To Dog Park or Not Dog Park? (Dog Park & Daycare Edition)

When most people think about socializing their pup the first thing that comes to mind is dog parks and doggy daycares, but is this socialization good for Fido?

Dog Parks:

• The type of experiences your dog will have at a dog park is completely unpredictable making it impossible to create safe socialization experiences every time and it only takes ONE bad interaction to traumatize your dog long term. That's right, just one altercation could change your dog's behavior long term.

• Even if your dog is friendly, well socialized, and typically does well in group play doesn’t mean other dogs utilizing the park are. The unpredictability, lack of structure, and control at dog parks can lead to a traumatic event that could negatively affect your dog for life.

Doggy Daycare:

• Play styles, energy levels, likes, and dislikes vary from dog to dog and will affect how and who your dog enjoys playtime with. Just like dog parks, doggy daycares can be overwhelming and unenjoyable for some dogs. However, there are well-run daycare (not all of them are!) with proper supervision, structure, and training that could work well for your pup. Again, this is not always the case and doggy daycare can be just as detrimental to your dog's behavior and health as dog parks are.

Instead of taking those risks I urge you to play a game of fetch, teach your dog a new trick, or meet up with their best pal for some safe structured play. While this will keep your pup safer from injury and disease, it will also deepen your bond and create a happier and calmer dog overall!