Who Cares?
You should! Recently there have been a rash of incidents involving dogs, from the simple stray who caused havoc on the freeway to the vicious brutes who ganged up on a little girl, putting her in the hospital, and effectively ruining her plans to become a model, (and she was one of the lucky ones who survived!), to the family pet who suddenly turned on his owners, forcing police to shoot it before it harmed them or anyone else. And how can anyone forget the most recent mauling, to death, of a three year old boy?!? There are many many more horror stories involving pet dogs going, effectively, berserk.
It’s not rocket science. We took a wild beast and conditioned it to live inside. Then we pampered it. Fed it. Threw a ball for a few months. Then we decided we needed a life too.
Shoe chewing, (love that Italian leather!), table leg gnawing, (that antique? you didn’t want this old thing anymore, did you?), hole digging, (what do you mean you don't want to plant anything here?), or apathetically laying around all day, pining for you, (or at least that’s what you think; ask your neighbours, usually your dog has spent all his/her day voicing their opinion.) Or, if you’ve left them in the backyard, the barking is usually only one of the annoyances your neighbours will be only too glad to heap on you the moment they see your foot inching out of the car. They’re tired of putting your dog back IN the yard as they notice him/her wandering the streets yet again!
A dog left on his own occasionally isn’t a bad thing. Even a dog left on their own every day isn’t going to create a monster. One who is left on his own day in, day out, with no daily energetic playtime will become a nuisance. One who is seldom given the chance to interact with his peers will not be as well adjusted as one who has that opportunity.
One who is left, in a pen or yard, with the chance of being bullied or teased by humans, is going to develop aggressive tendencies. One who has not been given an outlet for these natural urges will develop far more menacing problems.
A day care, a well run day care, for dogs, will go a long way in remedying this problem before it ever becomes something to worry about. With other play mates and learning toys, your dog will become a well adjusted social animal with far less of the fear that he/she is going to ‘turn’ on you. A dog’s natural inclination is to run in packs. Five or six (or more) dogs frolicking, sleeping, hunting, and eating together. Most domestic dogs have never experienced this, and probably never should for various reasons, number one being that packs of dogs tend to become a worry for humans and generally we hunt them down and destroy them.
Imagine a child. Locked away from their peers. Occasionally going out, but never being allowed to interact with those other things that look a bit like them. When they get close, someone always rushes in, snatches them back and berates them for their curiosity. What will happen to this child as they get older? They will be unable to function with their peers. They will not have the skills needed for learning, or to exist with others. Or as they walk down the street, as soon as another one of those creatures that look a little like them ventures close, they feel their parent tense up and tug them back, and then they begin to think that this other 'thing' is a threat to their parent, and, well, they are going to do whatever it takes to keep that other 'thing' away from their family!
The same for dogs. They need social interaction with other dogs to develop a well rounded life. A good day care will provide monitored care, allowing the dogs to rough-house together, to tear around energetically and to rest occasionally.
Dogs are social beasts. They will sort out squabbles on their own. A well run day care knows this and will for the most part watch the dogs and not interfere with them unless a real fight breaks out, and even then a shout or shot of cold water or loud noise usually restores peace, and, just like children, after a few minutes in the time out area, the dogs are usually ready to play together nicely again.
It is essential that puppies get this kind of interaction as soon as they have had their third set of vaccines, but don’t worry if your pet has never played with another dog, a couple of hours for a few days at first will acclimatize them to the fun they will have and then a few days per week will keep them healthy and happy.
For owners who work every day, all week, or long hours, it is a life saver both for your dog and for yourself. Now that five minute walk around the block will suffice. Or a few moments of ball toss in the back yard. Or even just sitting down with your pet and stroking them for a few minutes will give them what they need because they have played hard all day long and they just need to know that they still have a place in the home and your heart. And peace reigns in the home because no one is arguing about who has more time to take the dog for a walk.
Will older dogs benefit? Absolutely. Older dogs need interaction too. Sometimes when you go by a doggie day care you will see all the dogs stretched out sleeping and you wonder why people pay for their pet to sleep? A well run day care will watch and call timeouts periodically to ensure the younger dogs are well rested, (like kids they’ll play until they drop before admitting they're tired), and older dogs get tired quicker, (like grandmas & grandpas), so rest time is crucial. I worry when I go past a day care that never seems to have a quiet time, dogs sent home overtired are just as much of a threat as dogs who don’t interact socially at all. For every hour of play, there should be an hour of rest, give or take.
Oh, and don't blame the day care if (or when) your dog learns to talk, that is a small drawback. Now they want to tell all their friends about this great new place they get to go!