Doggy Day Care can be perfect for some dogs and others just won’t take to it at all. It really depends on your dog and their temperament, and also what you feel comfortable with.
Education is key when deciding the best option for your dog, so we’ve taken a look at the Pros and Cons of Doggie Day Care and how that might compare to hiring a Dog Walker.
Pros of Doggy Day Care
Dog Is Not Alone At Home
When you go out to work each morning you might wish that you could take your dog with you. I know for me I feel blessed that I get to spend the day with my 2 dogs. However, a lot of dog owners probably feel a little bit sad that their dog will be home all day alone.
Most dogs look forward to chilling out all day, playing with their toys and napping. Maybe you even have a dog walker come in each day to get them out for a toilet break and stretch their legs.
With Doggy Day Care though they get to hang out with other dogs and people all day. From the moment, you drop them off they have other dogs to run around with and staff to interact with. Then when you collect them at the end of the day they are worn out and ready for a nap when you get home.
Dog Gets To Play With Other Dogs
If your dog loves to play with other dogs and craves social interaction then Doggy Day Care might be perfect for them. Perhaps they suffer from separation anxiety when you leave them, in which case they might need that daily interaction.
Group games can be great fun for dogs if they are happy to share their toys and play nicely with others. Some Doggy Day Care will have agility areas for them to play on and exercise. Others will have toys that the dogs can share and play tug of war with.
Dog Is Not Bored At Home
Some dogs don’t do well being left for long periods of time on their own, and unless they are kept entertained they can become destructive. No-one wants to come home to damaged furniture and chewed shoes.
With Doggy Day Care you completely eliminate that risk because you are not leaving your dog alone in the house.
Cons Of Doggy Day Care
Collect and Drop Off
When you use a Doggy Day Care you have to drop your dog off in the morning and collect them at night. This means that you need to have a facility in your car, like a crate or guard, so that they are secure and not jumping on you during the drive there.
There are fixed hours for Doggy Day Care and so you need to make sure that these fit in with your work schedule.
Also, you need to check the cost of any late collection charges. When we looked at the Cost of Doggy Day Care some charge 15 euros for every 15 minutes late you are collecting your dog.
Lack of One To One Attention
When your dog is in Doggy Day Care he will not have the attention of one person, instead, he will be in a room with lots of other dogs with someone overseeing the group. It’s unlikely they will get very much one on one time, purely because the staff are very busy and have lots of dogs to watch and care for.
If you decide to use a Dog Walker then they will get one on one attention from that Dog Walker during the walk.
A Dog Walk Is Not Included
Most Doggy Day Care do not offer a Dog Walk as part of the Day Care fee, so your dog will not get walked during the day. Those that do offer walks, do so at an additional cost. So when you collect them you will not know exactly how much exercise they got each day.
With a Dog Walking Service, you are booking an exact amount of time for a walk, so if you book a one hour dog walk then that is what the dog walker will do.
Not All Dogs Get On
Just like people, dogs don’t always get on. Most Doggy Day Care do assess your dog for suitability before they accept you, and if they don’t do this I would be very wary of using them. All dogs need to be assessed for their suitability for group situations.
However, things still happen, dogs get jealous and don’t want to share toys. So there is always a risk when you put so many different dogs together.
With a daily dog walking service your dog is not mixing with other dogs and so it can be a lot less stressful for both them and you.
You Home Is Left Empty All Day
Home security is so important, with crime always on the increase. When you take your dog out of the house to Doggy Day Care you are leaving your home empty all day.
A home with a dog is likely to be less of a target for crime than one without a dog.
Your Dog Walker will do home security checks as part of their daily visit, so you can be sure that all doors and windows are secure when they arrive and leave.
