Austin Dog Trainer Blog

Why we changed our Austin Dog Daycare!

We recently made some major changes to the way we run our Austin Doggie Daycare and we're very happy that we did!  Our new dog daycare routine is working better for the staff and the dogs. 

As dog trainers, we've always known that dog daycare can be a wonderful thing for dogs or a breeding ground for problem behaviors.  When you bring together large groups of dogs, the potential for dogs to become overstimulated and cranky is very high.  Dogs can also learn very rough play styles or one dog may be picked on or bullied by other dogs.  Because of this, we have always had a strict policy of having nap times for dogs throughout the day and we kept our play groups at about 7 dogs per group.  Recently, I decided that this still wasn't good enough.

Young, exuberant dogs continued to engage in play that was too rough and, although our playgroups were small and supervised, our staff were having to time out dogs left and right or try to address problem behaviors in too many dogs at one time.  We simply weren't being effective! 

Last week, we made the switch to a new routine and the difference is amazing!  We have continued to have nap times, but the dogs also have Kong time where they're working on stuffed Kongs, bully stick time where they get to chew on a yummy bully stick, and one-on-one time with a staff member doing tricks training or other mental stimulation games.  Naturally, they still have play sessions with other dogs, but we match two to three dogs in short play sessions where one staff member is specifically helping those dogs to interact appropriately.  The dogs seem to be loving the new system and so are we!  Time outs are drastically reduced, our staff is more cheerful and relaxed, and the dogs get plenty of exercise, socialization, and one-on-one attention without learning poor manners or becoming overstimulated.  Because of the extra snack times, we've had to have owners bring their dogs' breakfast and dinner in to daycare so that we can use their kibble for part of their Kong stuffing mixture.  After all, we don't want a bunch of overweight dogs walking around!  That was an easy enough change to make, though! 

If you're bringing your dog to a doggy day care, take the time to ask how many play sessions your dog will have, what kind of dogs they'll be paired with, how long the play sessions will last, how poor play manners are addressed, what else the dogs will do during their day, and how many dogs will be in your dog's play group.   We're a fairly small, unique daycare so you may not be able to find a dog daycare in your area that does things quite like we do, but it's worth a good hard search to find the right setting for your dog!

Cara, a much more relaxed and happy dog daycare owner!

How often should your dog go to dog daycare?

As the owner of a dog daycare in central Austin, I'm sure most people would expect me to say 365 days a year!  After all, the more often your dog comes to my Austin dog daycare, the better off my pocketbook would be, right?   My pocketbook might be better off if your dog came to dog daycare every day, but my sanity, your dog, and all of the other dogs that attend my Austin dog daycare center with your dog would certainly suffer!

Dog daycare can be a wonderful way to help your dog burn energy and practice their social skills, but, as we all know, too much of a good thing can go wrong!  Most dogs do very nicely with one to two days of doggy daycare per week.  Some high-energy, well-socialized dogs can even do well with three days, however, I watch the three-a-weekers at my Austin dog daycare facility very carefully and give them an extra nap or two towards the end of the week.  And, if I have a dog that needs to attend our dog daycare five days a week because of a health issue or separation anxiety, I make sure that they have some nice long naps and some extra quiet time out in the lobby with me.  This helps to keep the potential for crankiness in check.

It's sort-of like vacationing with your family.  The first couple of days, it's great being all together and having endless quality time to catch up.  By about day four or five, you begin to need a little quiet time to yourself so you don't start stepping on each others' toes too much. 

If you're sending your dog off to dog daycare, make sure you're not overdoing it!  Pick a two or three day schedule that works for you and your dog - trust me, they'll play so much in those few days that they'll sleep on the days that they're at home.  After all, they have to catch up on that sleep sometime!

For fun pictures of our Austin dog daycare dogs playing, visit our Austin dog daycare webpage!

Cara, Austin Dog Training, Behavior, and Daycare

Why should your dog go to dog daycare?

There are so many, many reasons! 

1 - To give you a little breather!

2 - To learn to play well and socialize with other dogs.

3 - Weight loss - we have a wonderful Chihuahua that's been coming to our Austin Dog Daycare for about 4 months now.  He was quite overweight when he started coming to daycare.  We got him some exercise, used his dog kibble instead of treats during daycare, and kept him much more active then he would be at home.  And, he gets lots of snuggling, too!  He comes twice a week and he has lost about 4 lbs so far - for an overweight chi, that's quite a lot of his body weight!  It's so nice to see his little waistline appearing - he looks like a really healthy little guy now!

4 - To interact with other people - this is an important part of socialization too! 

5 - To perfect their toy mutilating, stuffing removing, ball chasing skills.

Now, how many days should your dog attend daycare?  As little as once a month can be beneficial, although most dogs would do quite well with one to two visits per week.  Unless your dog has separation anxiety, I wouldn't recommend bringing your dog to dog daycare more than three days a week.  Five days really tends to be way too much - dogs need some down time and a little time away from other dogs just as much as they need time with them.  I also highly recommend finding a dog daycare that does naptime during the day.  We have a mandatory naptime for all of the dogs at our Austin Dog Daycare and it helps prevent cranky, crabby attitudes in the afternoon.  Now, I just have it set it up so the STAFF can have naptime too!

Cara Vacchiano, Austin dog training and dog daycare

Austin dog daycare dogs: they're at it again!

Our Austin Dog Daycare dogs were caught being adorable YET AGAIN!  It's almost like they can't help themselves!  A student trainer in our Austin Dog Training Program caught these cute shots:

"Is there anything in my teeth?"

"Ms. Cara, um, I was just wondering . . . are we allowed to bring can openers to daycare?  I mean, just to play with, you know."

"See how ferocious I can be even when I'm laying down?  Fear me, little people!"

Cara, Austin Dog Daycare