"I recently started taking my puppy to daycare and thought it was a godsend. Our 4 1/2 month old puppy comes home tired and ready to nap & love on our laps. After a 12 hour work day it was just the thing. But our trainer who is helping us says she'll develop separation anxiety if we take her there everyday and won't be able to stay alone at home and be happy. She suggested only letting the puppy go 2-3 times a week and then having her walked other days. Does anyone know if this is good advice?"
D. Ames - an individual with a ton of competition dog sport
experience - intelligently replied:
"1] I don't want to risk my puppy learning that other puppies can beat up on it, and [just as importantly] I don't want to risk my puppy learning that it can beat up on other puppies.
2] I don't want my puppy learning that playing with/interacting with other puppies or dogs is the highlight of its life. I want my puppy to learn that interacting with humans and relating to humans is the focus of its life.
3] I don't want to have my puppy/dog being exposed to health issues which other puppies/dogs bring with them. [e.g.: viral infection, bacterial infection, parasitic infection, etc.]
4] I don't want to entrust my pup's emotional, mental, physical well-being and development to someone else. They might be the most well-meaning individual. But, accidents happen. These accidents can and often do cause life-long negative effects on puppies.
Given the choice with no other options, I would enlist the assistance of a pet sitter/dog walker to come in and spend some one-on-one time with my puppy."
