Is Your Dog Better Off After Daycare?
For some parents, ensuring their pup has his or her basic needs met like potty breaks, mid-day meal, or a couple short walks is all that’s necessary. For others, maximizing their furry child’s overall well-being and quality of life is paramount. Perhaps your pup gets bored while home alone and begins demonstrating destructive behaviors. How many times has the area rug become your pups favorite chew toy (or potty spot… don’t worry… it’s our secret ??)? Unless the dog walker can hang out for the entire day, your pup will have ample time to get into mischief or even harm themselves. So now daycare sounds like an even better option than before… we think so too, but how should a parent and pup expect to benefit?
Defining Success
Following a daycare stay, most parents generally expect their dog to come home tired. Some even hope for a specific level of exhaustion, like their pup falling asleep during the car ride home. A tired pup, while not un-healthy in most cases, may not be the best measure of a successful daycare visit. Dogs that spend their day interacting with others of different play styles or spend the day hiding in the corner to escape, are not having a positive, enjoyable experience. These dogs may go home tired as well, but are their lives truly better because they attended daycare?
We believe a successful daycare day includes play, rest and activities that are equally stimulating both mentally and physically. For most dogs, a day like this would not be possible without staff engaging the dogs in activities held in a safe, clean environment; participating in positive, enjoyable social interactions; leaving behaviorally better than when he arrived. Each dog requires a unique amount of rest, play, and interaction with other dogs to maximize their experience.
The Social Pet Difference
At Social Pet, we recognize that each dog is an individual and will collaborate with you to create an activity and rest plan that is unique to your pup. Enrichment experiences during daycare are critical to your dog’s mental health and well-being, which is why we’ve implemented a child-like daycare program. All dogs with similar temperaments and play styles enjoy safe communal interaction in larger groups. Additionally, we recognize your pup’s need for mental stimulation, not just physical. Our small-group and one-on-one activities cater to the unique personalities of each dog. Activities include interaction with engaging toys, stimulating puzzles, bubbles, nose work and individualized attention built into the daycare experience. Playtime is then interspersed with breaks throughout the day to prevent over-stimulation and encourage the necessary, rejuvenating rest that dogs need to prevent over-stimulation.
For the Pets, Always
Our individualized enrichment programs will help ensure your dog has the best daycare experience possible. The introduction of small group and one-on-one activities as part of the traditional daycare experience is a relatively new concept that has been embraced by only a select few of the most progressive pet care facilities in the country. We love nothing more than seeing a happy, tired pup go home at the end of the day, only to return the next day just as excited and ready to play. You can view our enrichment calendars online at www.socialpethotel.com. These update monthly to include dog-favorites such as Frisbee and Egg Roll, as well as seasonal crafts and activities.