How do I know if my dog likes daycare? This is a question that certainly must come to the mind of dog owners. If you are the owner of a dog, you must bring them to a dog daycare whenever you are going to work.
In such a case, it would benefit you to know whether your dog likes going to daycare.
This article will deal with precisely this topic and some pros and cons of taking your dog to daycare.
How Do I Know if My Dog Likes Daycare?
Unfortunately, there is no concrete way to know whether your dog wants to go to daycare with you. There will be several factors you will have to take into consideration; let us delve a bit further into such:
Watch how your dog behaves in the morning before going
Is your dog wagging their tail in excitement about going to the dog daycare? Your dog may try to prepare for his day of going to the daycare as effortlessly as you; your dog might even pull on your leg because of the hurry.
They might even seem slightly sad if you cancel your trip to the daycare for any reason.
If your dog isn’t excited or does not want to go, that would mean they have a slight discomfort with the thought of going to the daycare, they may even refuse to go out of the house at all, and you may have to rough house with your dog a bit before going out.
It is important to note what sort of reaction they give on the day of going to the daycare. Before going to the daycare, this interaction can be a significant sign of “how do I know if my dog likes daycare,” as it can be speculative of what your dog wants.
Watch how your dog reacts when you pull up to the daycare
This is undoubtedly one of the main factors you will have to note: to see how your dog reacts when you go to the daycare.
After all, dogs are candid creatures and never try to hide their emotions. If they are excited and jumping with unbridled joy whenever you go to the daycare, that means they aren’t scared of going in and will enjoy the daycare.
If they get scared, start whining quietly, or are too anxious when you pull up to the daycare, your dog is uncomfortable with the thought of going inside the daycare.
This is one of the signs that may answer your question, “how do I know if my dog likes daycare?” Do make sure to check your dog’s reaction when entering the daycare.
Watch how your dog interacts with the daycare’s staff
A dog’s wagging tail can be a great sign of whether he is excited or not; if a dog’s tail is wagging at the sight of the daycare staff members, then that means they are more or less comfortable with the staff and would thoroughly enjoy their day at the place.
Your dog may also try to lick the members or play with them if they are genuinely comfortable.
If they show apprehension, bark at the members angrily, or refuse to leave your side, that would be a great sign of the dog not wanting to even stay at the daycare.
Your dog might be aggressive with other dogs around him
If you hear or even see that your dog is being slightly aggressive with other dogs at the daycare, that would be a sign of your dog not liking the atmosphere around the daycare and venting out the frustration at the other dogs.
You could pick this up as one of the potential answers to “how do I know if my dog likes daycare” as your dog may harass other dogs due to not liking the dog daycare.
The staff might not inform you about what your dog does at the daycare and are unprofessional
One of the alarming signs of “how do I know if my dog likes daycare” are the staff themselves; if they refuse to tell you about how your dog is tended to or don’t even know about what your dog did at the daycare, that would be a sign of pure negligence.
You may also feel that the staff isn’t properly trained to handle dogs and sometimes exhibit unprofessional behavior.
Your dog may look malnourished and might not even want to go for a walk in the park sometimes, and you might get scared of other dogs quickly. If you experience these signs with your dog, it might be an appropriate time to change the dog daycare to a new one.
Make sure to check the Dog Daycare Scorecard/Report card
You may check the Dog Daycare report card to see how your dog interacted while at the daycare; if they were playful and relatively comfortable inside while playing with other dogs, they might like the dog daycare after all.
You are keeping track of the report cards for the dog daycare. If your report card states that your dog didn’t do any activity while inside, was aggressive, and overall was uncooperative, your dog may not like the daycare. This can help with your query of “how do I know if my dog likes daycare” immensely.
Pros and Cons of a Dog Daycare
Dog daycare is mainly used for keeping your dog safe while you are away on a business trip, off to meet family members who may not like dogs, or are unable to tend to your dog due to personal reasons. A proper dog daycare will make sure that your dog gets the following:
- A proper workout regime for your dog. The trained staff will give your dog several workout activities to keep the dog in a healthy and fit shape.
- Separation anxiety from the owner will be reduced. A proper daycare might ensure that your dog learns to behave appropriately and calmly while separated from the owner so as not to be frightened while the owner is away from them.
- Your dog will be given a proper diet. A dog daycare will ensure to keep track of your dog’s diet while feeding them several supplements and foods to keep them healthy.
- Your dog’s socialization skills will increase. Being in a dog daycare can help a dog overcome their social anxiety by interacting with other dogs their size along with other humans, making them more confident and extroverted in terms of socialization.
- You will have peace of mind knowing your dog is safe. If you are worried about your dog unintentionally destroying your property while hurting themselves, then keeping your dog at a dog daycare can bring peace of mind knowing that they are safe under a watching eye.
A good dog daycare will ensure your dog’s physical appearance by trimming their fur and nails and keeping them well groomed.
On the other hand, many dogs may not have a good time at a dog daycare as some might not be up to the standards due to several reasons:
- The staff might not be trained for dogs. This can be one of the biggest concerns of a traditional dog daycare, the staff might be untrained in dogs, and they might mishandle your dog.
- Risk of infection and other disorders. If the dog daycare is not following a proper sanitation procedure, your dog might be at risk of a nasty infection and fall ill; it is essential to note this.
- Your dog might be overwhelmed by constant coming in and out of various people. Your dog may not like seeing people coming in to see the dogs and going out; your dog might even develop a phobia of crowds.
- Other dogs might not be so friendly. Your dog may not have a good time with other dogs who may be slightly aggressive with your dog and force him into a defensive position most of the time.
- Expenses might add up. Like it or not, a dog daycare will cost a bit to keep your dog in it (an average of $25 or more, even for more extensive dog daycare facilities); this can be a slight impediment in the way of keeping your dog at the daycare.
While it can be a good idea to keep your dog at daycare, every dog will have different reactions to daycare, and it will ultimately take a lot of work and tracking to know whether your dog likes a dog daycare.
With this, your question of “how do I know if my dog likes daycare” should hopefully be answered, make sure to choose a proper daycare to keep your precious furry buddy safe!
