You want your dog to live a happy and healthy life and an important part of every dog’s life is socialization. Your dog must have access to social interaction as often as possible, because this will ensure they can safely play with both humans and other dogs. Sadly, many shelters don’t give dogs the chance to socialize because they don’t have the time or resources. If you have an adopted dog, you might want to consider putting your dog into daycare to improve their social skills. Prior to placing your dog in daycare, you will want to consider your dog’s circumstances in order to make the best decision.
Socialization for Puppies
While your dog is still young, you have a good chance to build lasting social skills with doggy daycare. As a puppy, your dog has not established bad social patterns; they can still create positive social habits, but in order to do so they must be exposed to other dogs. Would you rather leave your new puppy at home all day with no interaction with the outside world? For many pet owners, crating their dog is the alternative to daycare. Your dog can get mental, physical and social stimulation at doggy daycare. When you leave your dog in daycare, you feel confident that your dog is having a fun time while learning social skills at the same time.
Maintenance of Social Skills
If you have adopted an older dog, your pet can still benefit from doggy daycare. Quite a few older dogs still have the social skills they learned earlier in life; they just need a few reminders to reestablish these habits. Daycare can be the perfect environment for older dogs to practice their social skills and interact with other dogs. Dogs that spent long periods of time in shelters or on the street will probably need more help. They may be shy or anxious around other dogs. If this is the case, you need to take extra care when deciding to place your dog in daycare. In order to avoid poor behavior, be sure to discuss available resources with the staff at the daycare.
Aggressive or anti-social dogs are not compatible with doggy daycare. These types of dogs are too much of a risk for many daycare facilities. Daycare facilities will probably not have the resources to be able to handle such hazardous animals. These animals also are a potential liability for the daycare owners. If your dog has shown aggression toward animals or humans, then daycare is probably not the solution for you. Even though these dogs are difficult to socialize, there is still hope. You will need to commit plenty of time and energy to socializing your aggressive dog. Don’t give up on your dog! With a lot of time and effort, you may be able help your dog build positive social skills.
Doggy daycare is a great choice for most types of dogs. Especially for pet owners who are looking for a way to socialize their dogs. Think carefully about your dog’s personality and past experiences in order to make the best decision about whether or not your dog is a good fit for daycare. If your dog has any special needs or disruptive behavior, you will need to inform the staff. Daycare can offer mental, physical, and social stimulation for your dog. Doggy daycare is also a great resource for pet owners who might have to leave their pets crated and home alone all day
