Dog Daycare Report Card Ideas Pet Parents Actually Like
Dog daycare report card ideas with sample lines you can copy for good days, so-so days and honest-but-kind notes about problems, plus paper versus text.
Pet parents want to know three things when they pick up: was my dog happy, did anything go wrong, and did you actually pay attention? A short note answers all three.
You don't need a fancy form. A few lines a person would say out loud beat a page of checkboxes.
What owners like to hear
Specifics. "Had a great day" tells them nothing. "Spent most of the afternoon playing chase with Luna and finished the day asleep in the sun" tells them you watched their dog.
Good things to mention:
- Who the dog played with and how
- What they ate and drank, if you track it
- A funny habit or a small win (first time to take a treat from a new staff member)
- How they rested
- Anything you'd like them to do at home, like a nail trim or extra water
Sample lines you can copy
Change the names, mix and match.
Good day
- "Max had a blast today. He played with the medium-size group most of the morning and napped hard after lunch."
- "Daisy was her usual friendly self and made a new buddy named Rocky."
- "Great day! Bailey chased a ball for a long time and was calm and polite at pickup."
So-so day
- "Milo was a little quiet today. He ate and drank fine but spent more time near staff than playing."
- "Pepper was full of energy and had a hard time settling at rest time. She might sleep well tonight."
- "Today was a bit bumpy for Toby. He needed a few breaks from the group, and we'll keep an eye on how he does next visit."
Honest but kind notes about an issue
- "Rosie got a bit pushy with other dogs this afternoon, so we gave her extra rest breaks. We'll watch this next visit and let you know if it continues."
- "Finn had a loose stool this afternoon. He seemed fine otherwise. You may want to keep an eye on him tonight and call your vet if it keeps up."
- "Cooper had a small scuffle with another dog. He has no marks that we found. We'd like to talk at pickup."
- "Lucy wasn't interested in her lunch. She drank water and played normally."
Say what you saw, not what you think it means. Don't diagnose. If a dog is really off, call the owner right then instead of waiting for the end-of-day note. For anything more serious, such as a fight, see our fight guide.
Paper or text?
| Paper card | Text or message | |
|---|---|---|
| Good at | Feels personal, owners stick them on the fridge | Fast, can include a photo |
| Costs | Printing and staff time at pickup | Staff time during the day |
| Weak spot | Owners sometimes forget to read it | Needs the right phone number, and a busy day means late messages |
| Works best when | Pickup is in-person | Owners pick up at odd hours |
Pick one and do it for every dog. Doing it for some dogs and not others upsets people fast. Many places use a mix: a quick photo text midday and a spoken update at pickup.
Keep it doable
Twenty dogs and two sentences each is 40 sentences. That's fine if you jot notes during the day, not at 5 p.m. Some places have one staff member write notes at set times, say after morning play and after rest.
If it turns into a burden, shorten it. One good, specific line is better than a long form nobody can keep up with.
A word on what DogDaycareManager does
DogDaycareManager doesn't do report cards. If you want a place to keep what you'd like to tell an owner at pickup, the pet notes field on each dog's record can hold it, and the next staff member sees it too. For some daycares that's enough.
Also, what you learn about each dog (who they get along with, which group works) is useful for sorting play groups later, so jotting it down pays off twice.
