It can get rather boring waiting for you to get
home from work. And if you are gone all day, chances are your dog is bored to
tears!
For a lot of pups, doggy daycare can be a great
solution, offering a place to play with other dogs and get lots of exercise while
their human is away. And for many pet parents, it can help to keep their dogs
fit, mentally engaged and safe. But is doggy
daycare a good choice for all dogs?
While doggy
daycare is certainly furbulous for puppies who need constant supervision
and more potty breaks, can adult dogs reap the benefits of doggy daycare too?
They definitely can! Let’s check out how a doggy daycare can help your adult dog.

What are the benefits of doggy daycare?
Besides being a puptastic place to meet new
pooches and humans, doggy daycare offers a lot to pups and their busy parents. Benefits
can include:
- Socialization – Daycare is a social event, mixing many different kinds of dogs
together to meet, interact and play. For adult dogs, it is crucial that they stay
social, as some can become less tolerant of new canines and situations as they
age. Not only is playing with other dogs fun and exciting, but it’s literally in these
pack animals’ DNA!
- Exercise – Just because your adult dog isn’t quite as energetic as they
were as a puppy doesn’t mean they don’t need exercise. Regular exercise keeps
them healthy, reduces their risk of obesity, and is just plain
fun! A tired dog is a happy dog, and they’ll also be able to relax better when
they get home.
- Mental stimulation – Mental exercise is just as important for dogs as physical
exercise is, and spending time in new environments with new smells, animals and
people stimulates their brain. Plus, many daycares offer games, toys, play and
agility equipment, and even pools to give the dogs new and fun things to
explore.
- Relieves boredom – Bored no more, daycare dogs are busy all day! Between play
sessions, naps, meals and snacks, and more play, most dogs get more than their
fair share of excitement at a daycare. Often, this also reduces any destructive behaviors
they have developed due to boredom, such as chewing the pillows or your shoes.
- Reduces separation anxiety – For dogs who just can’t be alone, doggy daycare offers an
environment where they are never alone. With lots of dogs to play and
cuddle with, and many humans ready to jump in when needed, a daycare dog can
easily furget that they are waiting for their own parent to return in the midst
of all the fun! And while separation anxiety
should also be treated at home, daycare can be a good step in the right
direction.

What are the rules of doggy daycare?
If you decide to explore daycare for your adult dog,
you’ll want to research a few to see which
daycare is the best fit. Once you decide on a daycare that meets your dog’s
needs, you’ll need to find out their rules and policies. Most daycares require:
- Temperament testing – Dogs who play at daycare can’t be aggressive to other dogs or
people. When you sign up, your dog will usually need to pass a behavioral test
to make sure they will interact safely with the other dogs. Sometimes, there is
a fee associated with this test.
- Vaccinations – All dogs entering a daycare will need to be current on their
vaccinations. Generally, they’ll need to be vaccinated for rabies, Bordetella, parvovirus,
and distemper, though individual daycares may have other
requirements as well, such as for the canine flu.
- Spaying and neutering – Most daycares also require that dogs be spayed or neutered
before entering their daycare programs. Unfixed animals can cause problems,
such as aggression caused by females going into heat, or towards unneutered
males.
- Parasite preventions – A lot of daycares also want
your dog to be current on their parasite preventions for heartworm, fleas and
ticks. You’ll need to check with your specific daycare to see if they have
particular requirements.
- Illnesses – Due to the fact that daycare is a
completely social affair that keeps a lot of dogs together in the same space
all day long, dogs who are sick are not allowed to attend to prevent them from
spreading it to others. Dogs will need to stay out of daycare until they are
fully recovered and aren’t contagious.
How do I prepare my adult dog for daycare?
Now that you’ve chosen a daycare, and your dog
is eligible, are they ready to go? Here are some tips to help prepare your
pup for the busy world of daycares.
- Socialize your adult dog – While it’s widely known that you need to socialize pups as
early as possible, most parents don’t realize that socialization should continue
throughout your dog’s life. Adult dogs going into daycare can brush up or
expand their social skills by meeting new dogs and people, and exploring new
places. Walks, visits to dog
parks and playdates with new pups are great ways to do this.
- Schedule a vet visit – Make sure to discuss any health concerns with your vet that may
be affected by the activity and exposure daycare can bring. Also, be sure to
get all the vaccines your daycare requires, as well as parasite preventions. Your
vet may even suggest more actions you can take to keep your furbaby safe during
daycare visits.
- Gradually introduce daycare – Even the friendliest of dogs can get overwhelmed in this highly
stimulating environment, so start slowly. Enroll your dog in a half day of
daycare, one day a week, and take any feedback from staff seriously. This can
alert you to what your dog needs to work on, or tell you if your dog is ready
to plunge
in for more!
- Consider your dog’s specific needs – If your dog is eligible and mostly friendly, but has some
issues to work on, be sure to work on these first before dropping them off for
a day. But if your dog just can’t seem to relax in a daycare environment, is
prone to aggression, or isn’t eligible for whatever reason, you may need to
look for an alternative to daycare.

Is doggy daycare right for my dog?
If your dog is vaccinated, friendly and
outgoing, and loves to mix it up with strange pooches, then daycare is pawfect
for them! You’ll have a happy and tired pooch at pickup time that’ll be ready
for more the next day.
However, for some dogs, daycare can be an
overwhelming and stressful experience. For an anxious or unsocialized pup, all
the noise of so many dogs running around can be downright terrifying. Daycares don’t
always offer personalized care for dogs who are more human focused or scared of
new dogs or places. And the risk of picking up bad behaviors or illnesses from
other dogs is high. Not to mention the fact that daycare
can be expensive, and not all dogs are eligible to attend.
Doggy daycare may not be a good fit
for:
- Dogs who haven’t been vaccinated, spayed or
neutered, or aren’t currently on parasite prevention
- Dogs who get overstimulated easily
- Dogs who are dog aggressive, or less tolerant of
other dogs
- Dogs who are easily stressed
- Anxious, scared dogs
- Unsocialized dogs
- Dogs who do better with one-on-one personalized attention
- Dogs with health issues
For adult dogs who just aren’t suited for the
daycare lifestyle, there are still ways to keep them busy, social and safe while
you are away.
Alternatives to doggy daycare can include:
- Smaller daycares that offer more personalized
attention and a smaller canine group inside a caregiver’s home.
- Breaking up your dog’s day at their own home by booking a dog walker for a 20 to 60-minute stroll that reduces boredom and engages your dog in some physical and mental stimulation.
- Schedule a drop-in visit with Wag! that is completely customizable and let's your pooch stay inside their own home where they feel safe. These 20-minute
visits from pawrific 5-star caregivers can cover potty breaks, play and cuddle sessions,
medication administrations and more, and offer the best alternative
to daycare for dogs. And at an average cost of just $13 - $16, drop-in visits are much cheaper than daycare. Book a drop-in visit with Wag! today to give your dog some sunshine in their day!