Summary
Now is the perfect time for your dog to return to daycare, or for you to consider enrolling your pup in the right dog daycare program. For dogs to maintain good health, mental alertness, and beneficial skills, it’s important to regularly engage their bodies and minds in meaningful activities.
As summer vacations wind down, the energy for a new school year is palatable. The back-to-school season is as much about reuniting with old friends and making new friends as it is about a fresh year of learning. Be sure to include your dog in the annual tradition of returning to work and play.
Now is the perfect time for your dog to return to daycare, or for you to consider enrolling your pup in the right dog daycare program. For dogs to maintain good health, mental alertness, and beneficial skills, it’s important to regularly engage their bodies and minds in meaningful activities.
Holiday House Pet Resort & Training Center offers different dog daycare programs tailored to bring out the best of every breed and personality. Each program prioritizes socialization, exercise, and mental stimulation.
Dogs enrolled in the Explorer program participate in customized enrichment activities that engage their instincts, skills, and mental and physical energy. Knowledgeable daycare staff interacts with the dogs in activities designed to enrich their daycare experience, including puzzles, herding balls, nose work, nature hikes, and enjoyable fun’gility skills.
September Explorer Syllabus
Resort activity coordinators, Lindsay and Jess, created a robust back-to-school calendar of learning and fun for the Explorers. September will begin by featuring customized variations of traditional enrichment activities. The second half of the month will include activities associated with after-school clubs that focus on wellness and creativity.
Sensory Garden
The Explorers have a special classroom: the new Canine Sensory Garden! In the sensory garden, an array of pet-friendly plants, scents, textures, and platforms deliver a confidence-building boost of enrichment, exploration, and excitement for each dog. Activating a dog’s heightened senses fosters valuable mental stimulation and physical activity. Through the year, new and seasonal items will be added to the sensory garden, ensuring a consistently fresh experience with every visit.
Snuffle Mat and Food Puzzles
A new pizza party-themed snuffle mat has been added to the variety of mats and puzzles already available. Enrichment activities like these provide mental stimulation by engaging a dog’s problem-solving abilities. The nose work taps into a dog’s natural (and amazing) sense of smell. Interacting with snuffle mats and puzzles can effectively soothe an anxious dog. The activity provides an outlet for their energy while focusing attention on a positive task.
Nature Walks featuring Scent Sticks
Nature walks give dogs the ability to better understand the world around them. Sniffing is a mentally stimulating activity. Utilizing scent sticks during the nature walk provides a heightened sensory experience with an element of surprise. Following a scent trail requires dogs to process information, make decisions, and analyze the environment. And it’s a low-impact exercise.
Obstacle Course
The obstacle course provides the same benefits of mental stimulation with more physical challenges than a vigorous walk. Negotiating obstacles improves coordination and agility, which leads to better overall body awareness and movement control. The obstacle courses created by Holiday House Pet Resort include more fun than skill. The objective is to help the dogs build confidence through a sense of accomplishment and positive reinforcement.
Reading Day
Children aren’t the only ones who enjoy circle time to hear a good story! Dogs love it too. It’s the perfect opportunity for some R&R during a busy day. Physical and mental activities can turn any dog into a snoring couch potato. They need an appropriate amount of quiet time to prevent overstimulation and stress reduction. Cuddling with a bestie while listening to a sweet story can regulate energy levels and encourage good behavior.
Dog Yoga
Yoga offers benefits to dogs too. The practice involves light stretching, gentle massage, and joint movements which can provide a sense of calm, and help with flexibility and mobility. It’s an opportunity to practice obedience commands and enhance their ability to follow cues.
Fun & Games
The month will include two food enrichment days—National Egg Toss Day and National String Cheese Day—with a special Back to School-themed gourmet biscuit for the Explorers. Fun games, like Hide-N-Seek and fetch, combine all the benefits of physical and mental exercise while building trust and friendship in a fun environment. These activities can be accomplished in a group setting, which encourages socialization and appropriate play behaviors among the pack.
If you are looking for the ideal dog daycare program for your dog, Holiday House Pet Resort provides options tailored to suit every canine personality and energy level. Enroll your dog in the Explorer program for engaging daily activities that provide an enhanced daycare experience. Don’t miss the full Back-to-School month of learning and fun, call 215-345-6960 today to schedule a Daycare Introduction Day.