Both a dog park and a dog daycare are a place for your dog to get lots of exercise while playing with his friends.  Beyond that the experience is quite different.

Where a dog park is free, daycares cost money.  You get to stay and interact and play with the other dogs and people at a dog park but a daycare allows you to take a break while your dog is having fun.

The biggest difference is the socialization and safety of your dog.  Like anything that is free, a dog park involves more caution and risk.  Daycares carefully monitor the dog's health and behavior that participate in the play.

If you take anything away from this episode it's this:  

If your goal is to socialize your dog then a daycare is a place to go.  

If you have a dog that is already well socialized, then a daycare still works.  A dog park can too, as long as you use common sense and caution.

In this episode, I go through the pros and cons of each so you can decide what is best for you and your dog.