Is Dog Daycare Right For Your Dog?
Can dog daycare substitute training classes or help you train your dog?
Before I became a dog trainer, I managed a large scale dog daycare facility for around 7 years, and even lived there for 3 years. The daycare facility offered daycare for small and large dogs, overnight boarding, some grooming, and training options, too. So, it’s fair to say that we saw a lot of dogs. Like thousands of dogs a year. Overseeing the care of all of those dogs gave me a uniquely informed perspective on how dog daycare impacts our dog’s development, training and behavior. While many dog trainers may out-right say no to dog-daycare, I feel it's important to lay out the benefits and potential training setbacks dog daycare can cause.
Why do people use dog daycare?
Socialization and Social Skills. Many dog guardians bring their dog to daycare specifically so they have the opportunity to play with other dogs. Oftentimes this replaces taking their dog to the dog park or arranging play dates outside of these settings, but is not always the case. Sometimes young puppies are allowed into daycare as a way to expose them positively to other dogs. Sometimes those daycares have puppy specific programs and sometimes the young puppies are integrated into groups with adult dogs.
Exercise. Typically, dog daycares have a lot of space available for dogs to run around, wrestle, jump on and off of obstacles, and generally explore. This can help to meet a dog’s daily exercise needs.
Cost. Daycare facilities can be more cost effective than hiring a dog walker or pet sitter multiple times a day.
Supervised by Professionals. Generally (hopefully) the dog daycare is employee experienced individuals or providing employees with training on dog body language, play behavior, how to safely separate dogs, and pet first aid and CPR. Having multiple experienced people observing your dog throughout the day can provide peace of mind.
Manage Separation Anxiety. Some dogs can’t be left alone, and their guardians do not have the ability to stay home or leave them with a friend.
Manage Stranger Danger. Some dogs struggle with new people coming into their homes, but can tolerate being in a familiar environment with other dogs, and people they can acclimate to at their pace. Of course, not all daycares accept dogs that are timid, uncomfortable with handling, or have a history of aggression towards strangers.
Manage Confinement Anxiety. Some dogs may be a danger to themselves at home, but cannot be confined to a crate, room, or behind an exercise pen safely. Daycare can provide them with an open area and supervision.
Avoid Leash Reactivity. Some dogs may struggle to cope with seeing other dogs on leash, but can tolerate or enjoy interacting with dogs off-leash. Many people utilize daycare as a means to reduce walking their dog.
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Does dog daycare actually help your dog’s training?
Socialization and Social Skills. In my opinion, dog daycare does not typically create more socially polite dogs. Due to the mixture of different age and energy levels of dogs, I found that more often than not, pushy or rude dogs are often given too much freedom to rehearse problematic play behaviors when in a large group. This is partially due to the inability for the supervising staff to see every small interaction between the dogs and respond in a timely manner. On top of that, long periods of playtime contribute to deteriorating play skills. Overstimulate and tired dogs are not typically polite.
Meeting Your Dog’s Needs. When you find a great dog daycare with a low staff-to-dog ratio, that prioritizes training staff on all things dog (body language, how dogs learn, how to teach basic skills), that sets the space up to enrich the dog’s day-to-day experience, and has the ability to give the dogs breaks, then I find that dog daycare can help you meet your dog’s needs with out causing them harm or training setbacks. Be sure not to overuse daycare, by sending your dog to daycare for full-days for multiple back-to-back days in a row.
Basic Manners. This just depends on the daycare. Small-batch daycare is becoming more and more common. These daycares often include working on basic manners during their daily program. Skills are usually limited to sit, stay, recall, and other simple skills that are easy to work on around the other dogs.
Separation Anxiety. When working on desensitizing your dog to alone time, you do want to avoid leaving your dog alone outside of training. Daycare can help you to accomplish this.
Confinement Anxiety. This just depends on whether or not the daycare plans to confine your dog during the day or not. Some daycares are “cage-free” and other daycares put dogs in crates or kennels for breaks throughout the day. Be sure to check with your daycare provider before bringing your dog in to ensure they will be comfortable with the set up. It is unlikely that going to daycare will improve your dog’s confinement anxiety, unless you are actively requesting a trainer to work on it with them during the day.
Leash Reactivity. Daycare alone is unlikely to improve your dog’s leash reactivity. To improve your dog’s leash reactivity, we encourage you to work with a qualified professional dog trainer or behavior consultant. For some dogs, daycare can actually make leash reactivity worse. Ultimately, working with a trainer will help you determine what the best course of action is for your dog.
So… Can Dog Daycare Substitute Dog Training Classes or Help You Train Your Dog?
The short answer is no. Dog daycare is not a substitute for dog training classes or private training. For some dogs, it can be a useful addition depending on that specific dog’s needs and training plan. If you’re experiencing training or behavior challenges with your dog, I encourage you to seek out a qualified professional.
Bonus: Questions to ask a potential dog daycare
Looking to put your dog into daycare? I understand that dog daycare can be a valuable service for many dog guardians. Be sure to do your research and ask lots of questions. When possible, opt into report cards, give your dog breaks between visits, and keep up their training outside of daycare, too!
We’ve compiled a short list of questions to ask potential dog daycare providers:
What is your dog to staff ratio?
How do you evaluate whether or not a dog is a good fit?
How do you handle dogs that don’t get along with one another?
What types of activities do the dogs do during the day?
Are there cameras, and if so, are clients allowed to watch them at any point?
What happens if my dog gets injured or sick while under your supervision?
What would cause you to remove a dog permanently from daycare?
What training do you provide your staff with?
Are your staff trained in pet first aid and CPR?
HOW CAN DOG FLOWER HELP?
Dog daycare isn’t for every dog and many dogs age out of daycare between 1-3 years of age. If you are using dog daycare to improve your dog’s basic manners, to manage your dog’s separation anxiety, stranger danger, or leash reactivity, but want the knowledge and skills to better support your dog, Dog Flower can help. Our private training, group classes, puppy socials, puppy nursery and at-home daytraining can help you understand and train your pup.
about the author
Meaghan Summerbell (KPA CTP, CSAP-BC, CTDI) is a multi-certified professional dog trainer serving East Portland, Gresham, Troutdale and Happy Valley, Oregon. Meaghan is dedicated to helping people understand the inner workings of canine behavior on a deeper, more meaningful level so you can become your dog’s best friend, too.
Meaghan’s wide range of experience spans over 13 years and includes everything from managing and living at a large scale dog boarding and training facility, co-founding a dog training app, owning and operating a dog-adventure company, and co-owning a large dog training facility in Portland for the last 4+ years, before opening Dog Flower independently.
At home, you can find Meaghan spending time with their 6 dogs and 2 cats. When Meaghan isn’t spending time with their own animals, they’re spending time in nature, tending to their dozens of house plants, or in-progress native backyard habitat.
This is an AI free blog post. All blog posts are written and published by Meaghan.
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