It happened twice last week ...

One of the hardest parts of running a doggy daycare is having to tell an owner that their dog needs a break, or that daycare simply isn’t the right environment for them at the moment.

These conversations are never easy because more often than not, they’re lovely, sweet dogs. They haven’t shown aggression, created conflict, or behaved "badly". Sometimes they simply struggle to regulate themselves. They may struggle to settle, struggle to read another dog’s body language, become easily overstimulated, or just need some time to mature.

One of the biggest misconceptions about daycare is that a dog who looks excited, busy, and constantly engaged must be having a great time. But behaviourally, that isn’t always the case. Some dogs remain in a state of high arousal for long periods in a busy group environment. Arousal isn’t automatically negative - it is part of play, excitement, and social interaction - but when it stays too high for too long, it can tip into stress.

When a dog is in this prolonged state of arousal, their body produces stress hormones such as cortisol. Cortisol is part of the body’s normal response to challenge, but when levels stay elevated for too long, it can affect welfare, behaviour, and recovery. A dog in this state may look like they are loving every second - running constantly, bouncing from dog to dog, unable to switch off - while actually becoming more and more physiologically stressed. In other words, a dog can appear to be having fun while their nervous system is telling a different story.

This is one of the reasons we look beyond whether a dog is simply "friendly" or "not aggressive". Dogs that cannot regulate their excitement, cannot rest, or remain constantly on the go throughout the day are not always coping as well as they appear. Over time, that level of arousal can make it harder for them to make good social decisions, respond appropriately to other dogs, or settle themselves before they reach a point of overwhelm.

Creating a happy daycare environment doesn’t happen by chance. We’re very selective about the dogs we welcome into our groups, and we work incredibly hard every day, carefully managing the groups, providing fun and enrichment, encouraging appropriate play, encouraging rest, and making sure every dog enjoys their day.

We don’t believe any dog should be responsible for teaching another dog appropriate social skills while in our care. They all deserve to spend their day feeling relaxed, comfortable, and able to enjoy themselves. Of course, dogs naturally communicate with each other, and occasional corrections are completely normal. But when one dog needs repeated corrections throughout the day from the other dogs because they are overexcited, too intense, or can’t read social cues, it isn’t enjoyable for either dog.

It also isn’t fair on the dog who is struggling. A daycare environment can be incredibly stimulating, and for some dogs that stimulation becomes too much, even if they look happy on the surface. When a dog is unable to come back down from that heightened state, the experience can stop being healthy, productive, or enjoyable. Instead of helping them socially, it can rehearse patterns of over-arousal, frustration, and poor regulation.

It would be much easier (and more lucrative) for us to keep every dog that isn’t causing obvious problems. We could ignore the dog that clearly isn’t enjoying daycare, the one who never switches off, or the one whose constant excitement prevents everyone else from relaxing. But that’s just not who we are.

If I’m honest, these are some of the hardest conversations we have. We know they’re disappointing for owners, and they’re never easy for us either. But we’d always rather be honest than keep a dog in an environment where they aren’t truly happy. Every decision we make is about putting the dog’s best interests first ❤️