I am writing to let everyone know about some changes we are going to be making to the Braveheart Play Groups. We will be restructuring things in order to make the play groups more fun and beneficial to all of the dogs that attend.
The first change is that we will be adding a Puppy Play Group that will be just for puppies from 8 weeks to 20 weeks old and under 40 pounds. This will allow puppies to have more puppy play which is so beneficial to them. Puppies may be separated based on size and temperament much like we do in our Puppy Preschool classes. The idea is to have puppies playing with puppies rather than single puppies playing with groups of adult dogs. Small breed puppies may be able to graduate into our adult dog Play Groups. We are scheduling the Saturday play groups so that puppies will be able to attend both Puppy Play Group and Puppy Preschool class ifthe onwers which to do that.
We are also going to be changing the requirements for the dogs that we accept into the play groups. Up until now we have tried to accept dogs that are shy, reactive or that do not get along with other dogs easily. Our play groups can not be a place to work on behavior issues with other dogs. It isn't fair to any of the dogs attending including the reactive dog. We will only be accepting dogs that get along easily with other dogs. If a dog needs a few minutes to adjust this is fine, but if after a short time a dog cannot play appropriately they will have to leave the play group. This is not only to protect the other dogs, it is also to protect the dog that is having an issue. Reactivity isn't fun and if a dog is feeling threatened or uncomfortable in a group of dogs, he shouldn't be exposed to that environment. It is very normal for dogs to become more selective of play mates as they become adults. This doesn't mean the dog is bad or even has major issues, he just may be selective and not a candidate for dog parks or play groups. Some dogs do better one on one or with two or three known dogs. We don't want dogs that DO NOT have issues to become frightened or feel uncomfortable at play groups. We also don't want dogs without issues to have to be overmoderated in their play. We feel it is in the best interest of our play groups to keep them fun and stress free it is in the best interest of reactive dogs not to be exposed to other dogs in this way. Please know that if your dog has a dog/dog behavioral issue you may contact me to discuss private training to work on the issue.
We will be requiring that all of our play group male dogs be neutered. Unneutered males can be targets for neutered dogs and we want to eliminate as many issues within our play groups. For this reason, we will now be requiring that all males over 6 months old be neutered. At this time, we will allow unspayed females as long as they are not in season and as long as their are no issues. In season females will not be permitted to attend play group.
The new schedule and guidelines will be effective November 4. Here is the new play group schedule:
Wednesdays - Puppy Play Group (puppies 8 to 20 weeks old and no more than 40 pounds) 6:30-7pm, Small Dog Play Group 7:00-7:30pm
Saturdays - Puppy Play Group (puppies 20 weeks old and no more than 40 pounds) 11:00-11:30am, Small Dog Play Group 11:30-12:00pm
Thank you to everyone for attending our play groups. We are sure that you will understand that we are trying to create the best play groups around and we hope that these changes will help us to achieve that goal.
