FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Daycare FAQs
Is there a weight limit for daycare?
Yes. The Best Little Dog House in Texas is a small dog facility, so we take dogs up to 35 pounds based on their estimated adult weight.
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Little dogs play differently than big ones, and having a weight limit means your dog isn’t getting bowled over by a big dog during play. Since we have multiple small dog groups, we can move dogs between groups as needed for more fun and less stress. All dogs need to be good with our smallest dogs—we regularly have dogs as small as 3 pounds at daycare.
Is your daycare cage-free?
Yes.
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Dogs spend the whole day in open play with staff in the room or yard with them, not in crates or runs. The only time a dog is separated is for meals, grooming, or if they need a break from the group (these breaks are in larger spaces, not crates!). We find that dogs learn to self-regulate over time and enjoy resting or napping in groups rather than having set nap times.
Does my dog have to be evaluated before their first day of daycare?
Yes. Every new dog goes through a temperament evaluation before joining the group.
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The evaluation is the same price as a full day of daycare ($45), if all goes well your dog is welcome to stay the rest of the day at no additional charge but must attend for at least 4 hours. We do a 4 hour evaluation so we have time to help your little one settle in and get comfortable. During the evaluation, we introduce your dog to a few of our regulars and watch how they handle interactions and our environment. Once they are comfortable in a small group we slowly increase the number of dogs in their group until they are brought into the larger group to meet more friends! Most dogs pass but if yours needs a slower introduction we’ll tell you exactly what we saw and what we’d suggest next- we look at every dog as an individual and we are always here to help.
Do I need to schedule an appointment?
For daycare, boarding, and grooming we ask for reservations but will gladly accept walk-ins if space allows.
What vaccinations or vetting are required?
Dogs must be current on Rabies, DHPP, and Bordetella vaccinations. All dogs over 8 months must be spayed/neutered for group play. All dogs need to be on regular flea prevention. The influenza vaccine is recommended but not required.
Can I tour the facility before enrolling my dog?
Yes, we’d love to show you around.
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We want to share more about the facility in case you don’t have time to take a tour. Our facility was built from the ground up with every decision based on the dogs and their needs. Here are a few highlights:
- We have multiple daycare rooms. Since we are all small dogs, this allows us to do larger groups with lower stress. If certain dogs aren’t playing well together, we can move one of them to the other small dog group.
- We have air scrubbers in the ventilation system to help prevent disease.
- Our flooring is heat welded together and goes 3 feet up the wall. This allows us to fully sanitize the floors and walls past where the dogs can reach. This also means that if a dog pees inside it can’t seep under the flooring- allowing us to keep a more sanitary environment.
- Our yard is artificial turf so the dogs can’t dig out and don’t get as dirty. We also have misting fans and a refrigerated cold plate in the yard!
- We have a full privacy fence around the yard to help limit overstimulation. The fence has no small gaps (we regularly have dogs as small as 3 lbs here).
- There are 4’ gates throughout our facility that are for safety. They also help guide dogs on where we want them to go (we open some gates and not others to show them the path which reduces stress for the dogs).
- We have stairs in the facility but if your dog is unable to do stairs, just let us know and we will carry them up and down!
- In our overnight room the staff sleeps and cuddles on a king size bed with the dogs. There is also a bathroom in the overnight room because our team will never leave the dogs unsupervised.
Do you only take dogs from Montrose, or do you serve other parts of Houston?
Everyone is welcome!
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We’re at 902 Fairview Street in Montrose, and most of our regulars come from the surrounding neighborhoods: Montrose, Midtown, River Oaks, the Museum District, Neartown, Hyde Park, and Fourth Ward. We also see plenty of dogs from Downtown, the Heights, Rice Military, Washington Avenue, Upper Kirby, West University, EaDo, and the Texas Medical Center. Most of those are a 5 to 15 minute drive, which makes us an easy stop on the way to work. That said, we don’t have a service area cutoff. If you’re willing to make the drive, we’re happy to have your dog. Some of our clients come from quite far because we’re one of the only cage-free facilities in Houston that takes small dogs only and pet parents want that peace of mind. Access to the facility is easy and there is a parking lot out front.
Boarding FAQs
What size dogs do you accept?
We take dogs up to 35 pounds based on their estimated adult weight.
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Little dogs play differently than big ones, and having a weight limit means your dog isn’t getting bowled over by a big dog during play. Since we have multiple small dog groups we can do groups that are more fun and have lower stress by moving dogs between groups as needed. All dogs need to be good with our smallest dogs (we regularly have dogs as small as 3 lbs at daycare).
Is boarding cage-free?
Yes!
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We believe that for many dogs a cage-free boarding experience reduces the stress of being away from home. Our cage-free boarding looks a lot like a dog slumber party. The dogs are with a staff member ALWAYS. At night they can cuddle with staff on a king sized bed or find their own space on the bedding put around the room on the floor and furniture. Since the dogs have been playing together all day, they are typically tired and comfortable with each other which makes for good rest at night. Even though boarding is cage-free, we separate dogs when feeding. Dogs who aren’t comfortable in crates are fed in non-crate areas that are big enough for a person to sit with them if needed. This helps keep dogs safe if dogs have food allergies or food aggression.
Do you evaluate dogs before boarding?
Yes. Every new dog goes through a temperament evaluation before joining the group.
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The evaluation is the same price as a full day of daycare ($45), if all goes well your dog is welcome to stay the rest of the day at no additional charge but must attend for at least 4 hours. We do a 4 hour evaluation so we have time to help your little one settle in and get comfortable. During the evaluation, we introduce your dog to a few of our regulars and watch how they handle interactions and our environment. Once they are comfortable in a small group we slowly increase the number of dogs in their group until they are brought into the larger group to meet more friends! Most dogs pass but if yours needs a slower introduction we’ll tell you exactly what we saw and what we’d suggest next- we look at every dog as an individual and we are always here to help.
Can I bring my dog's food and personal items?
We encourage you to bring your dog’s usual food and medication, if needed. We do not allow toys or other personal items.
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The evaluation is the same price as a full day of daycare ($45), if all goes well your dog is welcome to stay the rest of the day at no additional charge but must attend for at least 4 hours. We do a 4 hour evaluation so we have time to help your little one settle in and get comfortable. During the evaluation, we introduce your dog to a few of our regulars and watch how they handle interactions and our environment. Once they are comfortable in a small group we slowly increase the number of dogs in their group until they are brought into the larger group to meet more friends! Most dogs pass but if yours needs a slower introduction we’ll tell you exactly what we saw and what we’d suggest next- we look at every dog as an individual and we are always here to help.
What vaccinations are required?
We require proof of current Rabies, DHPP, and Bordetella vaccinations.
What will my dog do during the day?
All dogs are in daycare doing group play at no additional charge during boarding! In our supervised group play, some dogs love to wrestle while others like to hang out and watch other dogs play as if they were attending a show at the theater, others find a quiet place to nap- we have all types here and make sure they are all comfortable and happy during group play time. We also offer enrichment activities and photoshoots if you would like to add them to the stay.
Grooming FAQs
What size dogs do you groom?
We groom small dogs 35 pounds and under, with pricing based on weight and height from floor to withers.
What's included in a Full Groom?
A Full Groom includes a haircut of your choice, bath, nail file, ear cleaning and hair removal, brush out, and external expression of anal glands upon request.
Do I need to book a bath or groom before getting a hair dye service?
Yes, a bath or full groom is required before any hair dye service.
How often does a small dog need grooming?
Most small breeds do best on a 4 to 6 week schedule. Doodles, Shih Tzus, and other long-coated breeds mat fast and usually need the shorter end of that. Short-coated dogs like Chihuahuas and Frenchies can stretch to 8 weeks or so, mostly for nails, ears, and a bath. If your dog has been coming to us a while, ask your groomer what schedule they’d recommend for that specific coat.
Do you offer grooming for matted or hard-to-handle dogs?
Yes, we offer dematting, a matted shave down, and special handling services for dogs who need extra care during their groom.
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Our groomers have experience working with hard-to-handle dogs and will always put the safety and comfort of your dog first. If protection is needed, we use cones instead of muzzles (dogs who are not muzzle trained can be scared of the muzzle). If your dog is muzzle trained you are welcome to bring a muzzle if it may be needed. If a groom can’t be completed due to safety concerns, we will reach out to you with suggestions to help your little one. We also offer groom desensitization training- this is slow work and some pet parents choose to add it regularly to daycare and boarding days to help dogs who are afraid of the grooming process gain confidence in the grooming room.
Can I schedule grooming without daycare or boarding?
Yes, grooming is available as a standalone service, and a cage-free option is also available when paired with daycare.
Training FAQs
Where does dog training take place?
We have a dedicated training room but we do training in other areas as well.
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To best set your dog up for success, we know that training needs to be generalized to new situations and needs to be stretched further. We have a dedicated training room for one-on-one sessions with the trainer. If your dog has trouble being calm around others we will also do small group sessions to work on focus with distractions. As a dog’s skills grow, the trainer will even go into the daycare group to work with the dog in that very stimulating environment. Leash Training is done in our building to build basics and then in the area surrounding the building.
What training method do you use?
We use positive reinforcement exclusively, focusing on PACE — Polite, Attentive, Calm, Exercise — to build good behavior and impulse control.
Do I need to start with Level 1 training?
Not always. We can schedule a training assessment.
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Level 1 is the foundation for all other training levels, including Leash Training and Human Socialization. If we can’t get your dog to do basic cues, you would be throwing your money away to have us jump right into more advanced training like leash work. If your dog has done the equivalent of Level 1 already, we can do a Training Evaluation ($25) during daycare or boarding to see what skills they are comfortable enough to show us in a new environment. We will then send you an assessment and a recommendation for which level they would start.
Is puppy training available?
Yes, our Puppy Kindergarten program is designed for puppies 8 months and younger who have completed their vaccinations.
Can training help with leash pulling or reactivity?
Yes, our Leash Training program works on loose leash walking, distractions, and reactivity both on-site and off-site.
Do you offer training for shy or fearful dogs?
Yes, our Human Socialization course is designed for skittish or shy dogs and focuses on building confidence and trust over time.
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