The experiences we create for our clients’ dogs amount to a lot more than just the care we provide during the day… hence daycare. As a result, some daycares are using the term “play care” to describe their service, but even then there are elements to the dog’s experience that are often ignored. These elements have a big impact on the dogs overall well being, mental health, physical health and emotional health.

The daycare environment can be detrimental or extremely constructive and its effects can be noticeable, even at home in an environment that is much more comforting and less stressful to the dog. When the experience is constructive, you often hear the pet parents say things like “I noticed Max sit when I reached over to open his crate… he never did that before.”

There is so much we can do to improve the overall experiences our dogs have, however, careful evaluation of the “whole picture” must be made first. This means, taking a closer look at things like:

• What your environment (space) looks and feels like from the dog’s perspective.
• The types of dogs you have (breed, temperament, training history, behavioral history, age, size etc.).
• Your team’s familiarity of the dogs (period of time the dog has been attending and frequency of visits).
• The experience level of the staff.
• The feasibility of being able to implement the activity safely.

Lets talk about some of the things dogs like to do. They love to run, sniff, chase, tear, dig, splash, hunt, climb, bark, burrow, roll, pull and retrieve. When thinking of ways to stimulate dogs, it is important to seek ways that allow the dogs to behave in the manner that is natural to them, however, often the nuisance it has on us overrides the opportunities we are willing to provide for them.

For example, I often hear from dog daycare owners asking about our “beach area” for the dogs. Despite the amount of use and joy the dogs get from digging in the sand and rolling around in it, especially when they are soaking wet after splashing around in the lagoon; dog daycare owners resist to put sand pits in their facilities because of the added work it requires in sending the dogs home clean.

These types of activities have a tremendous benefit in the overall emotional, mental and physical health of the animals. Additionally, activities that make sense from the dog’s point of view reduce, if not completely eliminate behavioral problems associated with stress, frustration, anxiety and boredom. This is the essence of why an owner chooses to bring their dog to a dog daycare.

If you have the means/facilities to provide an outlet for physical exercise, there are an unlimited number of activities you can choose from:

• Lure course
• Agility
• Dock diving
• Scent work
• Sand yards for digging
• Playing with a water hose

However, if you have a facility that is limiting in terms of space, implement activities that are not physically stimulating in nature. Through proper management and utility, examples of such activities include:

• Soup bones
• Stuffed kongs
• Scent work games
• Obedience practices
• Indoor agility
• Target training
• Hide treats in kiddie pools (either filled with sand or water)

The key to providing great activities is to know your dog(s) and to have staff that is creative enough to come up with games on their own and can implement them safely. Play between human and dog is one of the greatest forms of activities you can offer. Have fun and play hard!

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