteristics, such as separation anxiety, timidness, toy aggression,  level of playing, etc.

How long does a Temperament Evaluation take?

The temperament evaluation takes about 10-15 minutes of the parents time,then once introduced into the play area and we rule out immediate aggression issues, the pet parent can leave.

The temperament evaluation fee includes a full day of daycare on the day of the temperament evaluation, therefore, your dog can stay until 5pm (Monday - Friday) with no additional fee. You do not have to leave your dog that long, however, we request at least 2 hours without mom or dad around so we can evaluate how your dog will react without the parents around.

Although daycare hours are until 5pm, we understand most parents work until 5pm, therefore, we offer a 45 minute grace period (until 5:45pm) before additional fees apply.

Pet Pals are on site 24 hours a day so if you ever needed extra time to pick up your furry family no need to worry, we will keep them company until you are able to get them.  We just require a courtesy call to let us know your plans. A credit card is required on file for after hour pick up as our night staff does not have access to the computer system. You will be required to sign your dog out at the time of check out and the morning staff will process the fee based on the time you picked up.

Why do you do physical evaluation of the dog?

This is one of the many ways that K9 Kampus is different than other facilities!

At K9 Kampus we provide a lot of personal interaction with the dogs, we pet them, scratch their bellies, give them lots of kisses and love. When we do this we are always inspecting them and if we notice something such as a scratch, scar, a bump under the skin, etc we will first look in our computer records to see if that was something they came in with and verify that the parents know about what we find. If it is not listed in the computer we will notify the parent when they arrive to pick up their four-legged family member.

It is the policy of K9 Kampus to inform parents of any injury regardless of how small. It is important to understand that even in regular play a dog can get injured. Dogs play with their mouths and paws which means teeth and nails, therefore, there is risk associated with  your dogs attending daycare that involved interactive open play. The same holds true for my personal decision to let me daughter attend daycare or use playground equipment at the park, there is always the potential for small bumps, bruises and scratches and even more so with dogs because of their teeth and nails.

Therefore, it is our policy to notify the parents of any and all injuries regardless of how small. However, sometimes we miss things, especially if the injury happened during play and the dogs gave us no indication that they were hurt. Most of the time as they are playing they don’t realize a scrape, scratch or minor nip. Any altercation, or more serious boo boo we will notify the parents immediately and provide an incident report at the time of pick up (just like a child daycare).

If we do miss something please bring it to our attention as we always want to make sure we are aware everything involving our clients.

Excrement Inspections

For example: K9 Kampus Pet Pals are trained to inspect all pee, poop and puke!   We consider ourselves profession pee, pool and puke pickeruppers (smile). We say this with a smile but most illness can be determined by what leaves your dogs system therefore we can learn a lot from our inspections.

For one dog it saved her life. After the temperament evaluation mom left her loved one to enjoy the day, within the first hour when we inspected her dogs urine, we found a very large kidney stone. We immediately called mom and explained what we found, she then made an appointment with her veterinarian that same day. The X-Rays showed that her kidneys were full of stones. The Veterinarian told mom that the dog may have lasted 3 more days with that many kidney stones in her without surgery. It took a 4 hours surgery to remove all the stones. Mom usually left her baby home during the day, we are happy to have helped save her life.

How do I schedule a Temperament Evaluation?

Just give us a call!  We can get your information in our computer and schedule the appointment for you Monday thru Friday between 8:30am and 11:00am.  If these times do not meet with your scheduling needs please discuss other options with our Front Desk staff.

Why do you have limited times for Temperament Evaluations?

There are 2 main reasons why we have limited time frames to perform Temperament Evaluations:

 1. We need the right number of staff members. All areas of the facility need to be covered completely. A Pet Pal will dedicate his/her attention completely to the temperament evaluations, which takes a Pet Pal out of the daily process.

2. We only perform temperament evaluations during the first part of the morning because the dogs are still determining their place in the pack for that day. Once 12pm comes around some of these dogs have been playing together since 7am and it more of a challenge to introduce a new dog, especially one that has not been to daycare before. This can be an intimidating process for a new dog, so we limit the times to ensure the best possible experience for the new dogs. We never want a new dog to be overwhelmed especially on their first day.

We also only perform a set number of Temperament Evaluations per day. Introducing new dogs into the play areas requires dedicated staff members to ensure proper introduction and a thorough evaluation of the new dogs.

Why don’t you schedule Temperament Evaluation on the weekends?

We prefer not to do temperament evaluations on the weekends because again we have to make sure we have the right staff available to perform a temperament evaluation,and we try to limit new dog introduction to the weekdays. If your schedule does not permit weekday temperament evaluations we will do our best to make special exceptions whenever possible.

Can I schedule a temperament evaluation before 8:30am?

It is very difficult for us to perform temperament evaluations before 8:30am because are busy drop-off times for daycare are between 7am-8am. Once you complete your temperament evaluation you can drop off earlier and even pre-arrange drop-off times before we open (for an additional fee).

I don’t get out of work until 5pm, what happens if I am not there by 5pm to pick up my dog?

We understand that most people work until 5pm and we provide you with enough time (Monday thru Friday) to pick up your dog before you are charged for play dates. A 45 minute grace period is provided, additional fees will apply after the grace period.

Can my dog stay later than 5pm?

Yes your dog can stay later for daycare for an additional fee. After 5pm daycare turns into play dates which is daycare by the hour ($5/hour) until our facility officially closes. Monday thru Thursday we are open until 7pm and Fridays we are open until 6pm, Weekends we close at 4pm.

If you are unable to pick up your dog before our closing time, you will be charged $20/hour for each hour after we close until you are able to pick up your dog.

What if I need to board my dog at the last minute?

K9 Kampus understands that there are always situations that arise. First of all you will never have to worry about the safety and well being of your dog once you are a K9 Kampus client. We will always do our best to accommodate your needs.

If you find while your dog is in daycare that you need to board your dog we will do our best to provide you with your preferred boarding suite, however, we cannot guarantee what type of suite is available. We can always offer slumber party boarding if all our suites are taken.

Just call us as soon as you know you need boarding accommodations and we will explain what we have available and your options, again you don’t have to worry as your dog will always be taken care, we just can’t guarantee the type of accommodations available.

Our fee structure is as follows: Since you are already in daycare your board stay begins as soon as you notify us we will transfer your dog from daycare to boarding and assign a suite. Please note that your original daycare fee for that day is separate and in addition to your board stay. Once your dog is transferred to a boarding suite your 24 hour boarding rate begins.

Temperament Evaluation Fee:  Please call for current Temperament Evaluation Fee and Specials being offered.  Pries are subject to change and K9 Kampus offers many specials throughout the month as well.  Temperament Evaluations must be pre-scheduled and pre-paid.  K9 Kampus only accepts a maximum of 3 new daycare dogs per day (Monday - Friday).  Because of the high demand of parents wanting their dogs to attend K9 Kampus there is usually a waiting list to participate in Temperament evaluations and therefore the pre-payment is non-refundable.

K9 Kampus prices, policies and procedures are subject to change at any time.

 We do our best to keep this site updated, but information and prices are subject to change.

Please call K9 Kampus at 321-622-8971 for the most up to date information.