Does Dog Daycare Help With Socialization?

Dog daycare can help with socialization and it can be a great alternative to leaving your pet home alone all day while you’re at work. Even if you can’t afford to send your dog every day, two or three days a week is enough to help them learn how to behave around other dogs and to get used to interacting with new dogs. This is especially useful if your dog is an only pet.

Is Dog Daycare Right For All Dogs?

While doggy daycare is a great resource for many dogs, some pet parents should find another way to socialize their pet. Examples of situations when doggy daycare may not be right for your dog include:

Pet Has Not Yet Had Full Vaccine Series

When kids go off to kindergarten, they are exposed to all kinds of germs from the other kids. The same is true of doggy daycare. If your pet is not fully immunized against parvo and other diseases, it’s best not to send them to doggy daycare. Talk to your doctor about whether your pet is ready for such an environment.

Dog Has Shown Signs of Aggression or Is Too Shy

If your dog is aggressive or very shy, attending doggy daycare is not a cure. In fact, being around so many dogs and lots of strange activity could bring out the aggression or be overwhelming. It’s not fair to the other pet parents to take a chance with their pets’ safety by sending an aggressive dog into a daycare situation and it’s not kind to a very shy dog to overwhelm them in a busy dog daycare.

Dog Is Not Fixed

Many doggy daycares will not allow pets who are not fixed to attend. If you find one that does, you run the risk that your dog will come home pregnant or get another dog pregnant. There are many reasons it’s beneficial to have your dog fixed, so if you want to send them to daycare, consider talking to your vet about the surgery.

Dog daycare can be a wonderful way to help with socialization for some dogs. Remember that not all dog daycare facilities are equal. Before signing your dog up, do a couple of pop-in visits (without calling first) to see if think the environment is the right fit for your four-legged family member.