Sending Your Pet to a Doggy Daycare Can Make Life Easier

Everyone loves their canine companions. Going to work can be tough though. Many dogs don’t like to be left alone all day. WIthout entertainment and intellectual stimulation, some dogs can become destructive. Doggy daycare is a method which can alleviate those issues.

Doggy daycare is essentially exactly what you think it is. Your dog is left with a daytime service that keeps your dog occupied and happy. After work, you get your dog back and can then take care of them like usual. For people with a small home or apartment, doggy day care can be a great choice and result in a happier life for your pet. 

Benefits of Doggy Daycare

There’s plenty of reasons that you should want to place your dog into a care situation. The first is that they are happier. Dogs don’t want to be alone. Dogs build bonds better than any other pet. Many struggle to be alone. Some dogs can manage better than others. The smarter dogs struggle with this alone time if they don’t have mental stimulation in the form of games or tasks. By being at a daycare, they won’t be tempted to act out and potentially destroy things due to a lack of stimulation. 

The ability to get outdoors is also important. This allows dogs to properly use the washroom and avoid any accidents they may have while in the house all day. What’s more, is they get to spend more time doing the things they love, like sniffing different and strange smells. 

An under-rated feature of doggy daycare is having someone who knows your dog looking after them. This can be important if your dog is perhaps having medical issues or isn’t feeling well. Having support for the animal can help for both mundane illness or a serious emergency situation. Quick response can be the difference in helping your dog! 

When a dog goes to a daycare, they get lots of exercise. This is important to a dog’s health. Too many dogs are under-walked and not given enough exercise to keep up with the amount of food they are taking in. This leads to canine obesity and opens up the potential of a whole host of different health issues. 

Finding a Doggy Daycare

There may be a lot more doggy daycare options around you than you realize. Many kennels and dog hotels also offer daycare services. When you are looking for a good doggy daycare service, make sure you visit them first. You want to learn what the daily curriculum is like each day. How much time do they play with other dogs? Do they get adequate time to rest? How much time do the dogs get to spend outside? 

If you have time, visiting with your dog for a day can help you get a great idea of what they would actually take part in. It’s important that your dog be comfortable with other dogs. Most dogs like others, but there can be grumps out there. Some older dogs don’t respond well to youthful vigor in other dogs, so recognizing their needs can be paramount. Grouping and separation should be well thought out. 

When checking with the daycare, learn about their policies. They may distribute toys in a certain ratio, or not like to use them. The same can be said for their treat policy. There will also be a staff to dog ratio. The more staff the better, since guided activities are almost always more rewarding for the dogs. Packing a large number of dogs into a small area with just a couple of staff members is not a recipe for success. 

One last thing to consider in a doggy daycare is if they also offer boarding. Travel can be inevitable for many people and it can be hard to take the dog along. If the daycare also offers boarding services, it can be beneficial as they are happier during the separation thanks to their familiarity with the boarding facility.