Why Daycare Is the Best Thing For Your Dog Right Now

Let’s admit it, staying home and spending all day with our furry companions has been the highlight of the pandemic.  But now that more of us are going back to the office, how can we lessen the inevitable stress your pup will experience?  That is where we come in!  Enrolling your pup in daycare is the perfect answer to your pup’s blues.  Here are some reasons why you should give doggy daycare a try. 

There are many benefits to doggy daycare

Instead of wallowing away at home and struggling with post-quarantine separation anxiety, your furry friend gets to enjoy all the benefits that come with doggy daycare.  

Some benefits include:

• Exercising all day
• Running around with other dogs
• Going on long, fun walks with our staff and playing fetch
• Lots of affection and attention from staff
• Peace of mind for you, the owner
• A sense of routine for your pup

Our staff also puts a great emphasis on reinforcing good behavior.  This reinforcement comes in the form of training your pooch to behave and respond to commands.  

Before daycare, you came home to a dog with pent-up energy from laying around all day.  Perhaps you even came home to a dug-up yard because your dog was left home alone.  But now, after enrolling your dog in daycare, you get to come home to a happy, tuckered out pup who is ready to enjoy a quiet, calm night with you. 

Socialization is very important for dogs

Dog socialization is crucial for your dog’s overall health.  At doggy daycare, your dog will make new friends, as they run around and play with other dogs for hours on end.  This will make your dog physically and emotionally content.  If you drop off your dog regularly at the doggy daycare, your dog will most likely see many of the same dogs every time and form strong bonds with them.  They’ll even make new BFFs! As we all know, dogs are social animals, and this will make your dog extremely happy. Daycare essentially offers a socialization aspect with other dogs that even you cannot provide. 

Doggy daycare does not have to be expensive!

Oftentimes, people shy away from enrolling their dog in daycare because they hold the assumption that daycare is expensive.  However, daycare is a lot more affordable than you think!  If you do some research, you will find that a lot of facilities have specials and discounted rates that you can take advantage of.  There is also the option of taking your dog to daycare only several times a week as opposed to every day to help cut costs. 

Find the right daycare for your dog

Just like anything else, it is important to find the right fit for your dog.  You are essentially trusting the daycare to give your dog the love and attention they deserve, and you want your dog to be given the most excellent care possible.  Doggy daycare would be your dog’s home away from home.  

Here are a few things to look out for when choosing the right doggy daycare for you:

1. Make sure there are protocols in place to protect your dog’s health.  Every dog must submit proof that they are up to date on vaccines before being enrolled in the program. 
2. Ask about the staff-to-dog ratio in the doggy daycare.  You want to make sure that there are enough staff members to safely monitor playtime between dogs.  Even among the most socialized dogs, fights can still happen, so multiple trained staff should be on standby to make sure that no one gets hurt.
3. Look for a daycare that is in constant communication with the pet parent.  Getting an in-depth report of your dog’s day at daycare will ease your nerves and make you feel like your pup is getting the attention and love they deserve.
4. During your tour of the facility, make sure that there is proper fencing in the premises so that you are confident in your pup’s safety.  Ask yourself — does the facility seem spacious, clean, and comfortable enough for your pooch?

Check out K9U for our doggy daycare program

At K9U, we are proud to have many satisfied, and returning doggy parents.  We have an excellent doggy daycare program where we focus on the holistic health of your dog.  We train them, play with them, and even offer grooming services!  We offer many services that you can check out here, and do not hesitate to contact us for more information on how to enroll your dog in doggy daycare at K9U. 

THIS ARTICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AT: https://k9uchicago.com/blog/benefits-of-dog-daycare/

Agility Training – A Fun Activity for Your Dog

 

Dog agility training is a great, fun activity for both dog and dog owners. It might look like a tough discipline for a dog to master, but you will quickly find that many dogs are good at being taught how to crawl under logs, weave through posts or walk over see-saws.

If you have an energetic dog, then dog agility training is a superb way to direct their energy to something that is rewarding and beneficial. Agility training strengthens the bond between dogs and their owners and it can make your dog more confident.

Will Your Dog Enjoy and Benefit from Agility Training?

There’s no fool-proof way to know whether your dog would enjoy agility training, but it’s a good idea to talk to your vet to find out if he or she has any recommendations. Also, consider your dog’s energy level and personality when researching your options.

All breeds of dogs can participate in dog agility training. Australian Shepherds are known to be very good at agility trails.  This doesn’t mean that you can’t start training your Poodle or Dachshund. As a dog owner, you should decide when to enroll your dog in agility training.  Most people start with this type of training between the ages of one and two. When you show up for your first dog agility class, you will see all shapes, sizes and ages of dogs running through tunnels, jumping over barriers and climbing up ramps

If your dog becomes proficient at the training, then he can move on to compete against other dogs. Dogs and their owners compete as a team during competitions. And, this will also strengthen your bond. During competitions, the judges score the dogs on their ability to navigate the obstacles and also on the time they take to complete the course. The training course that you enroll in will teach you all of the finer details related to competition rules.

Should you Enroll your Pup in Agility Training?

Obviously, agility training requires focus and discipline. If your dog is not old enough for agility training, or you fear that the dog might injure himself on the obstacles, then you can always consider basic obedience training. This is a great alternative and can help you teach your dog basic commands.

The only way to know whether your dog will enjoy agility training is to give it a go. Contact K9 University in Chicago for more information today.

THIS ARTICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AT: https://k9uchicago.com/blog/agility-training-fun-activity-dog/

Interested In Competing with Your Dog? Consider Competition Agility Training

You have just completed some beginner agility training, seen the immense benefits of agility training, and found yourself with a much happier pup.  You feel like your communication is improving and your bond with your pup is improving.  What comes next for agility training with your dog? You would now embark on some more advanced, competition agility training!

Your next step is to join the intermediate agility class! 

We take dogs ages above six months old for this program.  In order to participate in this intermediate group class, we require that you have taken and completed the puppy or beginner class with us.  Even if you have had previous agility training, we require that you retake the beginner class with us because our expert trainers teach foundational skills differently.  

We designed this program so that it lasts for five weeks.  However, your dog will remain at this level until your pup has successfully mastered every skill.  For example, one important skill that the intermediate agility class introduces is sequencing.  This is when we put all the obstacles together and focus on the handling and communication skills between the owner and the dog.  So once we have mastered sequencing among all other skills, your dog will be all set to officially move onto the competition agility group!  

The Agility Competition Class

This group is also called the advanced agility class.  We will once again walk through all the foundational skills so that the owner and dog are comfortable with all the skills. Your dog will learn advanced skills like how to “threadle”, which teaches our dogs to take the “non-obvious” side of a jump. There is a greater emphasis on independence in this advanced agility class. 

Once you get through all the handling and foundational skills, this group focuses on all components of the sport.  During this program, we spend a lot of time focusing on training you, the handler.

Our philosophy at K9U is that the dog never makes a mistake during agility training.

In fact, we believe that the handler either cued wrong or didn’t train well enough with the dog.  You, as the handler, are learning how to communicate with your dog via body language and trained behavior.  This mindset is what sets our program apart from others.  We focus heavily on communication and on establishing those foundational skills so that when we do work on communication, we are not hindered by gaps in skills.  

At the end of this program, our goal is to have you and your dog become a team. 

Our ultimate goal is for you to become a team that communicates well and has mastered all the foundational skills.  Any breed and any age above 18 months old can compete in agility competition programs.  If you have any interest in training your dog, or even have any interest in developing a stronger connection and communication with your dog, agility training is the answer for you!

If you would like to see a competition agility course, check out this Crufts agility competition – the world’s most famous international agility competition.

We offer a wide variety of different training classes at K9U. 

If you would like to further explore and enroll your puppy in agility competition training, learn more about the many classes available at K9U.  We have many experienced trainers who can consult with you on either beginning or continuing agility training with your dog.  We also offer obedience classes, if you would like to start there.   

We would love to hear from you!

Please contact us if you would like to talk more about enrolling your puppy for agility training!

THIS ARTICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AT: https://k9uchicago.com/blog/agility-competition-training/

Thinking of Enrolling your Dog in Puppy Agility Training?

Agility is a fun, fast-paced dog sport that includes a series of obstacles like tunnels, jumps, A-frames, and weave poles. Puppy benefit from agility programs because as household pets, it is hard to give them exercise that they instinctively need and desire. Our puppy agility training program provides this outlet for them and helps stimulate your puppies mentally and physically. Not only that, but agility training is an excellent way for you to build your bond and communication skills with your puppy. Let’s talk more in-depth about the puppy agility training program, how it is different from the beginner agility training, and if it is the right fit for you.

Our Puppy Agility Training program is designed for ages four months to nine months.

The only prerequisite for our puppy agility program is that you are enrolled or have previously taken puppy classes with us. If you have taken agility courses elsewhere, our trainers will perform an evaluation to decide the placement of your puppy.

The biggest difference with the puppy agility course is that we take certain precautions because they are still growing. Their joints have not closed yet, and the last thing we want is for your puppy to be injured. As a result, we do not have our puppies jump over bars or practice weaving because they are hard on the joints.

If your pup is older than nine months, we will place them in the beginner agility training group.

The prerequisite for this training group is that you have done puppy/beginner obedience training with us in the past. If you have taken obedience training classes elsewhere, we will perform an evaluation to decide the placement of your pup.

The beginner class is very similar to the puppy class in that we will cover all the foundational skills -- just at a different speed. That is because puppies learn at a quicker speed, while it comes at the expense of a shorter attention span. Therefore, we like to separate puppies from dogs to maximize the class’ productivity.

Another difference for the beginner group is that we will actually be doing some jumping and weaving training if your dog is over the age of 18-24 months. However, this is also depending on the size of the dog, and our experienced trainers will be advising you accordingly. We only do jumping and weaving training if we have determined that your dog’s joints have closed.

What are the four types of obstacles in agility training?

Through the course of the fifteen weeks that your pup is in our program, our trainers will walk you through these four fundamental skills.

Jumps

We practice jumping over different obstacles like tires, and we sometimes practice jumps with nothing to it. We also do jumps with wings on both sides. The jumps with wings on both sides tend to be more difficult for dogs because there is a bit more space between the handler and the dog. Puppies do get to learn this skill, but we just do not have them jump bars high off the ground. Instead, we use a placeholder bar that is set on the ground so it is easier on their joints.

Tunnels

These tunnels can be straight, curved, and even put under other obstacles. Tunnels are a test of confidence because a dog cannot see past the curves. But once they start to understand how tunnels work, we find that it is usually the most fun obstacle for dogs.

Contacts

This skill involves a big balance beam that the dog needs to run across. It is important that the teeter touches the ground before they jump off. Most dogs try to jump off before the teeter touches the ground, and this is a skill that we work on in class.

Weaves

This is when the dog bounces through 12 poles. We do not cover this aspect in the puppy program because it is hard on the joints.

Whether a puppy of a beginner, Support your dog’s need for agility training!

At K9 University Chicago, our canine experts are here to assist you with any of your dog’s needs. If you would like to check out an overview about our different dog agility training programs, we have a resource guide on our K9U Blog.

We even offer doggie daycare and day training camps -- both of which you can register for here! We offer personalized training and thorough socialization to help you address any particular behavioral challenges you want to address and provide you daily communication, pictures, and video for you to view the dog’s progress.

We would love to hear from you!

Please contact us if you would like to talk more about enrolling your puppy for agility training!

THIS ARTICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AT: https://k9uchicago.com/blog/puppy-agility-training/