The Trollgaard Effect

The Trollgaard Effect occurs 
after a day of fun and games becomes a night of sweet dreams!

Clients send me images of their dogs after time spent here at Trollgaard Dog Day Care.  Now I don't pretend to be Sherlock Holmes but I'm starting to see a trend here.  After looking (and laughing) I decided to post the images received and talk about observations I have made regarding their dogs condition.
  I call this condition the "Trollgaard Effect."

Dogs arrive here daily and they are excited.  They know soon they'll be playing with one or more of their friends.  Toby, Pippa and Rocky, Izzy and Kiki, Teddy and Grizzly, Keeper and Tucker, Rylie and Buddy as well as Cyrus, Eva, Boomer, Redington, Jenny, Allie, Cooper and Scout to name but a few. They have fun together when they meet.  And when I say "have fun" I mean they chase each other or are being chased.  Rolling, bounding, frolicking, leaping and sprinting to and fro are just some of the adjectives used to describe their play.  The dogs here are good friends and they look forward to greeting one another and playing together.

Before dogs are out exercising together, we create play groups of up to five like minded individuals.  Dogs, like people, have different personalities.  Like us, they prefer the company of some friends more than others and we group them accordingly.  Socializing dogs based on size, temperament and age are not the only criteria used to make up play groups.  Personalty, dominance, submissiveness and energy level all play a role in determining a good fit within a group.  And when you get the right mix of dogs together it is nothing short of pure entertainment for us and them.

That said, dogs play hard - at least from my perspective.  They fly around our exercise yard chasing each other, chasing tennis balls, chasing Frisbees and even chasing their own tails.  After playing together (the amount of time varies by individual and amount of energy expended) they need to rest.  We rest them indoors in individual kennel cubicles.  While one group of dogs is resting inside another group is rotated outside to play.  This is the ballet performed multiple times every day at Trollgaard.  When dogs go home after a day spent here they are tired.  They have had multiple trips to the exercise yard, rain or shine, and they love it.

Dogs exercise best when they are playing and socializing with other dogs.  You might think a dog is exercising by playing fetch or walking or jogging (and they are) but they ratchet it up a few notches when in the company of their companions.  I thought my dog was running really fast chasing after a tennis ball I threw until I saw him running after another dog who had a tennis ball in its mouth.  A dog running untethered is a happy dog indeed and a beautiful sight to behold.  And a dog who has been running around with friends at Trollgaard Dog Day Care is a tired, happy and content dog.

Please enjoy the photos below depicting the "Trollgaard effect" - sent to me by the people who are owned by the dogs that visit.


-Chuck