02/24/2022
Let's talk doggie day care! Pet Partners Lex now offers day care services and this is why!! 👇🏽
As a trainer I've noticed a tremendous influx in owners whose pups began exhibiting undesirable behaviors seemingly out of no where. The commonality here is that these dogs had been going to traditional day cares. While there ARE some good ones out there the majority of them have the same set up 1.) Community setting i.e. 10+ dogs in one area for 6-8 hours. Or 2.) Individual rooms + community time i.e. each dog has their own room and is let out 3 or more times a day to play with the other dogs, potty, ect.
-The community setting is largely unregulated, employees are often not taught proper techniques for separating dogs let alone how to prevent confrontations to begin with. This is where pups learn bad habits like being pushy with dogs who don't want to play, demand barking, urinating indoors ect. Think about it like this, if you go to the dog park how long do you stay? Certainly not 6+ hours this would be mentally and physically draining for both you and your dog! Additionally if something happens you have the time and space to remove yourself from the park. Community settings give dogs no escape to relax and unwind and tend to be very stressful for sensitive, young, and especially older dogs.
-The issues I see with room/community time derive primary from the fact that dogs are olfactory driven animals. Even if a dog is in their own private room the smells of all the dogs before them and the current occupants in one space, dozens of different humans, cleaners, ect is enough to stress them out. While this option is certainly more preferable than the latter there's still not the option for your pup to totally relax.
⭐When you set up day care with Pet Partners Lex your pup will be taken on outtings for structured socializing with an experienced handler, enjoy plenty of supervised play in a large fenced in back yard, given frequent naps/down time, and spend their time with no more than 2 other dogs per day. Our goal is to create calm confident dogs in safe sterile environments! A relaxed dog is a happy dog. 🐾
