While winter keeps many dogs inside for exercise, Barktown, will compete for medals in The Dog Gurus annual Daycare Games. 

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to control a large group of dogs off-leash? Most people imagine mayhem and chaos when you put a group of unknown dogs together. Professional pet care businesses, like Barktown, are out to bust that myth. It’s true that dogs can fight and bite, but it’s also true that certain skills used by excellent daycare facilities will keep dogs safe while they play together. The Daycare Games are focused on proving who is the best at providing these skills to the dogs in their care. 

“By focusing on the most important skills: getting dogs to sit, having dogs come, and teaching dogs to wait at the gate, we provide a controlled environment where dogs get exercise without stress or injury. And this is accomplished without fear or intimidation!” – Staci, Owner of Barktown

Robin Bennett, and Susan Briggs, co-founders of The Dog Gurus, designed the Daycare Games to be a skills-based challenge that keeps dogs safe and happy and recognizes top dog daycare providers for their unique skills. 

“The dogs love to play these games and we wanted to recognize the handlers and facilities taking the best care of their pets by having a friendly competition,” explained Briggs. 

The Dog Gurus, who have put together industry standards for operating a safe dog daycare in their ebook “The Four E’s of Excellence in Off-Leash Play” detail the exact exercises that help daycares take better care of your pet and have provided them to members of their online community at www.TheDogGurus.com. That is also where you can learn more about The Daycare Games and monitor the weekly competition. 

Daycare has become a growing industry over the past 20 years, but there are still many dog owners who don’t understand how to choose the best facility. Everyone needs to understand the education and training necessary to keep dogs safe. 

Barktown - Urban Dog Boarding and Daycare (www.barktownok.com) is dedicated to raising the bar of safety in off-leash play, teaching owners how to know when their dog is happy, and helping to reduce the number of dog fatalities that occur every year in dog daycares and dog parks.