Frequently Asked Questions

Experience

• We have provided care and service for over 12,000 dogs in the greater Des Moines metro area since opening in 2010. Our owner and managers have an extensive background in handling dogs of all sizes and temperaments; including pet dogs, dogs with special needs, competition dogs, and working/service police dogs. We provide continuing education for all staff members on dog handling, dog behavior, dog body language, first aid/CPR, pack management, socialization, and aggression. 

Cleanliness

• We take great pride in our level of cleanliness at Canine Country Club. We sanitize and disinfect our ENTIRE facility, including kennels, crates, daycare rooms, bedding, water/food bowls and outdoor play area every day. We’ve also installed UV lights and ionizers to clean the air as it goes through our HVAC system to make sure even the air is as clean as possible! This special equipment produces ozone which is an antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiviral, and antifungal solution.  

Safety

• Our facility is a little ticky to find for the first time, but we planned it that way! For maximum safety of our guests and their parents, we are located in a cul-de-sac with no nearby passing traffic. We also have a low dog to staff ratio, often keeping daycare groups around 12 dogs. This allows us to keep safety a priority and we are proud to be one of the safest dog facilities in the state!

Security

• Dogs are always monitored by one of our skilled staff members who is physically in the room with the dogs. We have a three door policy in our building, meaning that at any point a dog would have to go through three doors to escape to the outside world. Our outdoor play area is surrounded by a 8 foot privacy fence that runs along a concrete curb all the way around, containing even the most skilled of climbers and diggers. 

Why Choose Canine Country Club 

• Our two motos at CCC are ‘Where Safety and Fun are #1’ and ‘Where Your Dog is Treated as Our Own’. These are the two things that every staff member at CCC stands behind.  The entire reason the owner opened the facility was to give dog parents a place to take their dogs where they would be loved, cared for and treated like they would be at home with you! 

 CCC requires all dogs to be vaccinated for Bordetella, Distemper/Parvo. Rabies is required for all dogs over the age of 16 weeks old. Pups under 16 weeks do not require a rabies vaccination to attend, but must have two rounds of Distemper/Parvo and one round of Bordetella completed. For the safety and cleanliness of all dogs in our care, we require dogs to be on a year round flea/tick preventative. After a dog is spayed or neutered, we are required to carry a copy of their medical record stating that the dog has been altered. Any dog over the age of 6 months must be spayed or neutered to play in play group, otherwise they will automatically be enrolled in our VIP program following the laws of Iowa. 

What To Bring:

• Food: We require that you pack individual servings in individual ziplock bags. This ensures that you pack enough food for your dog and that we are feeding your dog the correct amount at each meal. If you forget to pack food for your dog, or if you don’t pack enough, we have regular dog food or a grain-free variety we will feed your dog for an additional fee. A bagging fee of .50/bag occurs when parents bag food at our facility, or if the staff measures and bags the food there is a $1.50/bag fee.
• Treats: If you have a special brand of treats your dog prefers, or if they have special dietary restrictions, please bring treats so we can reward them for their good behavior! We do have house-brand traits that we can give your dog while they stay with us. 
• Medications: Prescription medication must be in the original container with the dosage and prescribing veterinarian information visible. We can administer any oral or topical medications. We do not administer intramuscular or subcutaneous medications such as insulin. If your dog takes their medication with a special treat, please provide that special treat method so we can ensure your dog is taking their medications the way they are used to! 
• Belongings (if your dog is booked in Standard or Special Needs): If your dog is staying in our Standard or Special Needs suites, they are allowed to bring bedding, blankets, toys, crates, or anything else that makes them feel comfortable. Please note we do not allow rawhide or rope toys. No personal belongings are allowed in Economy suites. 

What NOT To Bring:

• Rawhides, Bones, (Certain) Toys: We do not allow dogs to have rawhides, rope toys, or any other toy that is smaller than their muzzle for choking hazard reasons. We also do not allow dogs to have benebones/marrow bones with openings that a dog may get their muzzle stuck in. Please be sure that any belongings that are packed are safe for unsupervised play. 
• Bowls: We only use sanitized, stainless steel bowls. Please let us feed and water your dog with our bowls while they stay with us. We also have slow feeders that can be provided for dogs who need it, just let us know at check in! 
• Belongings (if your dog is booked in Economy): If your dog is booked in an Economy suite, unfortunately due to the construction of those suites, we do not allow any belongings from home. There is a 1” gap at the bottom that neighbors can take and steal belongings, and we don’t want to risk someone getting ahold of something they aren’t supposed to. When packing your dogs belongings for boarding, make sure not to pack anything your dog absolutely can’t live without. We don’t want to risk their special blanket they have had since they were born getting ruined or lost during their boarding stay with us. 

We recommend that you bring your dog to daycare a few times beforehand. This will let them get to know the staff and other regular dogs that they will be interacting with during his stay. The more familiar your pup is with Canine Country Club, the better they are apt to do while they stay with us! If you are unable to bring your dog in to familiarize themselves with us, we have found that the Standard Suites or Special Needs Suites are the best options. That way, your dog can have their own belongings from home to make them feel comfortable. These suites also have solid walls that give them peace during their downtime. 

Yes, 100% of the time! 

At CCC, we strictly follow all laws and regulations set forth by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship for the safety of all our staff, and the dogs in our care. We have a maximum playgroup size of 15 to 1, or 30 to 2 dog to human ratio. All our staff members are trained in dog behavior, pack management, dog aggression, and dog socialization. To get your dog comfortable with daycare, we recommend you bring your dog a few times. This will let them get to know the staff and other regular dogs that they will be interacting with regularly. The more familiar your dog is with the facility, the better and more stress free their time is apt to be here! 

Yes! We have many puppies that attend CCC for daycare. This helps young pups build their social skills, confidence, and exposes them to new sights, sounds, and experiences! Puppies must have their first two rounds of Distemper/Parvo, as well as the Bordetella vaccination. Rabies vaccination is not required until the dog has reached 16 weeks of age. 

Unaltered dogs can attend regular daycare up until the age of 6 months. The day they turn 6 months old, it is a state law that unaltered dogs cannot comingle with other dogs for safety. We do however offer VIP (Very Independent Pup) Daycare where your dog can stay with us for the day and receive private play and potty time with a staff member at no additional cost.

Yes. Every dog that comes into CCC must bring proof of current Rabies, Distemper/Parvo, and Bordetella vaccinations. We need a copy of the vet records that have the expiration date of when the vaccination expires, not the dates that the vaccine was received. It is also required that on these vet records that if your dog has been neutered or spayed, we have that proof of documentation as well. Please make a profile with us beforehand so we can get all the information we need to adequately care for your pup!

Canine Country Club does not breed discriminate, because any breed of dog can be aggressive or reactive.  We do not allow dog reactive dogs to play in daycare, but we do allow dog reactive dogs to be a part of our VIP (Very Independent Pup) Daycare Program. If a dog starts showing aggressive tendencies in daycare, we will have a discussion with the parents about dog training methods to correct the behavior. However, since our first priority is safety of all dogs in our facility, if CCC Management feels a dog is too aggressive or reactive we will dismiss the dog from daycare, or that dog will be moved to our VIP Program as long as the dog is not aggressing or reacting towards humans. 

With the exception of some sport dogs and police K9’s, CCC will not board dogs that are aggressive towards humans for the safety of the dog, and for the safety of our staff. 

Safety is our number one priority at Canine Country Club, that is why it is in our tagline! For that reason, we require each new dog at our facility to complete a temperament test with our staff members to ensure their personality and temperament is acceptable to be cared for at our facility. The way our facility is set up and for safety, we must be able to put a leash on and off your dog. 

Our boarding works like a hotel, in 24-hour periods. A Standard Suite stay during non-peak season costs $48 per night. This covers your dog for 24 hours from drop-off. If you pick up after that time, a half-day boarding fee applies. For example, if you drop off at 10 AM, pickup is free until 10 AM the next day—after that, the extra fee kicks in.