Dog Walker vs. Day Care - Which one for my dog?

What often happens when it comes to dog sitting services, particularly the temporary/daily ones such as daycares versus dog walker is that we compare the length of time the dog is with other dogs and/or people. We weigh up the monetary costs, believing that having our dogs with lots of other dogs and people each day for longer periods of time for often the same price as a dog walker is a superior service; more exposure to these things has to be better, right??

However, have you ever considered the pros and cons of both of these services? They are completely different, and we absolutely need to be aware of the impacts of both in order to make an informed choice about what is best for our individual dogs. We also need to be aware of what to look out for in order to choose a company that can provide top quality care, whichever service we may choose.

Let us start with doggie day care, and first the pros.

Dog Day Care Pros:

• Well managed dog daycares will have dog trainers who are well versed in canine body language monitoring and managing your dogs interactions with other dogs at all times. At no point will dogs be unsupervised.

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  An outdoor play area at a day care.

  A high quality day care will have a structured day plan, including down time or naps, appropriate puzzle or toy time as well as training and other play breaks designed to keep arousal and excitement levels at a manageable level. Listen for long periods of incessant barking from multiple dogs; there should be very little!

• The day care staff should be able to advise you on your dogs behaviour during the day there. Qualified staff will regularly advise on your dogs ongoing suitability for day care. They will keep you informed of how your dog is doing; behaviour is ever-changing and even if your dog coped well before, things can change.

• Well run day cares will separate dogs based on size, developmental age and/or behaviour. The staff will know the best group for your dog. There should be no free-for-all with large groups of dogs!

• Knowledgeable well managed day cares will rarely exclude certain breeds straight away, and will always assess your dog based on their individuality, whilst taking into consideration that certain breeds may be more likely to display certain behaviours.

• Staff will also carry out assessment days at these day cares upon your application to enroll your dog; dogs should rarely be accepted straight away on a rolling basis without assessment. There is no way of telling how your dog will do until they’ve been assessed.

• A decent day care will rarely allow dogs to attend on consecutive days, and will often recommend a 24 hour break between days to give your dog a rest from the intense, exciting environment!

Dog Day Care Cons:

• Day care is not for every dog. Young puppies and dogs that may be worried or uncomfortable about the presence of other dogs or people may not be suitable for day care, and the staff will advise you on that. Dogs may also be ineligible for attendance due to certain health and behavioural issues, which you will be further advised on upon application.

• Day care is not going to socialise your dog. Socialisation should have already happened during the first 3 months of life, supervised or guided by an accredited trainer should you require help. Day care is for already pro-social dogs. If you have behavioural concerns about your dog, however, the day care staff will be happy to advise you on your next steps to addressing this.

  

  A dog wearing a cone.

• Your dog is at risk of injury, illness or even death from fights or inadequate cleaning procedures leading to illness. Be aware however, that injuries can happen to dogs during normal play. Nicked ears, a cut gum, a scratched paw; rough and tumble is exactly that! But should the injuries be big, a regular ocurrence or requiring veterinary attention, question the supervision and management of the facility. Your dog should leave daycare the same way they went in.

• Day care doesn’t represent real life. The skills your dog learns in day care happen in the vacuum of the specific building, within the specific environment, and may not be transferable to the outside world. This can be a good and bad thing!

• Some dogs may struggle in day care due to the intensity of the environment and exposure to other dogs, and it may overexcite or overwhelm some. They may be exhausted upon collection due to the sheer stress of the day rather than from being tired from the fun.

• Poorly managed day cares may inadequately supervise dogs, leading to your dog developing inappropriate behaviour towards other dogs such as bullying through intense play or annoying them. Your dog could also be bullied by other dogs.

• Day care cannot be used to replace walking your dog. Your dog needs exposure to the world outside of day care, to experience other environments, where they can sniff alone and to feel grass under their paws.

Now, dog walkers.

Dog Walker Pros:

• A good dog walker will be over 18, be fully insured, with policies and procedures in place to maximise safety. Ideally, they will have canine first aid training.

• Dog walkers with accredited dog training qualifications will be able to monitor and manage your dogs behaviour with other dogs in their care to ensure safety and appropriate interaction.

• Good dog walkers will walk dogs either solo or in very small groups, ideally 4 dogs or less. This is to ensure that all dogs are monitored and their behaviour managed; it’s impossible to

  

  3 dogs and their walker.

  watch lots of dogs wandering all over the park!

• Your dog walker should be able to train and control your dog (including recall training) if they are going to let your dog off the lead. They should also be able to do this in a manner you are comfortable with.

• A good dog walker will provide you with updates about your dogs behaviour, how their walks are going and if they notice anything unusual about your dogs behaviour or health.

• If your dog walker is also a dog trainer, they’ll be able to continue on all the great training with your dog that you have in place. Being out and about is real life; it’s good for them to practice all the skills they need to handle what the world will throw at them during the day. It will also ensure your dog is not practicing or developing inappropriate behaviour, and it exposes them to all kinds of environments that they normally would be on walks.

• Young puppies, nervous dogs, intact or in season dogs can benefit from having a dog walker visit to allow them to toilet and potter about safely. Dog trainer walkers can also continue your young puppy’s socialisation and training plan.

• Some dogs just aren’t social butterflies, and that’s okay. Having periods of down time in between walks can be absolutely fine for some dogs.

• A dog walker that spends a lot of one on one time with your dog may be quicker to identify issues or health problems with your dog, leading you to getting them seen quicker by a vet.

Dog Walker Cons:

• Uninsured dog walkers put your home and dog at risk. If anything were to happen, there is no recourse for action here.

• Dog walkers allow themselves into and out of your home; without key holding and insurance policies and procedures in place this is risky. Always ensure you’re hiring a reputable walker; ask a reputable dog trainer for recommendations!

Little dog out on their own.

• Poorly managed dog groups leave your dog vulnerable to injury, illness or loss. Dog walkers with large groups may unknowingly put your dog at risk, as it is difficult to properly assess and manage behaviour in an open park with large numbers of dogs.

• A dog walker may cause inappropriate behaviour to intensify, such as pulling on lead, if they do not continue your training or adhere to your advice regarding your dog. For training issues, it’s best to hire a dog trainer walker, who can assist you with your dog’s behaviour when you can’t be there.

• Your dog will still have periods of alone time when you hire a dog walker. Whilst this will benefit some dogs who like to have downtime in between walks, some dogs may struggle with this. Please consult a qualified trainer or behaviourist if you are worried about your dogs behaviour in your absence.

For both of these services, however, your dog gets access during the day to social contact, be it canine or human. Leaving your dog home alone all day is not sufficient to meet their requirements. Dogs are a social animal by nature, just look at how they greet you when you get home!

Whichever service you decide on to break up your dogs day, choose the company that you trust, is insured, and has the knowledge and know-how to mind your best friend.

Bored dogs? Brain games!

It's hard being a dog sometimes. Dogs are expected to inhibit lots of normal canine behaviours whilst living with us. Chewing furniture, peeing where they like, barking and destroying things are just a few of the fun things our dogs want to do each day! These are normal dog behaviours; our dogs aren't human and so won't entertain themselves in a human way. They can't read books, watch T.V. or take themselves for a walk. We control their whole lives, and so it is on us to provide them with safe outlets and opportunities for all those behaviours. Even dogs should be allowed let their hair down, right?
There's lots of ways that we can give our dogs different things to do daily that are appropriate and won't leave us tearing our hair out or with yet another chewed television remote. As well as that, giving our dogs things to do can help leave them more satisfied and some activities can even help reduce our dogs excitement or arousal levels, helping them to calm down and relax after stress or exciting chasing or other energetic games.

Stuffables

Kongs are a great versatile toy that have many different uses. Be sure to get a few that are the right size for your dog. In the larger end, add some of your dogs food, some chicken, ham or cheese and make sure it goes right up to the top. Cover the top with a small amount of peanut butter (make sure it's 100% peanuts, with no other ingredients), natural yogurt or pate and you've created a chew toy that will last a while.

You could even create a recipe of your own using lots of dog-friendly foods that your dog enjoys. Mix it all together and stuff it into the kong. You can use things like bananas, strawberries and blueberries, some sweet potato or some carrots too. It can also be a good idea to shove a pizzle stick right through the Kong and anchor it with the smaller hole so your dog can't choke on the smaller piece once it's chewed down.

Prepare a few of these in advance and have them wrapped in clingfilm in the fridge ready for when you need them. Just unwrap and give to your dog when required, perfect for keeping your pup busy when you have guests over or are busy around the house. Once your dog has mastered being able to empty them and get all the food out, you can begin freezing them for an extra challenge.

Some similar toys on the market are the K9 Connectables range. These can also be stuffed, but have the added bonus of dismantling them entirely. Once they're finished, just wash them, restuff and click back together for another puzzle break!

Chewing has the added benefits of soothing puppies gums, helping our dogs relax, and keeping them busy in one place whilst we can't actively supervise.

Freebies & cheaper puzzles
Cheap and free stuff that can entertain dogs can be great; they can practice destroying, ripping, chewing and tearing appropriate things so that we can keep our furniture and other belongings safe. We can also get cheaper long lasting toys such as snufflemats, which are any bathmat or rug with ruffles that we can hide food in for our dogs (see the below picture with the labrador) to search for. It's like a portable sniffing station that we can bring anywhere and everywhere!

Cardboard tubing, newspaper and cardboard boxes can also be the perfect ingredients for a puzzle, although you want to make sure your dog does not have a tendency to eat paper and always supervise well. Loosely crumple up some newspaper, put it in the cardboard box together with tubing and mix it all up with little bits of food. Your dog can then snuffle, sniff and dig out all the food that's hidden in amongst the paper and card. There's lots of things we can give our pets to entertain them, here's a quick video showing these in action.

If you want to learn more or continue to explore the world of canine enrichment, you can check out this 100 days of enrichment project here by AniEd Ireland, or join their Facebook group.
If you'd had fun with your dog and puzzles recently, let us know by commenting or sending us pictures and videos of your dog doing fun stuff. We're all about joyful dogs here!