You love your dog and would spend all your time with him if you could, but you need to work to pay the bills too. Your dog doesn't understand this and gets lonely in your absence. In fact, you might even describe his behavior while you're away as destructive. The official name for this behavior issue is separation anxiety and it's a leading reason why many people surrender their dogs to animal shelters. This is especially sad when many solutions exist to curb destructive behavior by dogs, including doggy daycare.
When you enroll your dog in a daycare program at Minnesota Veterinary Hospital, she gets the care and attention that she needs while you're gone from the home working many hours each day. That means you pick up a well-behaved dog who's a bit worn-out from the day's activities. While she's happy to see you, her behavior will likely be more subdued so you can better enjoy the evening activities together. Below, we explore three other reasons why choosing doggy daycare is a loving and responsible thing to do.
Built-In Socialization Opportunities
You want your dog to get along with other dogs while you're out for a walk, enjoying the dog park, or visiting with family and friends. Doggy daycare allows her to play and socialize with dogs of all breeds, sizes, and temperaments. Timid dogs will learn to hold their own and more aggressive dogs will learn their place in the pack and that they can't always be the one in charge.
Everyone Needs a Change of Scenery
Your dog may love his home and still benefit from spending time away from it. It's like a mini-vacation for him where he gets to see and explore different things than he would at home. He also gets the chance to have other people love and pay attention to him.
Knowing Your Dog is in Good Hands Lowers Your Stress Level
Sometimes you intend to be home at 5:00 p.m. and must work on a last-minute deadline instead. In the meantime, your dog is ready for supper and needs to go outside to relieve himself. When your dog is safe and happy at our daycare, you can focus on work knowing he won't go hungry or eliminate in the house.
If you don't have a friend or relative available during the day, you may hire a dog walker or someone to look in on your dog who you didn't previously know. This always carries some degree of risk, but you might not feel like you have a choice. Bringing your dog to our facility gives you one less thing to worry about while you're at work. Once your dog becomes accustomed to the routine, she will look forward to the car ride with you.
Want to learn more about doggy daycare at Minnesota Veterinary Hospital? Just give us a call at 651-484-3331. We also offer on-site boarding for when you're out of town.
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