It’s natural to protective of your dog. You want the best for it and, selfishly, you want its unconditional love. Turning your dog over to a daycare center can seem daunting, not least because you worry your dog will begin to develop bonds with a new group of people in a new environment.

Thus, some owners might be wary of giving it a go.

However, dogs crave company

The first thing to point out is that a dog left alone day in, day out, is going to suffer from incredible emotional stress. Almost all breeds need company – and moreover, stimulation. If you’re weighing up the pros and cons of a daycare center, consider the regularity and duration with which your dog is alone. If it’s a regular occurrence, loyalty and relationships shouldn’t even come into it. You have a duty of care to provide your animal with a safe space that it can get stimulation from.

Energy and intention is important

The next important point is that dogs are incredibly receptive to energy and intention. If you take your dog to a daycare center and inhabit the mindset that it’s going to affect your relationship, then it very well might. Not because the daycare center is to blame, but because you’re operating under a different set of parameters. Your energy and intention is leading the dance, and external factors have nothing to do with it.

Over time, your dog will start to anticipate a visit to daycare if it becomes a common event. How he or she reacts is likely to reflect the way you’re reacting. If this feels like a chore to you, and your energy is palpably negative, you can bet your dog will draw a corollary between the trip and the energy you’re exhibiting.

Doggy daycare centers are run by experts

Rest assured, daycare centers are set up to cater to different breeds, to different temperaments, to dogs of different ages. One of the great benefits of trusting in such a system? Your dog learns valuable socializing skills. It inhabits an environment ripe with stimulation. Provided you give your dog care and attention when s/he’s at home, and you make exercise together part and parcel of your routine, you’ll benefit from a happy and socialized animal that isn’t spending long periods of the day alone.