Choosing a daycare, red flags.
April 30th 2021
The use of aversive's in daycares
We are in 2021. We have so much research and evidence about how dogs learn, how they communicate, how they can react to the use of aversive training and interventions. We in the dog industry are so unregulated while everything from farming to cosmetology to driving has oversight to keep the general population and the animals safe. However, dog training, dog grooming, and dog daycares do not. Outside of a kennel license and your local ordinances for animal care and welfare, there is nothing guiding you. Industry standards are absolutely there, but those are promoted by organizations that support continuing education and support as a whole, and the majority do not belong to those groups. That doesn't mean that all non-affiliated daycares should be avoided or that those affiliated with an organization should automatically be trusted.
But let's not beat around the bush; the use of inherently aversive tools in a daycare setting is there. It almost seems to be the societal norm for dog daycares. So let's look a little deeper. What is an inherently aversive tool? An inherently aversive tool is something that functions off pain, fear, or intimidation. That doesn't mean other things can be aversive to that dog, but those things are generally not intended to function off pain, fear, or intimidation. So for those purposes, we will give an example but not further that discussion.
Inherently aversive tools are things like: bark collars (e collars, stim collars, shock collars, vibrate collars, citronella spray collars), prong (pinch) collars, choke chains (check collars), slip leads, penny cans, ultra-frequency (handheld, birdhouses, boxes, or collars) devices, and alpha rolls.
Non inherently aversive things can be any sound, visual, or smell that causes a fear or pain response to a dog. Biting a bee and getting stung is aversive to the dog. An umbrella opening can be aversive to a dog by startling the dog. Standing over a dog and reaching for something over them could be aversive to that dog as the body language would be that of intimidation even though the human didn't mean for it to be in that context.
Understanding this and understanding dog body language and dog behavior is ESSENTIAL to caring for dogs. If you are putting a large group of dogs in a daycare setting and only sending dogs away when their behaviors are too problematic, you are using the psychology of fear and being reactive instead of proactive. This ultimately is not okay for the dog's mental and physical wellbeing, the wellbeing of your staff, or the owners who are often left with the behavioral fallout of tools utilized with or without their consent. Owners look to those of us in the dog industry as experts who can guide them to make the best choices for their dogs. They expect sound guidance for what can help their dog reach a fulfilling life. Owners who find out down the road that something being done to their dog caused a set of behavior issues or that their dog was being treated in a way they were not aware of; these things have lasting effects on the human as well as the dog. They discredit the professionalism of those who work with dogs in a daycare setting.
I have lots of material for those who work in the dog daycare industry available to address behavior issues and lower the stress of the dogs in their care. You can find a webinar on this here for FREE. https://youtu.be/YlwbhhF9KRM and another one here https://youtu.be/LgNH6qO0hdg .
This blog post is going to be directed to the owners to understand the ins and outs of aversive use in daycares so they can best navigate and find a facility that minimizes risks to their dog.
Not all dogs are meant for daycare. This is a fact. Daycare for some dogs can be over arousing, stressful and scary, or just uncomfortable. Dogs who go to daycare and display behaviors like excessive barking, spinning, getting into fights, constant urine marking, cowering in corners, extreme jumping, pacing, excessive panting, and drooling are dogs stressed and not enjoying themselves. Either due to overexcitement or being uncomfortable. Some of these behaviors are apparent behaviors that warrant discussion with an owner about needing some help. But what happens when that discussion is about ways to correct the "bad" or "unwanted" behavior? Worse yet, what happens when no debate happens, and the daycare corrects the behavior on their own?
Well, best practices would warrant the first discussion with the owner. However, discussing how to stop the unwanted behavior doesn't address why the dog behaves the way they are. Having a facility knowledgeable in assessing the dog and the environment and adapting what they can to aid in low to no stress dogs is an asset. A facility that wants to open the discussion of the use of bark collars, penny cans, spray bottles, or time-outs are usually facilities that love dogs tremendously but do not understand how to access the research on how to address these things ethically. Worse are the facilities who do whatever they need to keep dogs in groups until they can't anymore and then dismiss dogs, usually with more problems and owners who feel blindsided because the issues were not communicated properly. This is not including those few owners who do get informed and make every excuse to blow off the concerns and seem confused at dismissal. Yes, those owners do exist, and they make it difficult for staff because the staff usually doesn't want the dog to stop coming but are seeing a need for help now. So if you are being told, you need to get a trainer or behavior consultant from our daycare. Watch our video on choosing a professional here and get after it now.
For the daycares who choose to follow their protocols, often assuming that all owners need their dogs in care and don't have issues with inherently aversive tools, questioning how behaviors are addressed to the staff can yield those answers and help you determine if you want to start your dog at their facility or not.
Things that a facility that uses inherently aversive methods tells me:
§ Animal welfare is not the top priority
§ Staff likely does not have good body language and behavior training
§ Staff and facility do not have ways to mitigate FAS (fear, anxiety, and stress) in dogs.
§ The focus is on stopping behavior vs. addressing, meaning why they are doing a behavior will still be present, and the dog will only be trying to avoid being punished.
§ An increased likelihood that an owner will have to invest in behavior work to address the fallout from the chosen methods and have to stop daycare due to the fallout anyway.
§ A dog may have a bite history due to the fallout of the aversive or the facility's inability to recognize an inappropriate placement of a dog.
Additionally, the use of a dog to "teach" other dogs whose boss or breakup issues with other dogs is dangerous and stressful to that dog. So many people have read the research telling us that, and because it wasn't an issue and they like using a dog as a helper, they dismiss the evidence and excuse the repercussions. It doesn't mean this dog is theirs; it could be a client's dog. This is not advocating for dogs or teaching them to feel safe and secure because we will help guide play or redirect a bully or bothersome friend without them having to engage with them. As always, just because a daycare also has a trainer on-site does not mean they are following evidence-based training practices either. So understanding the methods, vague terms, and credentials or certifications of their trainer can help you know how the facility will be working with your dog. For example, there is a type of daycare called quiet dog daycare that promotes quiet non-barking daycares. Sounds lovely. However, they have advocated for the use of aversives. It is a concept that is mostly used by facilities as a way of marketing their facility without having to again follow evidence-based management or interventions.
Daycare is NOT a place for training or for a dog to be socialized. Yes, they can socialize, but they need to already be social. Manners are a must for dogs in daycare for safety reasons. If a group of dogs with no recall, no manners, and issues with clobbering people and dogs gets together, it is spelling out stress and potential disaster. So making sure your dog or puppy has skills you are constantly working on proofing and building a reinforcement history with is an asset for your dogs' success in a group setting. This is an owner's responsibility for any dog entering daycare, just like ensuring all vaccines are updated on time, and you verify that the daycare gets copies of those records. Keeping information with the facility up to date and always communicating illness' with the facility at the first sign. Just like children in daycare, keep them home if they are not feeling well. While a toddler may experience tantrums and hit someone with a toy truck, a dog has teeth they can sink into flesh and do damage with.
Make sure you do your research in asking questions about group size, staff to dog ratio, how they handle fights or avoid them, things they do to help reduce stress levels of the dogs if staff are CPR and first aid trained. If the staff take CEUs each year or what type of new hire training they go through to ensure they know body language and are proficient at reading it. The cheapest doesn't always mean worst, and the most expensive doesn't always mean the best. However, that is what we as people have been conditioned to think. Are they licensed and insured? Because if they are negligent with something, you want to make sure that your pet will be cared for and you won't have the stress of having to pay for it.
In short, there are some great owner resources that you can use to learn more and then really know what is important for you to look for in a center and how to keep your pet physically and mentally healthy while attending a daycare situation.
This video on choosing a training professional can help you navigate the waters a bit more. https://youtu.be/qm6NbYOeV3M
