All February long, Morris K9 Campus participated in The Dog
Gurus’ Daycare Games. The games have come to an end and our staff earned an
outstanding 13 medals, including 10 gold medals! The games worked on improving
the skill sets of daycare attendees at Morris K9 Campus, while competing with
other dog daycares across the country.
Robin Bennett and Susan
Briggs, the co-founders of The Dog Gurus, designed the Daycare Games as a
skills-based challenge that keeps dogs safe and happy while recognizing top dog
daycare providers for their unique skills.
The Daycare Games had three
disciplines, all of which are equally important and helpful when you bring
your dog home. Handlers competed in recalls, group sits and gate boundaries.
The three different disciplines are aimed to improve the skills of the daycare staff
through a variety of different obedience exercises. The purpose of using
obedience skills and drills in daycare is to maintain control of the group,
while reinforcing desired behavior.
One of the tested disciplines
was recall. As per the rules of the games, staff had to verbally recall an
individual dog that was at least six feet away from them. We practice recall in
daycare every day. It is an important activity because it works using the “come”
command, which can be transitioned to your home life with your dog as well.
The Daycare Games were so much
fun to host, a great team bonding activity and our daycare dogs seemed to enjoy
the competitive festivities. We feel that the commands and obedience skills
used in the Daycare Games are critical to safe and fun group play, which is why
we use them every day during daycare.
The Dog Gurus, who have put
together industry standards for operating safe daycare in their e-book “The
Four E’s of Excellence in Off-Leash Play”, detail the exact exercises that help
daycare facilities take better care of your pet. This book is available online
for members. Learn more about becoming a Dog Gurus member at www.TheDogGurus.com.
