We always hear how dogs thrive on routine and it’s because it’s so true! A consistent lifestyle for your dog will reduce stress and anxiety. Just like humans, dogs find comfort in familiarity. We’re all creatures of habit. When a dog regularly comes into daycare, it’s a familiar place with people, other dogs, and smells they know. That nervous first day is not an issue for our regular dogs and it’s so apparent in their comfort level.

Remember when it was your first day of school, the nervousness of a new place mixed with all those new people. It can be quite overwhelming, but you got over it, didn’t you? You were forced to go every day. Before you knew it, you were making friends while playing and learning new things! Maybe you were even looking forward to it. It’s the exact same thing for dogs!

Just having your pup in doggy daycare has so many benefits and these benefits are dramatically enhanced with regular visits. Sparse visits with a lot of time in between might mean your pup won’t have as fun of a stay as they could because each time back might feel like a first day all over again. It’s just like when you were a kid and had to miss a week of school, it was kind of strange coming back but it would just take a bit of time to get back into the swing of things. It’s not always fun being the new kid, or dog.

Other aspects of your dog’s life should also be kept to a routine. Walks, meals, and bedtimes are all interrelated. When your dog eats will determine when they need a walk to relieve themselves when they go on walks to exercise will determine when they need rest and so on. Doing all these things will help reduce stress and anxiety for your dog, and in return, you’ll get to relax a little too!