Puppies over ten weeks of age who have not yet received all of their vaccines are welcome to join our pack at South Lake Union, where they will hang out in our puppy nursery! Here they will start learning to go potty outside, walk on a leash, and become comfortable around both human and canine strangers, which will greatly help them in the long run.
Please note that puppies who are going into puppy privates are still required to sign-up via a new dog evaluation. To get this started, make a profile for your pup on Gingr, then reach out to reservations@downtowndoglounge.com. Evaluations are typically booked a month in advance.
If your puppy isn’t fully vaccinated, they will spend their time in a private area with a camera, so that you can keep a close eye on your newest family member. Puppies in private care will not be intermingling with other dogs until they have received their rabies and final distemper. After they’re done with their vaccines, puppies will be able to join our packs in park and socialize to their heart’s content.
Here’s what your pup will experience with us while they grow up:
- No meal service fee until your pup is six months of age, so please bring a tasty lunch for them to eat!
- Discounted bath and blowouts until six months of age, to help your pup get used to regular bathing and grooming. This is especially helpful for breeds with high-maintenance coats, or small dogs who may need their nails done more often.
- Lots of socialization with our staff.
- Regular bark breaks, where they will start to learn how to go outside and potty on a leash, as well as basic leash manners.
Pups will need to be neutered or spayed by eight months of age if they are to continue attending daycare or boarding
Intact males may continue to come in for grooming, bathing, and training services. Intact females must be spayed to return to any of our locations. If you have any questions about this policy, please feel welcome to reach out, but know that we do not make any exceptions.
We can only accept male dogs who have gone through castration and female dogs who have had an ovariohysterectomy. Vasectomies and hysterectomies do not, for our purposes, count as being spayed or neutered. Unfortunately, we are unable to make exceptions to this rule for dogs with cryptorchidism.
More info about Spaying and Neutering
All dogs in daycare or boarding at Downtown Dog Lounge must be spayed or neutered by 8 months of age. Intact males may visit us for bathing, grooming, and training services, but we cannot accept intact females over eight months for any services.
The presence of intact females who are in or near their heat cycles may trigger unanticipated aggressive behaviors in the dogs in our facilities, and the majority of our dogs have not had experience or been desensitized to intact female dogs before. This policy is important for keeping your dog, and the dogs in our facility, safe.
We recognize that your breeder may have recommended, or you may have signed a contract agreeing to, delayed spay or neuter. While we cannot make exceptions due to these contracts, we do not recommend that you spay or neuter earlier than your breeder has recommended. Our policy is not a statement on the most beneficial age to de-sex your pup, but rather on what might cause behavioral ramifications in our parks. Always communicate with your breeder (if applicable) and veterinarian when deciding when the right time to spay or neuter your pup may be.
For our purposes, we accept castrated males and females who have undergone ovariohysterectomies. Males who have had vasectomies, and females who have had hysterectomies, are not considered spayed or neutered.
If you’re a bit lost on the best time to spay or neuter your pup, this UC Davis study is a great place to start.