What To Do If You Have Trouble Training Your Dog

Many people shudder at the thought of leaving their animals home alone. Like children, pets require love and attention during the day as well as at night. From this fundamental belief was founded the idea of pet day care. At day care your pet will be fed, groomed, trained and played with any time you are not available to do so.

Pet day care can be divided into two categories: boarding services and actual day care. Boarding services can be found for animals from hamsters to horses, and are particularly useful if an owner is going to be away overnight or for an extended period of time and has no one to care for their pet in their home, or if an owner has insufficient space for the care of a large animal (this is very common in the case of horses).

The focus here is not entirely on training, however. Day cares for dogs are intended to provide a safe, happy place for a dog to go while their owner is at work, and they allow the animals plenty of play time, often complete with canine playground, as well as an in-depth grooming regimen daily; they will clip the dog's nails, clean their ears and eyes, bathe them and trim their coats when it is needed. More in-depth grooming options may be available; however, this varies by facility.

Doggie boot camp is becoming increasingly popular as a way to deal with animals that have simply refused to be trained. A group of professional trainers will work with your dog daily, for several hours a day, teaching them to obey basic commands. Each facility's methods of doing this are different; some use punishment based techniques, while others use rewards and positive reinforcement. This may be a boarding program, where your dog goes to a separate facility for a length of time, sleeping there, or it may be done as a day school, where the owner drops the dog off in the morning and picks them up in the afternoon.

At doggy day care, dogs are cared for by a staff of trained professionals, educated in dog behavior, safety and health management. They are groomed and provided training by an experienced trainer according to their level of knowledge.

In most facilities dogs are separated into groups according to both age and size. As the equipment for small dogs is inadequate for large ones, while large equipment may overwhelm a small dog, this is very important for a pet's well being. The division is usually made at twenty five pounds. Puppies have their own separate area, where they are played with, taught basic training and, just like a young child, are "potty trained" (housebroken). Plenty of personal attention is given, with time allotted for play and naps.

Another trend that is currently sweeping the nation is pet spas. These generally cater only to smaller animals. Here animals are groomed, exercised and pampered in the same manner as humans visiting a spa; their ears, teeth, nails and hair will be cared for, and they will be walked, played with, massaged (if the facility has the appropriately trained staff) and cared for. These services, again, can be found for most small animals, such as dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets and guinea pigs, and may be purchased on a daily basis or for extended periods of time (overnight stays are available in spas with boarding facilities).

Each dog should have its separate space, with plenty of time allotted for feeding and rest, and an isolation area should be available for any animal who becomes uncontrollable. Information on these programs can be obtained online, through your veterinarian, and through the SPCA.