PetSmart Doggie Day Camp Prices & Timings + Requirements
PetSmart Doggie Day Camp costs about $25 to $37 for a full day of supervised indoor play, with half days running $17 to $26, and it’s only offered at PetSmart stores that have a PetsHotel inside.
The price is just the beginning. Most owners want to know what their dog does all day, if they will pass the temperament test, and if prepaid passes are worth it. There are also two eligibility rules that turn dogs away at the door, and most guides never mention them.
Key Highlights
- A full day covers up to 8 hours of supervised play and a half day up to 4 hours, 7 days a week at PetsHotel locations
- Every dog gets a behavior and health assessment at the first drop-off, and a quick health check at every visit after
- Intact male dogs, pregnant females, and females in heat are not accepted, and breed restrictions apply
- Written proof of rabies, bordetella, and DPP is required at least 48 hours before check-in
- Play and Save passes add free days, but they expire at 6 or 12 months and unused days are forfeited
Doggie Day Camp Prices
Expect $25 to $37 for a full day and $17 to $26 for a half day at most locations, with big-city stores at the top of those ranges.
| Option | Play Time | Typical Price | The Math |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full day | Up to 8 hours | $25 to $37 | $3 to $5 per hour of supervised play |
| Half day | Up to 4 hours | $17 to $26 | Better for seniors and first-timers |
| Buy 5 Get 1 Free pass | 6 full days | 5 days’ price | 17 percent off per day, expires in 6 months |
| Larger Play & Save passes | 10 to 20 days | Varies by store | Free days included, expire in 12 months |
➤ Passes work for every pet in your family and book online, but they don’t stack with coupons or other discounts.
➤ The expiration dates are the catch. Only buy the pass size you’ll genuinely burn through, because unused days are forfeited, not refunded.
➤ Your package selection can’t be changed after purchase, so you can’t downgrade a 20-day bundle to a 10-day one when your schedule shifts. Reservations are also recommended, since camp space is limited on busy days.
Day camp play often bundles into hotel stays at a discount, and the per-night rates live in my guide to PetSmart boarding prices.
What a Camp Day Looks Like
Camp runs indoors in climate-controlled play rooms, staffed by safety-certified Day Camp Counselors, and a typical full day follows a rhythm.
- Morning drop-off and a quick check-in, with new dogs getting their evaluation before joining the room.
- Group play with dogs matched by size and play style for safer, more enjoyable interactions.
- Planned activities, games, and enrichment led by counselors instead of nonstop free play all day.
- Rest breaks, because non-stop play overstimulates dogs the same way skipping nap time wrecks toddlers.
- Lunch if you packed one, more play, then pickup with a very tired dog.
Grouping isn’t only by size. Counselors also account for play style and physical limitations, and the activity plan shifts by age. Younger dogs get schedules built around positive behavior and development, while senior groups get activities aimed at mobility and cognitive health rather than flat-out chasing.
The tired part is the product. A dog that spent the day playing comes home and sleeps through your evening meetings, which is why regulars call day camp the best money in dog ownership.
The Temperament Evaluation
Every camper passes an assessment before their first group session, and this gate makes more owners nervous than it should.
Counselors introduce your dog to the group slowly and watch how they interact with other dogs. They look at greetings, toy guarding, reactions to being sniffed, and overall behavior. It is not an obedience test, so even dogs with poor commands can still pass the evaluation.
One thing owners don’t expect: the check-in assessment doesn’t stop after day one. Associates run a brief health check at every visit, so build a few extra minutes into drop-off and mention any new limp, cough, or behavior change rather than hoping it goes unnoticed.
Not passing isn’t a judgment either. Some good dogs simply don’t enjoy group chaos, and those dogs can usually book individual play sessions during a PetsHotel stay instead of group camp.
If your dog fails on manners rather than temperament, a round of PetSmart training classes often flips the retest.
Dogs PetSmart Won’t Accept at All
This is the part that catches people at the counter, and it has nothing to do with how your dog behaves. Two categories are excluded by policy before any evaluation happens.
➤ Intact male dogs, pregnant females, and females in heat cannot join Doggie Day Camp. Note that this applies to unneutered males at any age, not just adolescents.
➤ PetSmart does not accept dogs classified as bully breeds, or wolves and wolf hybrids. The named breeds include American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Bull Terriers, Miniature Bull Terriers, and American Bulldogs, and the policy extends to mixed breeds that have the appearance or characteristics of those breeds.
That second rule is worth being blunt about, because plenty of owners book a day, drive over, and find out at check-in. Appearance is enough to trigger it, so a shelter mix labeled terrier mix can still be turned away. If that’s your dog, an independent daycare that evaluates individually rather than by breed is the better call, and PetSmart also reserves the right to decline any pet at its own discretion.
Whoever drops the dog off has to be an adult over 18, so a teenager handling the morning run won’t work.
Requirements Before the First Visit
Day Camp Checklist
Written proof of rabies, bordetella, and DPP vaccinations is required at least 48 hours before check-in, and the easiest route is asking your vet to send records directly to the PetsHotel. Canine influenza vaccine and flea and tick prevention are recommended rather than required. Puppies can typically start once their shots allow, around 4 months. Sign the PetsHotel and Doggie Day Camp Services Agreement in advance to skip the paperwork line at drop-off.
The 48-hour rule is the one that ruins first attempts. Getting the rabies shot on Monday for a Tuesday drop-off doesn’t clear it, so book the vaccines a week out. Walk-in PetSmart vaccine clinics handle bordetella and DPP cheaply if your dog is behind.
The neuter requirement is the other common wall, and my guide to spay and neuter costs at PetSmart covers the options if that’s the box you still need to check. For puppies not yet cleared for full camp, puppy classes are the usual bridge.
Day Camp vs Dog Walkers and Independent Daycare
| Factor | Doggie Day Camp | Dog Walker | Independent Daycare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical cost | $25 to $37 per day | $20 to $30 per 30-minute walk | $30 to $50 per day |
| Hours covered | Up to 8 | Half an hour | Often 10 or more |
| Socialization | Full group play | None | Varies |
| Breed restrictions | Yes, bully breeds excluded | None | Usually evaluated case by case |
| Best for | Social dogs | Calm dogs | Dogs needing early drop-off |
On raw price per supervised hour, camp beats the walker every time. On fit, it depends entirely on your dog, which brings me to the honest part.
Which Dogs Should Skip Day Camp
Group daycare is sold as good for every dog, and it isn’t. I’d skip it for three types.
➤ Dog-selective and reactive dogs, for whom a room of strangers is stress dressed up as fun.
➤ Low-energy dogs who’d rather nap at home than dodge adolescent retrievers for eight hours. Seniors are a softer call now that PetSmart builds mobility-focused schedules for older groups, but a half day is still the sensible test.
➤ Dogs with true separation anxiety, because the problem is panic, not boredom, and group chaos doesn’t treat panic.
For young, social, under-exercised dogs though, which describes half the dogs in America, camp is close to purpose-built.
My Honest Take
For the right dog, $30 for eight supervised hours is the cheapest sanity purchase in pet ownership, and cheaper per hour than a single half-hour walk.
The breed policy is where I’ll be less generous. Excluding dogs by appearance rather than by the behavior assessment PetSmart already runs is a liability decision, not a safety one, and it turns away plenty of dogs who would pass the evaluation on merit. If you have a blocky-headed rescue, don’t take it personally and don’t waste the drive.
Do the first visit as a half day, watch how your dog comes home, and only then buy a pass sized to your real schedule. A tired, happy dog after day one tells you everything the brochure can’t.
