How do we maintain a balanced dog mentally and physically during daycare? We use a rotation protocol to keep your dog mentally stimulated, while allowing rest time approximately every 30 minutes. Dogs typically play really hard for the first 30 minutes, and then they end up either hanging around uninterested, or they get over stimulated and start getting cranky. You all have seen that dog that just won’t relax! Rotation avoids this from happening, and they get happy and excited to go out each time they rotate—in a more stable way.
Instead of having this one-size-fits-all idea that if your dog doesn’t get along with every dog, they can’t participate in daycare is unfair. We can match them to playmates they enjoy the company of to create “best friends”. Your dog isn’t always going to enjoy the company of every dog and how they play, it makes so much more sense to pair them with similar playstyles, size, and temperaments. You don’t want to be good friends with everyone you meet, why would your dog?
Did you know you can over socialize your dog? It happens like this: You take your dog to daycare, but maybe they are a little shy or unsure of the new place. The daycare doesn’t do rotation and designated rest time, so your dog is kept in this shy state for hours and hours. Your dog gets no time to decompress, and then this unsure and shyness ends up having the opposite effect. Now your dog starts becoming reactive to other dogs or snapping because they just don’t know how to escape this feeling. If the dog was in a rotation, he would have time in between to relax, absorb his surroundings, and decompress — therefore much more likely to show a positive result and more enjoyment each time he is taken back out.
We know dogs, and we will not put dogs in a situation in which we KNOW could possibly lead to behavior problems or create a higher risk of fights. We put the dogs best interest first, and there is a reason behind all of our methods. Contact us today with questions or concerns!
Why Choose Zen?
A Different Approach to Dog Care
At Zen Doggy Den, we believe great dog care is about more than putting dogs together in a room and letting them play all day. Our approach combines thoughtfully matched playgroups, structured activity, rest, enrichment and individualized attention to create an experience designed around each dog’s needs.
Thoughtfully Matched Playgroups
Dogs are grouped based on temperament, play style and comfort level—not simply by size.
Structured Play + Rest
Dogs need downtime, too. Our rotation-based approach balances social time, activity and opportunities to decompress throughout the day.
A Training-Focused Approach
With professional dog-training experience behind our program, we pay attention to behavior, body language and each dog’s individual needs—not just whether they can coexist in a playgroup.
Individualized Care
No two dogs are exactly alike. From daycare and boarding to training, our goal is to understand your dog and provide the structure, interaction and care that helps them thrive.
Do you feel like your dog is so stuck in its ways, you wish you could reset and start over? With our board and train program – which includes dog daycare – at Zen Doggy Den, you can do just that. When your dog is removed from the environment they are used to misbehaving in, they get a chance to start fresh!
While many wish they could take their dogs with them everywhere they go, sometimes it isn’t feasible or simply not in the best interest of the dog. When this is the case, it is important to have a dog boarding facility that you can trust will provide your dog with the best care possible until you return.
Each session is tailored to your specific dog and situation. The first session always includes leash walking (heel) with sit and self control/patience training. You can then choose, based on your needs, what else will be covered.
At Zen Doggy Den in Wheat Ridge, we focus on quality playtime mixed with necessary rest time as this provides the dogs with a balanced routine to keep them happy and healthy.
