Doggy daycare is an increasingly popular choice for owners who, for one reason or another, want to avoid leaving their pup alone at home for extended periods of time or feel they could benefit from this type of environment.
A puppy or dog prone to chewing their way out of boredom while mom is at work is likely to be better off burning that energy through lots of supervised playtime with other dogs. It could be important to have the dog fed and taken for potty breaks and certain times when dad isn’t able to. It can be a great way to maintain socialization skills or ensure a senior dog gets stimulation from just being in the vicinity of fellow canines.
But you can’t just drop Max or Maxine off one morning and expect everything will be fine. Before introducing a dog to that environment you need to prepare ahead of time:
Puppy classes are good for much more than just the adorable “graduations.” For older dogs you can try a well-supervised trip to the dog park or see how they do in vet’s offices or pet stores (like Whiskers Barkery!) that welcome dogs and their owners. Some daycares have attendants fill out detailed assessments of how a dog interacts with dogs and people when their human is NOT in the room. If you aren’t willing to do this you’re clearly not ready for doggy daycare, no matter how well-adjusted your pet might be!