Doggy Daycare: Is Your Dog Really Having the Best Day?

Let’s talk about doggy daycare, because this is one of those subjects that can bring me a lot of hate! But I’m not saying this to bash daycares. As a dog trainer, I’m passionate about helping people understand their dogs better, and this is something I’ve experienced myself with Baloo and something I see regularly with dogs struggling with overstimulation, frustration and reactivity.

In my opinion and from experience, large group doggy daycare can contribute to these issues because some dogs are spending incredibly long days surrounded by constant stimulation. They may arrive at 7am and not go home until 5pm, 6pm or even 7pm, with access to other dogs, play, running, balls, scent work, people, noise and constant activity. Even when some things are positive, and it comes from a good place from the staff, it is still a huge amount of stimulation, and we have to ask ourselves how much genuine rest these dogs are actually getting.

We often see a dog come home absolutely shattered and think, “They’ve had such a great day!” I used to think exactly the same thing with Baloo. He used to go to daycare and come home completely exhausted, sometimes sleeping practically the entire following day. At the time, I thought that meant he had had an amazing time, but looking back now, I realise he had spent around nine hours in an incredibly stimulating environment without enough opportunity to properly switch off. Being exhausted doesn't always mean a dog is happy… sometimes it simply means they have had too much going on for too long.

Baloo was also bitten once after walking near a dog that was humping another dog, the staff at the time didn't react quickly enough to put a stop to the humping. Thankfully, Baloo wasn't phased by it, but it could have gone very differently. One negative experience can potentially change how a dog feels about other dogs, and I could have ended up with a nervous dog and another behavioural issue to work through.

Another concern I have with large groups is how easily body language can be missed. Dogs communicate constantly through incredibly subtle signals when they are uncomfortable, overwhelmed or simply want some space, but when there are lots of dogs interacting at the same time, those signals can be missed until a situation escalates, and you would be surprised by the lack of staff who aren’t trained to read canine body language, and to be fair, when there are 10+ dogs, it’s also very hard to keep up!

There is also the issue of frustration. If a dog learns that daycare means they can run over to every dog, play whenever they want and interact constantly, they may struggle to understand why the rules suddenly change when they are out on a walk. Seeing another dog but being unable to go over and say hello can be frustrating, and for some dogs that frustration can show itself as barking, pulling or lunging, and that’s when you have lead reactivity.

This is why I believe socialisation is NOT about letting our dogs play with random dogs, let alone all day long, non stop! I want dogs to learn neutrality — to see another dog, remain calm, disengage and carry on without feeling that they have to interact. Being able to switch off around other dogs is far more valuable than believing every dog they see is an opportunity to play. This doesn’t mean that they cannot play with other dogs, but no under those circumstances.

Ultimately, dogs need exercise and enrichment, but they also need sleep, rest and decompression.