By Andy Gartzke
One essential aspect of owning a dog is ensuring that they are properly socialized. An excellent way to tune up your dog’s social skills is by bringing them to your local dog park or even a dog daycare. Both options have benefits, and in this article, we’ll take a look at daycares.
Good social skills promote healthy and pleasant interactions with not just humans, but other dogs as well.
Table of Contents
When To Start Socializing Your Dog
You should begin socializing your dog when they are as young as possible. This helps to build a routine, structure, and a sense of familiarity with this sort of interaction. Before taking them to daycare, begin socialization by introducing them to a family member or friend’s dog. Do so in a neutral territory, such as a public outdoor space.
Most doggy daycare facilities have a minimum age requirement that your dog must reach before attending. This is usually around four to five months and they must be up-to-date on their vaccines. Some facilities may require your dog to be spayed or neutered once they reach a certain age, so call ahead to verify. The best dog daycares accept veterinary exceptions to neutering too young, as well as taking valid titer tests instead of fresh shots.
How to Socialize Your Dog through Dog Daycare
Doggy daycare facilities offer a safe and controlled environment for dogs to play, interact, and socialize with each other. Staff members are specifically trained to supervise the dogs and intervene when they need to. Many facilities offer customized grouping where dogs are separated based on age, size, and temperament. This helps to ensure they find playmates that match their wavelength.
Exposure to many different dogs in a playgroup allows dogs to learn social cues, body language, and other dog behaviors. These can include knowing when another dog wants to play, how to respond, and when they need to back off.
If a dog is not exposed to these types of behaviors in other dogs, how will they know how to respond? It all may seem a little scary, but we all went through the same type of thing when we went to school! You could consider it a “Building Social Skills 101” course for your pup.
The socialization that doggy daycare facilities offer is also an excellent way to foster mental stimulation and build confidence in a dog. A dog that is healthily stimulated will stay out of trouble. Being around so many other dogs helps them learn how to adapt when a new dog is introduced into the group and how to communicate with them. Positive interactions make dogs feel confident because they feel good knowing their initiations were well-received.
Perhaps the most important reason for socializing a dog is to reduce anxiety and the potential negative behavioral issues that can come along with it. A dog who is not used to the company of other dogs may react fearfully and defensively when approached, even if the other dog didn’t mean any harm. This is something that can be avoided with regular socialization beginning at a young age.
Conclusion: Building Your Dog’s Social Skills Will Pay Dividends
Dogs are social creatures and have social needs to be met. A well-socialized dog is more easygoing, less stressed, and overall more pleasant to be around. Bringing them to doggy daycare will not only tire them out physically but will help them build the necessary social skills to keep their mental health in tip-top shape as well.
Do you think that a dog daycare is right for your dog? Or would you go the route of dog parks or something else entirely?