CHESAPEAKE, Va. — If you're a new dog owner still trying to figure out the whole training and socialization aspect of your pup, there's one doggy daycare in Chesapeake that's here to help.
2020 has been a year in which we’ve put socializing with family and friends on the back burner in hopes of flattening the curve. Unfortunately, a side effect of our own step backs from being social means our animals at home have been forced to do the same. It doesn’t have to be that way!
Welcome to the Ruff House Stay and Play, the name says it all, boarding and daycare and one of the only facilities like this in our area. This is really a one-stop-shop for all your needs in terms of training your dog, boarding and wearing them out so they aren’t driving you crazy while on those zoom calls.
“The Ruff House stay and play is an animal care center, so we do dog daycare which is all-day play, we do dog boarding, we have luxury and standard boarding options and we also have something called the enrichment center, that is for dogs that aren’t necessarily social but still need stimulation,” Maria told us.
It has to be more than just running your dog until they’re tired, stimulating them mentally is really the key.
“So they’re not just physically tired, you know a Husky could run all day and you get home and they’re still ready to go so we do a lot of mental stimulation as well,” Maria said.
This is where the enrichment center comes in at the Ruff House – different games, activities and even puzzles to stimulate your dog's mind to not only entertain but train them as well.
Looking to teach your pup some manners?
A partnership with local dog trainers at Citizen K9 can put your pup through training during their stay at daycare, kind of a hit two birds with one stone kind of thing.
Demand for places like this has skyrocketed during the pandemic with many locations being fully booked. This is a safe, secure and healthy alternative to dog parks where supervision and constant feedback enable your dog to enjoy a welcoming environment.
“Especially now with the pandemic, everybody is scared to go places understandably and trying to do the right thing and stay away from social situations but it is harmful for the dogs, we are getting we call them pandemic puppies who have come and have never been socialized who have been home with their parents working from home and they give them constant feedback and reassurance which is great until it goes away and parents go back to work,” Maria told us.
When that time does in fact come when normalcy returns you can bet places like this will remain in high demand.
If you’d like to schedule your pup for an assessment for enrollment in the programs, you can visit the Ruff House website.