When i say the above i dont mean when your dog plays with their mates in the field, i mean the paid play sessions where random people get 30 dogs of the same breed to meet up in a barn because they think it will be fun.
Again this is not about daycares or group walkers, but the specific group play sessions. As someone who does dog walking, has worked in day cares and is currently a trainer i do not agree with them.
Now this is fairly prejudice but generally the people who let their dogs attend these sessions dont tend to understand dog body language, and neither do the ones running them. A local one to me put out a post saying all dogs who hump in the sessions will be removed and banned from the sessions. Anyone who actually knows dog body language and behaviour knows that humping isnt always hormonal/sexual and alot of the time can actually be a coping mechanism for a dog.
They may be anxious, overexcited or overwhelmed and its just an instinct that comes out as a way to relieve this stress. A dog shouldnt just be kicked out of the session, the situation needs to be assessed. Why is the dog humping, is there anything we can do to make the dog more comfortable, do the dogs in this group match well, is this appropriate for the dogs attending?
Much like daycares, these play sessions are not suitable for every dog. Unfortunately these sessions seem to be a huge money maker for those that run it, and while they may like dogs they arent looking at the actual welfare for those that attend.
There is far too much that can go wrong in these scenarios and realistically only a trained person should run these sessions to ensure they run smoothely.
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