Choosing the right environment for your dog while you’re away is a significant decision, and doggy day care can be a wonderful option for some, while proving detrimental for others. This guide delves into the crucial factors to consider, ensuring your furry friend’s safety, happiness, and well-being.
Understanding Canine Social Dynamics
It’s essential to recognize that dogs, by nature, did not evolve to interact in large, unstructured groups. While individual dog-to-dog play is common, large-group dynamics often involve jockeying for position and smaller, emergent play groups rather than cohesive communal play. True, equal participation in a group of more than two dogs requires established rules and structure, a trait more commonly seen in humans who create organized sports. This fundamental understanding is key to evaluating whether a doggy day care environment is suitable for your pet.
Key Considerations for Doggy Day Care
When deciding if doggy day care is appropriate for your dog, consider these four critical areas: your dog’s individual personality and experience, the quality and training of the staff, the safety and suitability of the facility, and the temperament of the other dogs present.
1. Your Dog’s Temperament and Experience
Many dogs are not inherently comfortable in environments with 20, 30, or even 50 other dogs. Just like humans, dogs possess diverse personalities and have unique life experiences. Some dogs, often described as the extroverts of the canine world, thrive in large group settings and find them immensely enjoyable. Conversely, many others become easily overwhelmed. It’s crucial to distinguish between a dog that is happily tired after a day of stimulating play and one that is exhausted due to stress, fear, or bullying. Observing your dog’s behavior and energy levels upon returning home can provide valuable clues as to which category they fall into.
2. The Staff: The Linchpin of Safety
The expertise and attentiveness of the staff are paramount. An ideal doggy day care facility will maintain a high staff-to-dog ratio, ideally around one staff member for every 10 to 15 dogs. Crucially, each staff member should possess extensive knowledge in reading canine body language, discerning appropriate versus inappropriate play, and effectively managing both individual dogs and the group as a whole. Unfortunately, many facilities fall short in these areas, sometimes operating under the misguided belief that a large, open space is all that’s required. When evaluating staff, inquire about their training, how they intervene in dog altercations, what they look for in dog-dog interactions, and their protocols for emergencies and conflicts. Visiting the facility without your dog and observing the staff’s professionalism is highly recommended.
3. The Facility: Environment and Safety
The physical environment plays a significant role in a dog’s comfort and safety. Assess the available space: is there ample room for movement? Are there designated areas where dogs can retreat from interaction and rest peacefully, such as cozy corners or separate resting spots? While perfection isn’t expected, cleanliness is important. Inquire about how often dogs are taken outside for potty breaks, as allowing dogs to eliminate indoors can encourage undesirable habits. Safety is non-negotiable. Ensure the indoor and outdoor areas are free from hazards like slippery floors or exposed wires that could cause injury. Adequate opportunities for rest are also vital; dogs need downtime during the day, and a good facility will balance active play with scheduled rest periods.
4. The Other Dogs: Group Dynamics and Evaluation
The selection process for dogs admitted to the facility is a critical indicator of its commitment to safety. A robust evaluation process should involve more than just a questionnaire. Staff should be keenly aware of size differences and ensure that small breeds, like a Yorkshire Terrier, are not placed in a group with significantly larger dogs. Ideally, dogs should be separated into appropriate playgroups based on size, energy level, and temperament. Policies regarding dogs that bully others or initiate fights should be clearly defined and consistently enforced. Observing the dogs interact and speaking with staff about their management strategies can provide invaluable insights. If you witness multiple dogs ganging up on another with no staff intervention, it’s a clear sign to look elsewhere.
Resources for Further Information
For those seeking more in-depth guidance on selecting a doggy day care, several excellent resources are available. Kathy Sdao offers valuable advice on choosing a suitable facility, and her webinar on managing dog groups is highly recommended. Research by Camille Ward and Barbara Smuts on canine play behavior is also a worthwhile read. A comprehensive German book, “Canine Play Behavior,” recently translated, provides an excellent summary of research on dog play. Furthermore, authors Robin Bennett and Susan Briggs have made significant contributions to making doggy day cares safer, with books like “Off Leash Dog Play” and “All About Doggy Day Care” offering practical insights.
Personal Reflections and the Farm Life
While I have extensive experience advising clients on doggy day care facilities, including recommending immediate removal from unsafe environments, I have never personally utilized one for my own dogs. This is largely due to the fortunate circumstance of having ample acreage and access to additional land through friends, allowing my dogs ample exercise and socialization opportunities, including working sheep and playing together. However, I acknowledge that without these resources, the decision to use a doggy day care would be more complex. My own childhood experience of crying hysterically and refusing to participate in kindergarten, akin to a dog that might hunker down or growl in a new group, makes me particularly sensitive to the importance of individual comfort and suitability.
Meanwhile, life on the farm proceeds in harmony with the seasons. As autumn colors fade into the grays and browns of late fall, the official start of winter in Wisconsin is palpable. Soon, I plan to invite friends with their dogs over to help Maggie gain more experience with unfamiliar dogs entering the house and to socialize with breeds other than Border Collies. These introductions, along with reinforcing manners-related exercises that often take a backseat to sheepdog work, will be a priority before the snow flies.
Observing Maggie and Willie interact with other Border Collies at a clinic in Minnesota in September highlighted the subtle dynamics of canine play. Even in a seemingly harmonious group of four dogs running together, it was evident that two were primary participants while the others remained slightly on the periphery. While all dogs maintained composure and the interaction was closely monitored by three attentive individuals, it underscored the importance of vigilant supervision during dog-dog play.
