Part of the fun of being a dog is playing with other dogs. What appears to be roughhousing to you is actually just the way dogs play. There are certain ways to tell if it’s play or fighting
Dogs Playing is Socializing
Dog Day Getaway staff can ultimately tell when the play may be getting too rough, but the dogs know better and eventually everyone goes to a quiet place to rest. That is of course until it’s time to play again!
Understand that the way in which dogs playing is their way of socializing and exploring the world around them. At our Apple Valley doggie daycare, the DDG staff watch for aggressive play. While we take time to meet with each dog prior to be allowed into the facility, some dogs just like to play rough.
Dogs that aren’t afforded the opportunity to play don’t often have the intuition of stance and positive play. These dogs tend to be on guard and may not understand body signals and vocal signals from the other dogs. Which is why it’s important to have your dog interact at either a dog park or here at our Apple Valley doggie daycare facility.
Dog play is essentially a moderated action, and the dogs do the moderating! Dogs that are familiar to play will find other dogs with which to play with and both have an understanding of how far to take it.
Dog to dog play is also essential in developing good physical and mental health. With the interaction comes the knowledge of how to play with other dogs and what the queues are that stop the play if it’s getting too rough. Most dogs will sneeze, yawn or scratch to go into cool down period… but playtime doesn’t stop! The other dog simply takes the cue that they should back off momentarily.
We’d like to offer you and your dog the opportunity to come visit our dog daycare facility to see our guests at play. We have an outdoor area with brand new grass, sometimes a sprinkler and pools – and of course lots of friends to play with.
