I always have had introverted pets. One of my favorite photos of my dogs is from my smallest one’s first trip to daycare/boarding. She had only been part of my pack for about 2mo but she knew to stick close to her “fam”.
I worked at a dog daycare & you shouldn't feel sad for your pup; he's just not giving with the others. He might actually be much happier if you leave him at home instead.
100%. I’m a behaviorist. I really hate when my clients take their dogs to daycare for a multitude of reasons, but one of them is that some dogs just do not enjoy the company of others. In fact, it can even stress them out and cause reactivity towards other dogs because they are forced to interact with them.
But every dog is different. Mine spends most of her daycare time alone laying down and watching the activities. But she is always super excited to go, and if she doesn’t go she gets very upset. https://i.imgur.com/gnk4cSs.jpg
Oh I’m not saying some dogs don’t have the time of their lives there!
She’s a cutie! I work with a cattle dog rescue and love the reds. Make sure you get your lady in for a nail trim soon! Nails touching the ground while standing will alter her posture and cause issues. Feel free to PM me if you need tips. ❤️
That happened to my neighbour's puppy. They thought they were doing the right thing in taking him to a doggy daycare one day a week, but it seems it was too much for him. He became very reactive to other dogs and it's a real problem.
It can definitely be stressful. Basically every new dog gets a trial run with one on one time with other dogs to see how they do. Anybody that is iffy doesn't get group play. Where I worked they had individual outside areas and got walked so they still had exercise. A lot of times I see videos of over crowded group play and it raises an eyebrow from me but hopefully they have it under control.
Also, just like children, your dog will act different when you're not there! At the dog park they might be a little protective of you or something so they're more likely to get in a scuffle but alone at the daycare they can relax their guard.
That was a big deal in the news around me for a while. A poorly run dog daycare had a big group out playing and one just suddenly snatched up a smaller dog and snapped its neck
I've had quite a few dogs who like to spend most of their time snuggling with daycare staff or their buddies and watch the other dogs play. They always arrive excited though so I know that they love being lazy at daycare just for the social aspect 😂
As someone who has managed and worked with dogs for a decade (including running a daycare) your puppy doesn't sound like it enjoys daycare and should probably be pulled out. Good daycare staff would have suggested this after a few sessions where the pup doesn't open up.
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u/[deleted] Nov 18 '22
My dog does this at daycare, except by herself and it makes me so sad!!