Is a Free Roam Facility a Good Option for Your Dog?
You may even be wondering what free roam dog care is. It’s basically a facility where the dogs are left out together in larger groups for long periods of time, usually no breaks from each other.
It’s a great way for dogs to burn off energy, that’s for sure. I can see how and why it works for some places. However, it’s not a practice we chose to go with.
After having done much research into various facilities around the country, plus having some friends who use the service, it didn’t seem like a good fit for our facility.
One of the concerns I had with it is that dogs are like kids. By that I mean they play hard and sleep even harder. Look at childcare facilities, they even have naptime for the kiddos! It helps reduce crankiness and fights.
Same is so true with our dogs. They love to play but they need their nap time. In fact, most adult dogs sleep between 12-14 hours each day. I am such a big believer in separation for naptime as well. At our dog kenneling retreat we give dogs play time, nap time, and more play time! They still get worn down and everybody is usually tired and happy!
I have a friend who uses a free roam facility for her dog for daycare. He does well but he did have a bad interaction with a cranky dog a couple of years back when he was attacked while he was playing. Thankfully he was okay.
We are a smaller scale here at Ruby’s K9 Corral so that’s another reason we like to give breaks, hopefully reducing risk of dog attacks or fights. We promise we aim to get your dog worn down though! Remember, a calm dog is a content dog which is a happy you!
