Frequently Asked Questions- daycare

Yes! We do walk-in tours in order to show our facility as is- no setting up an appointment or meeting with a manager necessary. 

A full day of daycare (6+ hours) is $26.

A half day of daycare (less than 6 hours) is $20.

All dogs must undergo a free trial day of daycare to make sure that they are comfortable and suited for daycare. This is free just in case if your dog is not suited for our daycare specifically. 

All daycare dogs must have an up-to-date rabies, bordetella, and distemper. Per county of La Crosse, these are the vaccines that are required in the county of La Crosse. 

If your dog is not up to date or has expired vaccines, your dog will not be able to play in daycare until we have paperwork from their vet stating that they have received the vaccines and are current on all of them. 

We are not a corporate daycare, so our amount of daycare dogs fluctuates from day to day. We are comfortable having a ratio of one staff member for every 10 dogs; however, individual dog personalities do clash sometimes, so there may be more staff than what is deemed necessary just for safety. We prefer to have a low staff-dog ratio, so all dogs get the individual attention that they need. 

Our daycare is always staffed where there is someone back with the dogs at all times. Daycare dogs do get access to toys, but if any resource guarding is observed then the toys are to be taken away. We do institute a time out area in order for dogs to regulate their emotions after an intense moment, if any uncouth behavior arises, or if someone is not feeling the best. We look at each dog as they come in and keep communication with each other clear about any dogs that may be having an off day.

We take instances of aggression very seriously and every dog is on a three-strike system. Any instance of aggression is documented and talked to about to the pet parent to see if there are any potential underlying factors. If the aggression supersedes the three-strike rule, then, unfortunately, they will not be able to return to Top Dog Retreat for any service. 

That being said, accidents do happen and we understand that dogs are individuals with their own personalities and limitations. We will do everything within our power to make sure that we, as a facility, are setting dogs up to succeed. 

Dogs are naturally social creatures, and daycare allows for our furry friends to make friends with their own kind as well as running out excess energy. Our daycare area is an open area with turf, playground equipment, toys, and human interaction. We make a conscious effort to make and maintain a personal relationship to every dog that walks in through our doors. We have found having toys can help nervous dogs to play with others and create a distraction if a dog is overwhelmed. 

We are also more than willing to feed your dog lunch or any type of snack if your dog requires that. 

While we pride ourselves on not having incidents, they do happen at any and every daycare facility. With not having a 24/7 emergency vet clinic near west-central Wisconsin, we worked with veterinary offices to see what we would be able to do, and this is what we have come up with:

1. Assess any wounds and tend to them as best as we know how.

2. Calling the owner of the dog immediately as first aid is being applied.

3. If we cannot get the owner of the dog on the phone, the emergency contact on file will be called.

4. If we cannot get ahold of either people on file, we will call the veterinary clinic on file and ask if they have an additional emergency contact that we can try to reach out to. 

NOTE: During this stage, we may try to ask the veterinarian for advice regarding care, however they are not required to tell us anything. We will do the best that we can with the training that we know as well as the medical supplies we keep on hand. 

5. We will continue to repeat calling the owner and emergency contact(s) until we have reached someone. 

Our kennels are 6 feet high x 3 feet wide x 4 feet deep. They are kennels, not crates, with separation panels to each side so the dogs do not see each other. It comes with a slightly lifted bed (as those are less stress on older dogs' joints) as well as a food dish and water dish holder. 

All boarding dogs must be up to date on rabies, bordetella, and distemper. As the dogs are all in a shared space for a period of time (individual kennels in the boarding hall), we take illness incredibly seriously and disinfect with veterinary-grade cleaner. This is not only our policy, but the County of La Crosse's as well.

Dogs that are staying in boarding do not need to be altered as they are separated from other dogs.  We will take out dogs from the same family together, but we will never include dogs from outside of each other's families (unless both owners consent). 

We understand that not every dog is going to be friendly to other dogs, and that is perfectly fine. We do not take boarding dogs out as a group and each dog will be taken out individually (unless boarding with others from their own family). 

We do ask that you are upfront with any dog-related aggression. We will not look down upon you or turn you away, this is simply because we have things that we can do to make your dog's stay easier, such as:

1. We have a calming lavender spray that we can spray on their collar.

2. We have Calm Curtains, which are thin pieces of plastic that go over the front of the kennel, which gives the dogs more privacy and time to decompress.

3. We can place your dog closer to our calming pheromone diffuser.

4. We can place them in an end kennel, or in an off-season we can place them fully away from the other dogs in the hall.

5. We can give them more individual attention and outside time with extra time to decompress and release energy. 

Or anything that you would do at home! We want your dog's stay to be as relaxing as possible, so please feel free to let us know if there are any other things that we can do to make them have the best time possible.  

We ask that you please bring enough food for your dogs' stay at minimum. We do have a house kibble that we keep on hand just for emergencies; however, a prompt switch in diet will lead to intense gastrointestinal upset. 

Please bring anything that would make your dogs' stay more comfortable: blankets, beds, toys, treats, chews, or any other form of enrichment. We keep everything in lockers, and we take inventory as soon as your dog arrives to make sure that everything goes back home with you. If you would want your dog to have anything left in their kennel at night, please let us know as we remove everything from their kennels at night for safety reasons. 

Right away in the morning when the first staff member arrives (5:30AM), they will first take the dogs out to the bathroom. 

After all bathroom breaks are accounted for, the dogs will get breakfast (usually between 6-6:30AM). After this, majority of dogs will fall asleep for a few hours. 

Boarding dogs go to the bathroom about every 2 hours, with add-ons or extra time given to them between let outs. Boarding dogs with daycare add-ons will spend the majority of the day in daycare, interacting with other daycare dogs. Dogs that do not have a daycare add-on will adhere to being let out with a staff member every 2 hours for as long as the dog would like (weather permitting). We never want to force a dog to be outside longer than what they would like, so it is completely up to the dog. 

Boarding dogs receive playtime outside with their own set of toys and individual attention. 

We like to do dinner at around 5:30PM. If your dog is free fed, they will have kibble in their bowl at all times. If they are not, they will be fed the amount that the pet parent states on their paperwork. 

After dinner and after all of the daycare dogs have gone home, we like to let the boarding dogs out into the daycare area for some extra playtime before bed. After this, final let outs will start for the night and then it is bedtime at 7PM. 

Grooming dogs are only in need of rabies per County of La Crosse. Our groomer takes pride in her ability to maintain a clean grooming salon and disinfecting after each dog and in their downtime. Dogs do not need to be altered for grooming. 

If you stop at booktopdog.com/grooming, you can see our estimated rates. Everything that is on our website is an estimate and is not exactly what you will be paying at time of checkout. 

Rates are dependent on coat condition, behavior, matting, and other factors that only our groomer has the knowledge to understand. 

Please either call 608-893-6500 and ask to speak with our groomer or stop in with your dog so they can see, touch, and gauge the dog. 

Our dog wash machine is $15.00 for 15 minutes of wash. Currently the machine itself does not take credit card, however if you wish to pay that way please stop inside to purchase a dog wash token for the same price.

Otherwise, the machine itself takes cash (1s, 5s, and 10s). Feel free to stop inside if you need any change.

Our 24-Hour Self-Serve Dog Wash is an all-in-one machine, meaning it has shampoo, conditioner, flea and tick shampoo, a high velocity dryer, and a rinse setting. 

Once payment is completed, simply press the button on the machine for what you would like (shampoo, rinse, etc), and the machine will start to count down from 15 minutes. The timer will continue for the entire 15 minutes, so feel free to switch to other options as you see fit. We also include towels, so no need to stress.

You are more than welcome to bring your own shampoo and towels as well, as we understand that dogs have allergies and may not be able to handle fragranced shampoo. 

Yes! We offer three token packages:

- Buy 10 tokens and get the 11th free ($135.00)

- Buy 20 tokens and get 3 free ($255.00)

- Buy 30 tokens and get 5 free ($375.00)

We check the dog wash three times per day to make sure that there is no mess. We disinfect the tub each time, will squeegee out excess water, and vacuum hair. We also use veterinary-grade wipes to maintain a safe and clean experience for each dog.

In the dog wash itself are punch cards. After you wash your dog (or before), stop in to get it punched so you get your 10th bath for free!