There is nothing more heartbreaking for a pet parent than not being able to take their dog along wherever they go. However, there is also nothing more satisfying than knowing that their pooch is well taken care of. Doggy Daycares are a real Godsend, especially for the average working pet parent who has a social butterfly of a dog.
What to look for in a doggy day care?
The mere presence of multiple dogs playing and running around in the facility is not the only criterion of a well-run Doggy Daycare facility. Make sure to check off the following things off your list when finalizing on a good daycare facility for your dog:
- Cleanliness of the facility – Make sure to check that the facility is clean, well ventilated, and spacious enough for a group of dogs to play and interact with.
- Temperament testing – A temperament testing of dogs is essential to ensure that they are a suitable candidate for doggy daycare. This is crucial to ensure none of the dogs are aggressive or reactive towards one another.
- Cross checking of medical records – Ensuring vaccinations and checking medical history of every dog that is being enrolled into the daycare is an essential aspect of ensuring safety and preventing illnesses.
- Staff expertise – Are the supervisors equipped to deal with and prevent dog fights? What are the correction methods they use? Are they able to read and respond to canine body language?
- Safety protocols – Every animal-centric facility must have safety protocols in place which must be followed in case of emergencies and accidents. The health and safety of all pets enrolled in the daycare must be prioritized at all costs.
7 ways a good doggy daycare can benefit your dog...
- Healthy socialization
Most legitimate doggy daycare facilities conduct a temperament testing of dogs before enrolling them. This is important to ensure the safety of everybody involved – the dog being tested, other dogs in the daycare and the expert supervisor. Daycares provide dogs with opportunity to engage in healthy play and socialization with each other.
Most daycares categorize batches based on the size of the dogs because the presence and energy levels of bigger dogs may intimidate smaller ones.
The environment of a daycare facility is conducive to healthy socialization also because every dog’s need to play or back off from other dogs is taken care of. This is one of the most important aspects of socialization. Dogs also learn the art of setting and communicating boundaries while engaging in play.
- Peace of mind for pet parents
Whether their dogs are being tended to and well taken care of is something that is always running on a pet parent’s mind when they are away from their dogs. A good Doggy Daycare facility ensures peace of mind to pet parents by not only caring for the dogs to the best of their ability, but by also providing timely updates to the pet parents about their fur baby.
Multiple Day care facilities also provide other services like training and boarding that can be availed of along with daycare. This spares the pet parents of the effort of scouting for these services in other places.
- Constant supervision by an expert
Doggy Daycare facilities are always supervised by an expert who is trained to read and respond to canine body language. They will be able to immediately tell when a dog is not comfortable in a social setting just by reading their body language and style of play.
When dogs engage in boisterous play and roughhousing, things may escalate from 0 to 100 in no time. The experts are trained to act quickly and diffuse the situation before things get worse, thereby ensuring the safety of everybody involved.
Unlike in an unsupervised social setting like dog parks an doff leash play areas, in doggy daycares, behaviours like reactivity, fixation, mounting etc. are not tolerated.
- Physical and mental stimulation
Daycares provide a great mix of physical and mental stimulation for dogs. While the dogs get their quota of physical exercise while playing with other dogs, several daycares provide outlets for mental stimulation through canine-friendly games and activities. Furthermore, the experts ensure timely breaks during dog-to-dog play. This prevents overstimulation and hyperactivity while giving ample time to the dogs to calm themselves down.
- Builds confidence in shy pups
Several puppies are born with a friendly and outgoing temperament which enables them to make friends and win everyone over wherever they go. On the other hand, some puppies may be a little more reserved and take time to open up.
Daycares make it a point to accommodate every dog’s unique needs. While the energetic dogs are encouraged to play with each other, shy puppies are given ample space and time to open up and back off if needed. This is crucial to enable shy dogs to come out of their shell faster. Most dogs open up quickly during these play sessions whereas some other dogs may choose to stay aloof the entire time.
- Change of pace for the dog
Many dogs are absolutely comfortable staying home in the absence of their pet parents for several hours a day. However, that doesn’t mean that these dogs don’t crave a change of pace. Frequenting the daycare even twice a week can help relieve a ton of pent-up energies in these dogs while making sure they get a fair share of fun and socialization.
Doggy daycares also provide an enriching experience for dogs as they learn to grow comfortable around a wide range of canine personalities.
- Great for dogs with separation-led behavioral issues
Dogs that suffer from behavioral issues like separation anxiety and severe isolation distress to the point of hurting themselves do not do very well when left alone, especially for extended periods of time. If group play does not stress these dogs out, daycares are an excellent place to leave them in the absence of their pet parents.
Not only are they in good company and well taken care of, but they are also getting their required quota of physical and mental stimulation, thereby keeping their anxiety at bay.
It is important to understand that not all Daycares operate the same way. Make sure that the daycare you finalize on for your dog aligns with your expectations and goals for your dog. Daycares have a wide range of benefits but may also come with its fair share of cons. No matter how enriching or fun a daycare may be, it may not be the best idea to leave your dog there every single day. It may lead to over stimulation and may get your dog used to routine and stimulation level that you may not be able to keep up with in the long run.
