“The average pet parent wants to do the best for their dog, but they might not have all the information to do that with,” says Lauren Alexander, franchise manager of Camp Bow Wow Carmel. “We try to make sure we really educate our pet parents and answer any questions they might have."
Socialization and stimulation are two widely misunderstood terms when it comes to the billion-dollar-a-year pet care industry.
Contrary to what many believe, socialization is not accomplished by simply putting your dog in a large play group. In fact, forcing your dog to play with other dogs without proper desensitization levels, according to Alexander, can raise arousal levels and may trigger reactivity.
Another common misunderstanding is confusing a dog’s need for stimulation with the saying, “A tired dog is a good dog.”
“Stimulation is not over-exercising your dog to the point of exhaustion,” Alexander explains. “Rest and decompression are just as important as playing in a play group or going on a walk.”
Rather, keeping your dogs stimulated means meeting all their basic needs: physical, mental and emotional.
“Dog behavior is a science,” Alexander says. “We learn more and more about dog behavior as we go on because people are doing more research.”
Having an undergraduate degree in psychological sciences, Alexander finds canine behavior particularly fascinating. She credits much of what she has learned to trainer Robin Bennett who basically invented doggie day care.
Following are just some of the enrichment techniques Camp Bow Wow Carmel uses with their four-legged friends.
Puzzle Play
Puzzles challenge dogs' minds, keeping them entertained while reducing stress and providing a mental workout. All kinds of puzzle toys are available at local pet stores or online, but pet parents can create their own “sniff and seek” activities, like hiding toys in a ball pit.
Fun with Food
“This is one of the easiest things people can do at home,” Alexander says. Puzzle toys link well with food enrichment, and Alexander also suggests creative ideas like letting your dog shred a head of lettuce or stringing cucumber slices on dog safe twine.
Sight and Sound
Instead of just turning on the television for your dog, consider Camp Bow Wow Carmel’s use of a low stress color palette and sounds that are pleasing to a dog’s ears, like white, pink, brown and blue noise or Through a Dog’s Ear by Juilliard graduate Joshua Leeds.
While activities such as “Yappy Hour,” “Barks and Crafts” and “Water Park Wednesday” may sound enticing to pet parents, Alexander is quick to say that Camp Bow Wow Carmel doesn’t accept a dog unless it is well-suited to the environment.
“We’re not the typical doggie day care,” she says. “We’ve been doing this for 18 years. If a dog is not going to be happy here, we’re not going to take the dog. The best way that I’ve been able to build a good reputation in the area is to not do anything that is against what the dog is telling us.”
Alexander says that when she and her brother, Justin, were younger, and their family would board their dogs when they went on vacation, they would cry because they missed their dogs and couldn’t see them.
“We have this facility to offer people peace of mind,” Alexander says of the family-owned and run facility where webcams allow pet parents to see what’s going on with their pups.
In addition, Justin Alexander, camp trainer, provides certified rewards-based training in working with the dogs so that there are never punitive methods used at camp.
“We’re here for the dogs,” Alexander says.
In addition to welcoming day care and vacation guests, Alexander cares for a registered cat colony, working with Indy Neighborhood Cats and FACE Low-Cost Animal Clinic to trap, neuter and release.
“We try to make sure we really educate our pet parents and answer any questions they might have."