Dogs are not unlike humans when it comes to play time. Play is beneficial for wide variety of reasons, most notably that it is great for overall mental and physical health – and unfortunatly, neither dogs nor their humans get enough of it!
We talk a lot about puppy obedience and dog training – but playcare is an important part of your dog’s healthy development as well.
Studies have shown that play is great for your dog – but more importantly. a lack of play can be detrimental. Dogs who do not get enough interaction in the form of playtime can exhibit anxiety and aggression, as well as a wide range of other undesirable behaviors. These can include excessive barking, digging, pulling on the leash, whining, and ignoring commands.
What Play – and Playcare – Offers
Playcare is like daycare, only with lots of play time for your puppy! Having your dogs in a structured social setting helps them to learn polite behavior around other animals, and is a safe way to allow your dog to explore their socialization. Skilled trainers monitor the play, and allow your dog to experience new dogs, smells and situations.
Keeping your dog well-exercised helps to battle obesity and a variety of diseases, and as mentioned, tends to naturally straighten out other behavioral problems rooted in anxiety and fear. Your dog will also build their confidence and draw upon their pack instinct. Although a dog park may also provide these benefits, a structured playcare environment offer more supervision and training – in fact, many facilities will offer one-on-one time with trained personnel to ensure that your dog’s enrichment experience is as fulfilling as possible.
A dog who routinely exercises will get into less trouble at home for a very simple reason – a tired dog is a happy dog who doesn’t get into mischief! When you leave your dog at playcare, you can be guaranteed that your dog will not only get plenty of activity, but plenty of solid rest afterwards.
Is Your Dog Playing Enough?
A recent study by the University of Bristol showed that dogs require play well into their adulthood, and that much of their preferred play is a derivation from their hunting instincts. This is why they like to chase and fetch, as well as tear and pull at toys. In fact, play is such a part of your dog’s makeup that he will often try to prolong play with you – by deliberately slowing down, leaving a toy just out of your reach, or running away from you when you get close.
DID YOU KNOW? Dogs should have 4 to 6 sessions of playtime per day, whether running around a yard, playing fetch, or tugging on the other end of a rope. Your dog loves playing with you most of all, but a dog park is a great way for him to run out all of his energy. You may not have considered playcare – but you should!
Because of busy lives, however, most people do not spend nearly enough time playing with their dogs. Owners report rarely finding enough time to walk their dogs, let alone play with them. There are several ways which you can remedy this situations, but one of the best is a structured playcare program. If you live in the Sarasota or Bradenton area, we would like to introduce you to Gulf Coast K9 Dog Training and our playcare sessions.
These types of programs not only allow for socialization and adequate exercise, but can relieve the pressure you feel about providing your dog with a happy and fulfilling life.
