Dogs absolutely thrive on routine. They are at ease when they know what time they’ll
be fed, walked, what time the kids come home from school, and when they’ll be
taken down to the local coffee shop on a Saturday morning for their weekly
puppuccino.
Working to establish a healthy and consistent routine for your dog is crucial to
reducing potential stress and anxiety so their cognitive functioning can be at its peak,
and they can be their happiest and healthiest versions of themselves.
However as life can be chaotic, and at best we can struggle managing our own
routines, it can be difficult to establish and stick to one for our beloved dogs.
So…here’s some simple steps to creating a fool-proof doggy daycare routine for
your dog.
1. Book in for regular daycare visits – we find that dogs who visit daycare on
a regular basis (at least one time per week) settle in faster during the day, are
calmer, are less stimulated and can better socialise as they are likely to get to
know the other dogs better with frequent playtime with their friends.
2. Try to visit the same days each week – try to pick a day or two each week
that works best for you and try to stick to that as much as you can. Dogs have
a great internal clock. They will quickly become aware of their designated
daycare days and will wake up excited and ready to go, instead of playing an
internal guessing game each morning of what their agenda will be for that day.
Most dogs who visit daycare do frequent on the same days each week, so it’ll
give your dog a really great chance to get to know the pups they’re sharing
their days with.
3. Feed your dog breakfast at least 1 hour before dropoff- dogs tummies
though fairly robust, can also be quite sensitive. If you usually feed your dog
breakfast, we recommend doing so at least an hour before drop off to ensure
that their meal has digested and wont cause digestive issues during play.
4. Try to pick up and drop off at similar times each day – this way, your dog
will know that today is a daycare day, and will conversely, in the afternoon,
know that at a certain time, you’ll be there to pick them up and they’ll have the
chance to continue their home routine of dinner and sleep.
Our daycare pricing options reflect the notion that dogs thrive with routine, which is
why we have heavily discounted packages available for frequent visits.
Our affordable pricing helps us to pursue our mission to make regular daycare visits
part of the routines of inner-city Brisbane pups to help them live their happiest lives.
Regular visits to doggy daycare aren’t just about fun—they’re a cornerstone of a
well-rounded routine for your beloved companion!

 

Canine hydrotherapy is a form of non-weight bearing exercise, with the use of an underwater treadmill. The water properties help to reduce pressure from the joints and encourage a greater range of motion, which is important in facilitating rehabilitation. The buoyancy of the water reduces the weight going through the limbs and makes movement easier. Resistance is greater in the water compared to walking on land. It creates a cushioning effect on submerged limbs which makes movement harder, this helps to increase and rebuild muscle mass, which may have been lost due to injury or illness. The underwater treadmill is set to 28 degrees Celsius. The warmth of the water helps to reduce swelling and inflammation, increases blood flow and increases muscle relaxation. Hydrotherapy using an underwater treadmill is different to just swimming in a pool or at the beach. The treadmill is a controlled environment where the water level and speed can be modified to meet every patients’ individual needs. While swimming can be beneficial for some forms of rehabilitation it is not recommended for a lot of orthopaedic recovery. While swimming dogs can either hold their legs up and not use them at all, this defeats the purpose of rehab or they will kick quick vigorously, jolting the joints. This may cause further damage. Hydrotherapy can be used for weight loss, muscle strengthening, recovery from an illness or injury, conservative management. It can also be used for endurance and agility training.

If hydrotherapy is something that you think would benefit your dog, contact Katie to book a session!

Katie Hunt – Hydrotherapist

www.caninehydrotherapy.net.au
0433653383

k9hydrotherapist@gmail.com

Our favourite city continues to show it’s love for our furry friends with more and more places becoming dog-friendly! Woohoo!

Below is a list of the best dog-friendly venues and experiences that you can enjoy with your best mate.

CITY CAT RIDE – After a successful trial campaign, the Brisbane City Council have decided to permanently allow dogs on city cats! Park at the Kangaroo Point cliffs and take a walk-through South Bank and into the city and jump on a City Cat back at Eagle St Pier and watch your dog enjoy the sensations of being captain of the boat!

(All pups must wear a suitable muzzle to ride.)

SNAG AND BROWN CAFÉ – Annerley’s favourite café Snag and Brown is so dog friendly, that they have a designated dog grassed adventure area at the back of the café. Come for the delicious sourdough and stay for the opportunity to watch your dog race around their designated dog area like a mad-man while you sip your soy latte. https://snagbrown.com.au/

SATURDAY MARKETS – Jan Powers Markets (Powerhouse, New Farm) and the Wes End Markets (Davies Park) are both favourite spots for inner-city Brisbane dogs! Filled with stalls offering gourmet dog treats, designer dog-wear, and never far from a café proudly pouring weekend puppacinos…the markets are a great place to get your dog’s senses working on a lazy Saturday morning. With lots to sniff, taste, and see, your dog is guaranteed to come home enriched and ready for a nap.

PALM BEACH DOG BEACH– Technically not in Brisbane (but not too far from), Palm Beach sports one of SEQ’s best dog off leash beaches. Hit the road early on a Sunday morning, take a ball to watch your pup doggy paddle for it’s retrieval, and let them have their fun digging up the sand.

DOGGY BREED MEETUP– Join the Brisbane Facebook Group of your dog’s breed and watch out for their Meet Up Events! Usually held at a local dog park around Brisbane, Dog Meet Ups are a great way for your dog to socialise with their own kind, for you to chat to owners and get advice on all things breed specific…and who knows, you may even run into your pups pawrents or siblings.

DOG MASSAGE AND DRY NEEDLING– Let your pup experience the ultimate in self-care and book them in for a doggy massage and dry needling session. Active dogs experience muscle tightness and pain just as humans, so a massage and dry needling session is perfect to relieve that tension, decrease stress, and offer your dog a moment of relaxation. https://caninehydrotherapy.net.au/services/

It’s no surprise that the Oodles daycare day revolves around numerous activities and enrichment for our daycare visitors…so, what is enrichment and why is it that we choose to incorporate such so extensively into our program?

What is enrichment?

Enrichment is an activity given to a dog offering them the ability to work either their mind, or their bodies to complete a particular task, or achieve a desired result. It’s the canine equivalent to Sudoku puzzles, baking cupcakes, or reading a book. Enrichment ignites a dog’s canine senses, offering them a new experience to provide an alternative to the mundanity of a boring daily routine. Enrichment activities can be offered to dogs in five different ways; occupational, physical, sensory, nutritional and social.

While occupational enrichment may include playing fetch, sensory enrichment may include sniffing lavender or basil.

Why is it beneficial?

Enrichment is used with dogs as a way to relieve boredom, decrease stress, and help them gain control over their environment so they feel comfortable, confident, and engaged.

Enrichment offers dogs the opportunity to use their brains, and their bodies to maximise stimulation in a positive and valuable way. It can help distract anxious and destructive dogs from their negative behaviours, by providing them with a constructive and satisfying alternative energy focus.

For dogs lacking in behavioural issues, enrichment activities work to enhance their mental and physical capacity and provide them with the stimulation required to be their happiest and most confident selves. Just like us, dogs reap confidence and satisfaction through task completion.

Enrichment helps dogs live their very best lives and helps to break up their day by offering new and exciting experiences.

Why do we use enrichment activities in daycare?

Most doggy daycares will leave dogs to entertain themselves, without providing them with an environment that is based purely on supervision. This can however be problematic for the following reasons:

1. Dogs become bored and spend their day at daycare sleeping
2. Dogs respond to the daycare environment by going into sensory overload and start becoming destructive either to staff, to other dogs, to objects or to themselves
3. Shy and anxious dogs remain so throughout their entire daycare experience as they have no chance to build their confidence, or interact with other dogs on a smaller scale

At Oodles, our mission is to provide a fun environment for all of our pups that doesn’t involve dogs responding in any of the above ways.

By implementing enrichment activities into our program, we find that anxious dogs come out of their shells, over-stimulated or otherwise destructive dogs calm down and focus on something a positive, and dogs who would otherwise be bored, or may need more stimulation than just playing with other dogs, are engaged and able to use their minds and bodies to have a fun and fulfilling day at daycare.

Enrichment at daycare greatly decreases the chances of dog fights, as dogs are focussing on achieving an outcome, instead of on another dog or their behaviour. By using their minds and bodies throughout our activities, our pups also go home tired (in a good way) and show less signs of destructive or anxious behaviours in the home.

From inception, enrichment has been an integral part of the Oodles daycare experience, and will continue to be our most valued part of our program due to the highly positive outcomes it provides, to our pups both during their day at daycare, and in the home. Our enrichment activities not only enhance a dog’s day at daycare. They work to build confidence to enhance a dog’s life so that they too can be their very best versions of themselves.