So, let’s think about playgroup matches.
It’s time to test your knowledge base considering age classifications and breed groups. You’re going to see three pairs of dogs below. For each of the pairs, indicate whether you think these dogs are an appropriate or inappropriate match for play and give the reason why. We will discuss it together after.
For this pair we have a two-year-old Pomeranian and a one-year-old Irish Setter. Do you think these would be a good play match to put together?
This is probably not a good play match due to the size difference of the dogs. The Pomeranian could easily get hurt just by the size of the Irish Setter.
What about these two, a five-month-old Beagle and a 15-month-old Labrador? Do you think putting these dogs together would be a good play match?
These would be appropriate if the Labrador is good with younger dogs. It’s definitely worth trying to see if they would get along.
How about this one? Here we have a nine-year-old collie and a group of high-energy large dogs. Do you think these would be an inappropriate or an appropriate match to put together?
This match would probably be inappropriate. It’s likely that the nine-year-old collie would not enjoy the activity level of the other dogs.
Okay, here’s a final example. You have a 10-month-old Labrador and a two-year-old Setter mix. Do you think putting these dogs together would be inappropriate or appropriate?
This would be an appropriate group to put together. The age and size is a good match, you would just need to watch to make sure they enjoy playing together.
You have reviewed the importance of dog play and how it helps dogs become better adjusted. You’ve also learned the generalizations you can make by understanding ages of development and breed playstyles, including the special category of bully breeds. This helps you identify dogs who will be suitable in an off-leash setting. All of these are an important starting point to making
you an excellent daycare attendant.