As a full-service pet boarding business, taking care of dogs is our passion. One of the chief things on our minds is how much time the dogs get to play outside. Dogs at Riverview Kennels have plenty of time to run around in our grassy play yards, and, depending upon the dog's temperament, this includes time playing with other dogs. But there's a reason why your dog may get different amounts of time outside compared to other dogs in our care. This article will address our basic outside play practices and address the variables that go into the different experiences some dogs may get.

So, How Much Time Does the Average Boarding Dog Get to Spend Outside?

In order to provide dogs in our care with time in the yards to potty and play we rotate the dogs through the yards. On an average day, we have between 20-50 dogs at our facility.

These dogs go out in the morning shortly after our team arrives. We check each dog, observe their behavior, and let them go out in the yards to use the restroom and stretch their legs. When we have groups of dogs who play well together we are able to get more dogs out in each rotation. This allows them to enjoy more morning fresh air. When we have a high number of dogs who require being alone or kept with only their siblings, the morning rotations may be for shorter durations. After these rotations, everyone gets fed breakfast and a majority of our team focuses on cleaning and sanitizing.

All of the dogs get a second rotation after lunch. Again, this time will depend upon the size of the social groups.

A final rotation happens in the afternoon after the dogs have been fed dinner.

Altogether, the average dog will get three rotations of yard time for a minimum of 10 minutes each, totaling 30 minutes of play yard time. Dogs that are more socially adjusted may get up to two hours or more of playtime in the yard.

Can Too Much Time in the Yard be Negative?

Some pet owners envision their dogs in the play yards all day long. Frankly, this isn't a feasible outcome for a few reasons.

The first reason is that dogs need downtime just like us. And even the most social of us do well to rest alone. This time to recharge is what prepares us for the next time of engagement. It’s the same for your dog.

The second reason is that dogs need time to process their food in a healthy manner. This is the reason we plan our rotations around meal times. We want dogs to be able to rest with a full belly. If not, dogs with little self-restraint, may play too hard in the yard with a full belly and make themselves sick.

The Goldilocks Rule

We at Riverview Kennels make sure that each dog gets the playtime they need: Not too much and not too little. As in all other circumstances, the dog's safety and individual needs is of the utmost importance to us. For this reason, some dogs get a minimum of 30 minutes in the play yards, while others may get two or more hours.