Why Paws 4 A Day Is The Best Around:
At Paws 4 a Day, we pride ourselves on providing top notch care for your dog. We know there can be a lot of confusion around choosing a daycare provider, with such a variety to choose from. We thought we’d put together an article to explain why we do what we do, how it’ll benefit your dog, and just a few of the fantastic activities your dog will take part in!
Why Doggy Day Care School?
As a dog owner, it can be difficult to understand what doggy day care school even is! For us, it’s a custom facility designed specifically to meet your dog’s needs during the day. A good doggy day care school should not only meet your dog’s general needs, such as feeding and exercise, but also provide them a positive and fun learning environment. Your dog will engage with other dogs of different breeds, shapes and sizes. They’ll also work personally with one of our specialised staff, half of which are accredited dog trainers. In short, it’s hours of positive, games based fun for your dog!
Are there any pitfalls of Doggy Day Care School?
Despite the massive positives that doggy day care schools can provide, depending on the facility you choose, you can run into some issues. Unfortunately there are reports from trainers and behaviourists indicating that a badly run facility can negatively impact your dogs behaviour and wellbeing. We thought we’d highlight a few of the red flags out there, and explain how we look to rectify them with our unique and personable style of care:
Large Numbers:
One key reason why a badly run doggy day care school could negatively impact your dog is the amount of dogs at the centre at any one time. A fully accredited centre can have up to ten dogs per a single member of staff, and some daycares will have upwards of fifty dogs at any one time. This means that staff members are stretched thin trying to manage a large number of dogs in a small space. For dogs who might be more nervous or unsure, this can lead to a horrendous daycare experience. It also means that no one dog gets any specific 1-2-1 attention or training.
At Paws 4 a Day, we pride ourselves on a small number of dogs in our facility. Each staff member is allocated a small number of dogs (maximum of six) to take care of throughout the day. using a wide variety of games based activities. Our approach to each dog is tailored specifically to meet their needs. From young puppies just beginning to explore the world, to adolescent dogs in need of a job, to senior dogs in need of some rest and relaxation. No matter your dog, we’ll give them a time they’ll never forget.
Lack of Control/Over Excitement:
Another pitfall of doggy day care can be the amount of stimulation. All dogs have different personalities, and sticking them all together without proper supervision can lead to chaos. The dogs can become so overexcited that they don’t come home well rested. Instead, all that pent up energy is released in your home. This can be frustrating when you sent your dog to doggy day care school to become better behaved! Further to this, lack of control can also cause dogs to become nervous or frightened of the more excitable dogs. This is difficult if you are trying to socialise your younger puppies, as you want to ensure this is done in a safe environment.
Paws 4 a Day takes a different approach. We believe that dogs need as much rest and relaxation as they do fun, ethical dog training. Time is taken to teach the dogs to rest and relax around one another, alongside structured play sessions. Our staff members monitor the dogs both while they’re napping, and while they’re playing, to ensure nothing gets out of hand. All staff members are fully first aid trained. For the dogs that need socialising, they’re specifically matched with perfect playmates – dogs that will teach them appropriate manners for them to take out into the real world. This means that every time your dog attends doggy day care school, they’ll come away socialised and well rested.
Lack of Mental Stimulation:
Dogs need to use their brain in order to lead a fulfilled life. It would be unfair to assume that just placing a few enrichment toys around in the environment would be enough for our dogs. All dogs need outlets for their natural behaviours, such as chewing, sniffing, licking and chasing. If these needs aren’t met throughout the day, they will manifest when they come home. This tends to involve running off with your slippers, chewing your curtains or chasing your cats!
Who is knocking it so we can all share the treats
Instead, Paws 4 a Day believes that your dog’s needs should be met throughout their time with us. Each dog will receive an individual assessment per day to evaluate what needs must be met, and how they are interacted with will be tailored accordingly. Have a dog who is a chronic chewer? He’ll be provided with chews during his rest time to fulfil that need. Does your dog make a habit of chasing the cat? He’ll spend one on one time with a staff member chasing a flirt ball or playing with a ball. Is your dog a chronic sniffer? We’ll take the time to hide some treats in a small area of the facility for him to hunt and find. Your dog should have all of his desires fulfilled, and should go home to rest and relax alongside you.
Confidence Knocking:
As we’ve discussed, doggy day care school is all about giving your dogs a fantastic experience. However, if activities and dogs aren’t properly managed, the opposite effect can occur. A dog who is incredibly confident can become nervous if not handled correctly. This can be due to a number of reasons, but we want your dog to come away from every situation more confident than they went into it.
Designing confidence courses can be tricky, but we’re delighted with how they’ve turned out at Paws 4 a Day. Each time your dog stays with us, we’ll work on building their overall confidence with a wide variety of objects, sounds and situations. From navigating over poles to diving into boxes, they’ll have the opportunity to explore new sensations and feelings as they go. Confidence courses are tailored too nervous and anxious dogs, with the express goal of improving their outlook on the world. No matter what your dog is afraid of, we’ll help them get over their fears and anxieties. All confidence courses are done with a limited number of dogs, with staff members present at all times.
” look we are not scared “
Yummy peanut butter before my nap
Lack of Training:
Your dog needs consistent training throughout their day to day life. Whether it’s learning to play with other dogs safely, recalling back from distractions, or even doing a dog sport – your dog needs to work! Some day care facilities don’t offer any type of training or engagement. Instead, the dogs are left mostly to their own devices, to explore and engage as they see fit.
We believe dogs need a whole host of activities to keep them engaged. Paws 4 a Day wants to make your life easier not only by having your dog, but having them be better behaved when they come home. As such, we have a wide variety of training activities to keep your dogs entertained. Your dog can partake in some fun Scentwork games, using their nose to hunt for treats and toys. If running is more your dog’s style, then our mini Hoopers courses will keep them entertained for hours! For dogs who are more serious about jumping and chasing, they’ll love our agility course that’ll challenge them mentally and physically. All of this is combined with our enrichment area – allowing your dog to engage with a number of enrichment toys such as snuffle mats, kongs, licki-mats and more!
At Paws 4 a Day, your dog’s welfare is our top priority. As such, all the training techniques we use will be positive, fun and games based. Your dog will wiggle with excitement as we do our training – they’ll love working with their designated staff member, and create bonds with both us and the other dogs they’ll be playing with! We promise never to use any intimidation or physical punishment with your dogs.
We’ll hope you agree that we’re not like other doggy day care schools We don’t want your dog to just come and run around with other dogs. Instead, we want them to live their life to the fullest. With 1-2-1 training time, the ability to socialise with appropriate dogs and an assortment of confidence courses and enrichment toys, your dog will thrive in and outside of our facility! We can’t wait to look after your dog!
Leave A Comment