To start this entry, we need to start with transparency – our Atlanta dog trainers here at Peachtree Dog Training are partnered with several dog daycare and boarding facilities, including near downtown Atlanta, midtown Atlanta, and even Smyrna! We partner with other dog-loving businesses that we trust to be excellent professionals and to offer high-quality services in daycare, boarding, grooming, and more! We even offer a daycare training program for many of these places (you can look at our three main options – Downtown, Midtown, Smyrna)!
So with that out of the way – let’s address the initial query: “Can doggy daycare playgroup HELP or HURT my dog’s training and behavior?” And sorry y’all, it’s going to be the same ol’ dog trainer answer – It Depends!
Traditional Dog Daycare Playtime is GOOD!
From my decade-long experience here as a dog trainer in Atlanta, more often than not, daycare facilities can be an EXCELLENT part of your dog’s behavior and training! Naturally, there are some dogs that just don’t do well in a daycare environment, and it certainly doesn’t mean the dog is bad or unfriendly. Some dogs can socialize beautifully with other dogs without incident, but sometimes depending on the number of dogs present (and the varying energies that come along with it), a daycare setting (or a dog park setting) might be too overwhelming for your dog to socialize in. Do you or do you know someone that likes meeting people, but in smaller groups or one-on-one so you’re not distracted or exhausted by everyone else and other stimuli? Dogs can be like that too!
Now if a pup is just not wanting to be friends with other dogs, it doesn’t mean that dog is broken or anti-social. While we can set our expectations for our dogs, we also want to consider their unique personality and social needs. Some dogs prefer being friends with people over dogs! Some dogs feel more comfortable with other dogs close to their size or smaller. Some dogs prefer dogs of the opposite sex. There are many different personalities out there and as long as it’s not causing injury or low-quality of life of the dog and others, we should consider and respect those personality quirks.
What About Dog Day Care for Aggressive Dogs?
If a dog is completely unsocialized resulting in aggressive behaviors, then of course, daycare is not the best option for every dog – they will need to start in much more controlled settings like the home environment to work on desensitization (we can assist with this with our in-home dog training programs).
But when it comes to daycare and how it can benefit your dog – there are several ways! If your dog will thrive in a large group of dogs, then they can get their socialization in and perhaps learn good socialization skills, such as understanding cues and boundaries from other dogs, setting those same boundaries in an appropriate way, learn different play styles, etc. Many daycares will also accommodate new dogs to start them off in smaller groups first, to best determine their temperament around other dogs (hence why there’s usually an initial temperament test before your dog can be fully accepted into daycare or boarding programs). Then if things seem okay, they will add more dogs and soon your dog will be part of the general play population, hopefully having the time of their life and making new friends (both dog and human)!
Of course, another great benefit of daycare is both the physical and mental exercise a dog can get in this environment! Whether your dog is a non-stop play machine or has sporadic play times throughout the day, your dog is likely going to come home EXHAUSTED from all the stimulation they got at daycare. Exercise is always an important part of a dog’s health and their behavior training – the saying goes, “A tired dog is a happy, well-behaved dog!” For those who may not be able to be give your dog as much playtime as they like, daycare can be a great exercise supplement (though we always encourage owner-dog exercise in some way, when you can do it! Be it a walk around the neighborhood, playing ball in the yard, or just doing some mental exercise through regular obedience training, etc).
What Pet Parents Need to Know About Traditional Daycare Services
Now of course, there is always a balance to things, and there may be some ways daycare might NOT be the best for your dog’s behavior or their training. Many dog training programs will demand a controlled environment and consistency, as that will set the dog up for success to learn better behaviors. While daycare can be fun, it is often a chaotic environment compared to a training environment. This clash of environments might cause confusion for a dog where the chaos starts to seep into the training regimen at home. This can be frustrating for owners and a confused dog may begin to develop anxiety if they don’t have that consistency or guidance. And while dogs can learn good social skills at daycare, there is always the risk of learning bad habits or having a bad experience that leaves a lasting impact on them. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve met a dog at a consultation and their owner says how their dog changed forever after they got attacked by a loose dog in the neighborhood or even a dog in a dog park! And maybe you were teaching your puppy potty training or your dog was learning to not jump on people, but then they go ahead and have accidents inside or jump on one of the daycare attendants without any consistent training guidance. Another favorite dog trainer saying – Consistency is key!
With everything, there is always risk and before deciding on enrolling your dog in daycare (especially if they are in training), consider evaluating whether it is something your dog will need or even like at the moment. I’ve worked with plenty of dogs who go to daycare a few times a week, and they succeed in their behavior training. I’ve also worked with dogs where we needed to pause on daycare because of the confusion it was creating in their training. I’ve also worked with dogs who were kicked out of daycare due to behavioral issues so we keep the idea of daycare on the back burner until we make some behavioral progress, and then we evaluate and see if that setting will be best for the dog.
Professional Dog Daycare Training – Give Your Dog a Day of Play and Training
If your dog is needing training, we can help, and if you are unsure whether daycare will help with training, reach out and we can schedule an initial consultation and figure it out together! And if you need any daycare referrals, we’re happy to help and even offer our daycare enrichment training program, Play and Train (shoutout especially to Wagging Tails Doggie Daycare and Boarding, Dogma Dog Care, and Lucky & Lady!)!