Our Columbia Heights location is the only dog day care in the city that caters exclusively to small dogs (10 -to 25 lbs). Our Brookland location has distinct play areas for tiny, medium, and large-sized dogs (8-85 lbs).
Dogs must be at least six months old, and must be properly immunized and vaccinated. A playful attitude is also welcome, but we have plenty of space for more reserved buddies as well!

The Behavior Assessment is an opportunity for your dog to get to know us, and for us to get to know your dog to determine his/her playstyle, energy level, comfort and confidence, and overall suitability for our Montessori program.

The assessment is fear and force free, and serves as a snapshot in time to help us gather information about what your dog may need to succeed in a Montessori environment. The assessment is not a final or permanent determination of a dog’s character.

Read more about it here.

Montessori dogs have the fundamentals down and are ready to learn. 101 dogs aren’t quite ready yet for one reason or another.

See a comparison chart here.

Every dog develops at its own pace. Science tells us there are very different needs for different age dogs. However, it would get very complicated if we made categories for all the different developmental periods, so we keep it simple:

• Puppies age 8 weeks to 6 months
• Adolescents and adults age 6 months to 12 years
• Seniors age 12 years +

If your dog is only 5 months and is ready for Montessori, we’ll let you know and work with you. Or, if your dog is 4 months but needs Day Care 101, we’ll let you know and work with you. Or if your dog is 14 and is still very healthy and energetic, we’ll work with you.

It all begins with a behavior assessment so we can figure out who we are working with, where they are in their development process and life cycle, and what they need to succeed.

Yes.

Yes, though we generally discourage this because the dogs receive the caloric equivalent of a lunch in treats throughout the day. In addition, if they are even more “full” from eating lunch, they’ll be less motivated to participate in the activities and take treats. If there is a medical necessity, please let us know and we’ll be happy to work with you.

We call them nap condos. They are not plastic crates or concrete or wire barred kennels, they are glass and marble. But they are enclosures that serve the same purpose as a crate or kennel: to provide a safe area for the dog to be independent, on his/her own, and rest with a toy or puzzle on a soft bed with water while the staff does individual activities one at a time with other guests nearby. You can see a photo of the nap condos here.

Most likely not, but it depends on the severity. If your dog has mild separation anxiety and might whine or drool slightly for the first minute or so, the Montessori school staff can work with him to overcome that with positive methods.

If it’s more moderate separation anxiety that, when triggered, results in pawing, prolonged barking, or excessive whining, the dog would not be a fit for Montessori School and would be referred to our Day Care 101 program instead. At Day Care 101 the instructors would help him overcome that moderate separation anxiety in a dog day care setting in a short term 4-8 week program before returning / re-admitting him to Montessori.

In severe cases, where the dog experiences genuine terror, and screams or engages in destructive behavior we’d refer you to one of our dog trainers, or an animal behaviorist to create a management and recovery plan in consultation with your veterinarian, and any pharmaceuticals they may prescribe. After the recovery plan has been implemented, we’d re-assess the dog for Montessori.

Separation anxiety and severity level are a critical part of our free behavior assessment process before any dog is admitted to Montessori School.

Answer: Yes, to start the program puppies must have their first round of bordetella and distemper shots. Rabies is not required until 20 weeks.
Read our statement on vaccines and health concerns.

Trips within Northwest DC are $25 per trip, trips around other quadrants of DC are $35 per trip, and trips to our surrounding Maryland or Virginia counties are $50 per trip.

Absolutely! We’re happy to pick up your pup at home and bring them to spend some time with us, and you can indicate that preference when you fill out your intake form for boarding or Day Care.