As a busy dog owner, it can be a struggle to leave your dog home alone for long stretches of time. Whether you have long days at the office or find yourself away from home for lengthy periods of time, your dog needs assistance to make sure that all of their needs are met. As a general rule, your dog should not be left home alone for more than six hours at a time. If they are left home alone for a long time, they may have accidents inside or suffer from stress and anxiety without you around.
To help avoid these situations, you can either hire dog sitting services or take your dog to doggy day care. Both options have pros and cons, but it is important to decide which option is best based on the needs and personality of your dog. Dogs have different temperaments and personalities, so what might work for one dog, might not work for yours. Some dogs will prefer being at home, while others will enjoy being in a more energetic environment around other dogs at day care. Carefully weight both options so that you can make a decision that works for both you and your dog.
Benefits of Dog Sitting Services
One of the best things about choosing dog sitting services is that it can be completely personalized and customized to fit the precise needs of your dog. From administering medication to taking long walks or having one-on-one play time, you can have a dog sitter who is able to develop a unique routine with your dog. Dogs also tend to be less stressed when they are in the comfort of their own home, so you don’t have to feel guilty giving them any unnecessary anxiety. You know your dog is guaranteed to get the personal attention they desire because while your dog sitter is at your house, they only have to focus on taking care of your dog.
Utilizing dog sitting services can also be a major time-saver for you. Your dog sitter will come to your house so you don’t have to worry about taking the extra time in the morning to take your dog to doggy day care. Depending on what you want your dog sitter to do, dog sitting services are likely much cheaper than doggy day care.
Drawbacks of Dog Sitting Services
With dog sitting services, you’re allowing someone else into your home and trusting them with a key. However, if you work with a trusted dog sitting company with positive reviews, you should be able to have complete trust in your dog sitter. One other minor drawback of dog sitting services is that if you have a high-energy dog, your dog is still going to be home alone for a majority of the time. They may not be able to get enough exercise and attention when your dog sitter is not at your home when they are not scheduled to pay a visit.
Benefits of Doggy Day Care
Some dogs thrive on playing with other dogs and love to do so any chance they can get. If your dog has this kind of hyper personality staying at a doggy day care center may be a good option. Depending on which day care center you choose, they may have an open area where a large portion of your dog’s day is spent in the company of other dogs. Another benefit of choosing a doggy day care is that your dog will become accustomed to the routine of the day care center. This can help to relieve their separation anxiety and boredom that they might experience being home alone.
Drawbacks of Doggy Day Care
It may become a burden on you to have to bring your dog to day care every day. Not only can this become time consuming for you, but the actual transportation itself can be another potential stressor for your dog. Doggy day care centers usually aren’t super flexible either, they tend to have specific drop-off and pick-up times that you have to comply with.
Doggy day care presents a number of cons because it means that your dog is going to be around other dogs. There’s no way for you to control the other dogs and the interactions they may have with your dog. Because there are other dogs present, you also can’t ensure that your dog is getting the personal attention that they deserve. You also have no control over who works at the day care center, which means you can’t control who is interacting with your dog.
Choosing Dog Sitting Services
While doggy day care can seem like a fun and exciting place to send your dog, more often than not, it’s cheaper, easier, and more comfortable for your dog to hire dog sitting services. They get to stay in the comfort of their own home and develop a personal relationship with their sitter who is well- trained in taking care of dogs. If you are going away on travel or have less time than you would like to care for your dog, contact Paw Pals for more information about their dog sitting services and to schedule an initial meeting with a dog sitter.