Is Every Dog Enjoying Off-Leash Play?

Off-leash dog play was created as a safe, fun and enjoyable environment for social dogs, but are the dogs always having fun?  Keep reading to find out if a tired dog is really the best measure of success in off-leash play  and get a free download to find out “Are the Dogs Having Fun.”

Off-leash play was created as a safe, fun and enjoyable environment for social dogs. Is every dog that attends your off-leash playgroups enjoying their day?  A common marketing angle used to get dog owners to pay for social play services was the benefit of a tired dog from a full day of play.  Has the success of setting this expectation for clients as the focus of off-leash play created a problem for the dogs that attend?   We feel exhaustion cannot be the only measure of success in off-leash play.

What is Success?

Defining success of off-leash play services must first focus on what is in the best interest of the dogs that attend.  Each dog should:

• enjoy the social interactions,
• be physically safe and
• leave play behaviorally better than when he arrived.

Off-leash play sessions that keep this focus will result in a dog that is tired at the end of the day, but may not be exhausted.

In contrast a dog that is constantly pinned, rolled, or hiding during social interactions is not having fun.  The result will be that the dog is exhausted when he gets home.  Is it fair to these dogs to call their day at play a success?  Is this really what dog owners want for their dogs?

Pet Care Professionals

 Dog owners depend on pet professionals to provide services that are in the best interest of their dog. 

They also like a dog that is tired at the end of the day so owners naturally focus on the quantity of time the dog interacts in play.  We believe our industry needs to change the focus away from quantity of time to the quality of the social experiences.  This focus is in the best interest of the dog, but will require educating dog owners to understand the difference.

Let’s consider this from a scenario where you are choosing a preschool for your child and you have two options at the same price:

Option A – Your child will be supervised from 8 am to 5 pm as they play with others.  Toys are available for games and sitters watch all the children to prevent physical injury.  The center is clean, staff friendly and they serve lunch at mid-day.  Success is measured by keeping each child physically safe and sending them home exhausted.  Some days seem like a free-for-all, but as long as no one gets hurt during a fight we had a great day.

Option B – Your child will be supervised from 8 am to 5 pm and participate in set activities during the day.  Activity sessions include learning games led by professionally trained staff, playtime with other children in their age group with toys and story time.  Between activity sessions your child will have rest periods in morning and afternoon.  They will be served a mid-day lunch.  Success is measured by mental  learning through games, good social play with other children and going home happy and tired.  Days are structured with planned activities that challenge children mentally and emotionally to develop better social skills and behaviors.

Which would you choose for your child?  Read the options again and replace child with dog.  Would you make the same choice?  Why is option B the better choice for children and dogs?  We believe most dog owners will choose quality of social experiences over quantity of time in play when they understand there is a choice and difference.

Our job as pet professionals is to help dog owners understand and appreciate quality social play environments for their dog.

Shift the Focus

Our industry’s focus on quantity of play time has resulted in some very poor social experiences for dogs.  Too many dogs get physically injured or leave behaviorally worse from fear, extreme stress or over arousal.  Exhaustion is not good for long-term health of people or dogs. 

We want to help shift the measure of success away from a dog that is exhausted but, physically safe at end of the day.  Our new success measure is a tired healthy dog from participation in structured social sessions that include mentally stimulating games, fun activities, dog play and periods for rest.

Educating dog owners to understand and choose quality social experiences for their dogs is a big part of The Dog Gurus mission.  Our safety pledges for pet owners, pet centers and pet professionals focus on the physical and emotional well-being of each individual dog. Download our free article, “Are the Dogs Having Fun”