At Percy’s Playground we try to think less like humans and more like dogs.
We encourage natural dog behaviors in order to get them thinking. Interacting. Engaging. Doing. Exploring. Learning.
We provide lots of ways for dogs to do what they do best: be dogs!
Enrichment originated in the 1960s in zoos. The goal? To improve the lives of captive wild animals by meeting their species-specific needs. And although our beloved dogs aren’t captive wild animals, they still have their own needs as a species. So as our relationships with our dogs grow, we increasingly look for ways to meet those needs. And by encouraging safe, healthy and appropriate activities we can meet those needs. In addition to fun species-specific activities, enrichment is also about empowering dogs with choices so they feel confident, safe and secure. Enrichment not only improves a dog’s quality of life, but can also help be part of a plan that solves most behavior issues.
At Percy‘s we don’t do playgroups.
Think about your own needs: you’re more than just getting together with friends. You’ve got hobbies, extracurricular activities and interests, sports, various outlets for exercise, games you play, new things you want to try and do (think: bucket list!) and so on. Dogs’ needs are as diverse as our own! So instead of playgroups, each guest dog gets multiple one-on-one outings each day with a human where they take part in all kinds of enrichment activities: scent work, agility, foraging, fetch, task and cognition training, even sitting and getting lots of pets and tummy rubs and many things in between. Your dog chooses how to spend her outings.
And since adding enrichment to our dogs’ lives doesn’t need to take up a whole lot of time that busy pet parents don’t always have, we help our human clients incorporate enrichment into their dogs’ lives at home as well and continue what we start here at Percy’s. Win-win!
We‘re not your average boarding facility because your dog isn’t an average dog.
At Percy’s we focus on the whole dog as an individual. And we help dogs be emotionally, mentally and physically healthy.
Agency is about empowering dogs with choices. Choices give dogs the ability to effect change in their environment to create outcomes that are gratifying for them. Agency, when appropriate and safe, encourages confidence and independence and is a key component of mental and emotional health. We control most of what our dogs do in their day to day- giving them agency allows them to be active participants in their own lives.
Safety and security, being safe from harm and feeling safe from harm respectively, are paramount in general … and especially in the boarding/daycare environment. Establishing routines, creating dog-safe spaces, using humane and science-based positive training and handling procedures and creating rapport with each guest dog as an individual are some of the ways we provide safety and security.
Instinctual behaviors means encouraging dogs to be dogs. Sensory stimulation is a main focus here (especially sense of smell!). Also, endeavors that might get them “in trouble” are the very things they need to have appropriate outlets for! This includes activities such as foraging and scavenging, digging, chewing, shredding, destroying, chasing, vocalizing and more.
Relationships are important for dogs, and, when given the choice, many dogs prefer human company to that of other dogs. Although a lot of dogs are dog-social, many dogs are dog-tolerant, dog-reactive or even dog-aggressive. As a matter of fact, adult dogs don’t need to play in the same sense they did when they were puppies learning the canine language. These are our top reasons we don’t do playgroups. At Percy’s we bond with all of our guest dogs individually since enrichment overall has so many more components for a fulfilled doggie life than just playgroups.
Mental stimulation, or mental exercise, is the single best way to give dogs the best “workout.” Dogs love to problem solve! Canine cognition involves training, brain games, cooperation, social learning and a variety of other enrichment activities where dogs have to think, learn, understand and remember. Besides being super fun, conscious mental activities are also powerful tools. Not only for exercise, but also for resolving the most basic to the most complex behavior issues and even helping keep dogs’ brains healthy as they age.
Physical exercise is as important for our dogs as it is for us! For our dogs this often means walkies, hikes, swimming or fetch, but there are oodles of other fun and engaging ways to give our dogs opportunities to keep their bodies healthy. Dog sports like agility, degility (agility’s more low impact counterpart), disc dog, treibball, herding activities, and canine fitness also help develop and maintain body awareness and overall health.
Agency
Agency is about empowering dogs with choices. Choices give dogs the ability to effect change in their environment to create outcomes that are gratifying for them. Agency, when appropriate and safe, encourages confidence and independence and is a key component of mental and emotional health. We control most of what our dogs do in their day to day- giving them agency allows them to be active participants in their own lives.
Safety & Security
Safety and security, being safe from harm and feeling safe from harm respectively, are paramount in general … and especially in the boarding/daycare environment. Establishing routines, creating dog-safe spaces, using humane and science-based positive training and handling procedures and creating rapport with each guest dog as an individual are some of the ways we provide safety and security.
Instinctual Behaviors
Instinctual behaviors means encouraging dogs to be dogs. Sensory stimulation is a main focus here (especially sense of smell!). Also, endeavors that might get them “in trouble” are the very things they need to have appropriate outlets for! This includes activities such as foraging and scavenging, digging, chewing, shredding, destroying, chasing, vocalizing and more.
Relationships
Relationships are important for dogs, and, when given the choice, many dogs prefer human company to that of other dogs. Although a lot of dogs are dog-social, many dogs are dog-tolerant, dog-reactive or even dog-aggressive. As a matter of fact, adult dogs don’t need to play in the same sense they did when they were puppies learning the canine language. These are our top reasons we don’t do playgroups. At Percy’s we bond with all of our guest dogs individually since enrichment overall has so many more components for a fulfilled doggie life than just playgroups.
Mental Stimulation
Mental stimulation, or mental exercise, is the single best way to give dogs the best “workout.” Dogs love to problem solve! Canine cognition involves training, brain games, cooperation, social learning and a variety of other enrichment activities where dogs have to think, learn, understand and remember. Besides being super fun, conscious mental activities are also powerful tools. Not only for exercise, but also for resolving the most basic to the most complex behavior issues and even helping keep dogs’ brains healthy as they age.
Physical Exercise
Physical exercise is as important for our dogs as it is for us! For our dogs this often means walkies, hikes, swimming or fetch, but there are oodles of other fun and engaging ways to give our dogs opportunities to keep their bodies healthy. Dog sports like agility, degility (agility’s more low impact counterpart), disc dog, treibball, herding activities, and canine fitness also help develop and maintain body awareness and overall health.
