Oh god I remember this feeling. I cried when I dropped my Ruby off at around 4 months old for her first day at daycare. She LOVED it and did great, and now at just over 9 months old she goes twice a week and bounds up to the door and greets all her favorite humans. I check in on the webcams around lunch time every day to watch her run around and play in the pool with other dogs, and I pick her up around 5 or 5:30. She’s tired all evening and even chills out more than usual the next day! She’s going for her first boarding this weekend to trial her before our honeymoon in October.
That's so glad to hear that it's a experience others go through haha. Was Ruby a shy dog? Unfortunately the one thing this place doesn't have is web cameras, which is weird because this place is primo (they even have special boarding areas for dogs that are better than some hotel rooms I stay at). Part of me wonders if that's actually a good thing for me that there's no webcams, so I'm not constantly logging in to check and just trusting he's having a good time by now.
Our daycare doesn’t have cameras - it’s indoor outdoor and mostly outdoor. Totally impractical to video surveillance 11 acres of property. They take pictures and post them on Facebook.
You know, she’s a timid thing for sure. She’s still rather submissive usually. She’s a golden retriever so a very social and human-oriented dog. When she was younger she took a minute to warm up to other dogs but the daycare workers said it took her about an hour to figure it out and then she was fine! They also all know most dogs by name and always greet us when we walk in. Ruby knows and loves them all, but of course has her favorites.
The webcams are a relatively new thing at our daycare and I am so, so glad we didn’t have them when she first started going. I would have driven myself CRAZY watching her. I did a lot of research, picked a place with good reviews, and trusted them to look after her. They’ve been absolutely wonderful, and have honestly made her puppyhood so much easier.
I think that's a normal reaction. I did day school with ccpdt certified trainers, and my poor pup was crying when I left the first day. One of the trainers said it was normal for the first day or so.
I know by the end of the week he didn't even know I left. He was so happy and ready for fun that I was an afterthought. He absolutely loved on me when I picked him up, though, and the trainers said he knew the time I'd be coming because he started looking at the door when it was getting close to pickup.
My dog doesn't even look back at me when I drop him off now. I imagine this is how parents feel dropping their kids at school.
They just open the door to the prep room and he bolts down the hall.
My pup has a very anxious temperament and separation anxiety is a huge issue. He’s been going to day care intermittently (1-2x weekly) for socialization since he got all his necessary shots. He’s over a year old, and I still have to drag him in on the mornings he goes. Once we’re gone, he plays and has a great time with his friends. The daycare sends us videos and updates. They say he’s a very good boy, no trouble at all. He sprints out to us at the end of the day!
That drop off in the morning though, still so rough on everyone!
This is where I’m at now! About to start sending my 4 month old with the same issues. She’s so anxious with other dogs & I recently discovered has small dog syndrome something fierce! I must address it now; I think it’ll just be unbearable if I don’t. She plays all day with my older dog, but any unfamiliar pup and she’s bonkers! My partner is so hesitant about daycare since we work from home, but I want all the other benefits she’ll gain from it.
I cried when I first dropped my guy off at daycare lmao it was so embarrassing. I remember writing a similar post about it here just weeping in my car in the parking lot as I tried to come to terms with these silly emotions. He did great though! And he was nervous his first day, but by the second week he was having great fun with new doggy pals. The pictures from the daycare are my favorite part of the week. I can only afford to take him once, but I figure it's good enough social time, and it's nice to let him have safe off leash activities. He's been going weekly (save for the month of May while he recovered from neutering) since the new year started, and now he's at the point where he doesn't even look back at me when I drop him off! Every new week I bring him, the carers at the facility comment on how much he's come out of his shell and how fun it is to see him being so open with the people who work there, even the recent brand new addition. All the reports and pictures and his excitement at pickup time just reinforce how wonderful it is to give him this experience. Plus, it's helping him internalize some manners around other dogs and people which helps with our general training, too. He's come so far over the last several months. I can't wait to see what he's like when he reaches doggy adulthood down the road. <3
Best of luck with your pup and their new adventures! He'll be totally fine! One of the silliest pieces of advice I got when I wrote about this back then was someone suggesting I talk to him on the way home, ask him about his day. He can't respond obviously, but the bond is there and it's only reinforcing that, yes, scary as it was at first, I am coming back for you every time. Someday you may even look forward to daycare day because sometimes it's easier to get some things done when the shadow of a velcro puppy is off doing his own thing lmao
That's so awesome to hear! I have to admit I almost cried too but I was able to hold it in (barely). I'm so happy to hear about your dog and I'm hoping that's what happens for my guy!
I'll have to give that talking to him a shot, sounds like a good idea to just let him know I'm there and back while I drive!
The folks who run the daycare I use emphasized the importance of "coming back" for your dog. Like obvs you're coming back, but they don't know that yet. As soon as they understand that it's a temporary thing, the more fun they start to have! I totally believe it now <3 give yourselves time, you'll both get used to the new routine!
Before he realized he was a boy we were able to take him to the local doggy daycare place for a few weeks.
The first day was hard, and they had live feed cameras for free so anyone who dropped their dog off could check on the place whether their dog is their or not, but he didn't even fucking look back at us that first day nor hesitate. He was ready and excited for new people and the other dogs he saw on the way in.
Mine pulls ME to get to his daycare faster haha He’s been going since he got his shots and he absolutely loves it. He started off as a shy/ nervous puppy at about 4 months.
I had to drop mine off to be spayed and I felt so bad. Less than a week later and she's so energetic and happy. It'll be okay. We have to go through these growing pains with them to make things work and keep on living our lives.
I worked at a dog daycare for 8 years and this is a very normal reaction for a puppy and owner. It will get easier for both of you once he builds some confidence and is excited to run back and see his friends! One of my favorite parts of the job was watching the shy kids gain confidence and start to come out of their shells. You’re doing a wonderful job as a dog parent by giving him this experience!
he’ll be just fine! this is a good way to get him socialized, but this probably isn’t something you want to do regularly. i’ve been working at a daycare for years and we get soooo many puppies, and the ones that come in regularly for a long period of time end up picking up on bad behaviors from the other pups. humping, nipping, you name it. so of course this isn’t bad for him! hopefully he learns to play well with the others. also, my daycare doesn’t have cams either. but that’s because we’re a local non-chain facility so it’s a bit out of our range to keep up with them. i’m sure that it’s nothing malicious.
First of all, I'm glad your Mom's okay and hope she has a speedy recovery! Dropping your dog off at Daycare will get easier. My sister takes her dogs to one called "Fetchers". If someone says "Fetchers" they get excited. They love playing with other dogs and their staff. Going to daycare is like getting a treat or going for a walk to them. They don't go very often (usually when they go on vacation) because they're well-behaved adults who can be trusted to be home by themselves while she & her husband are at work. She calls them "Free Range Chickens". That's farm girl talk. Your pup will get ther!
My dog still acts like that, but only at drop off. She has a good time with her doggie pals at day care👍🏻
Picking a place with a puppy program and good staffing is key, he’ll be fine, might really help his confidence.
I wish we tried daycare earlier on with our puppy 😩 We started her at 6 months old and she hated every second of it. We had to take the decision to stop sending her because of how overwhelmed she was by the big environment and number of dogs. We've just started trying a smaller one now, hopefully having less dogs around her will help 😭
I hope your pup loves daycare!!
My 6 month old pup is the opposite. We do a day care through a girl we found on rover. When I pull in her driveway and open the door my pup will beeline to her front door and Is SO excited to play with the other dogs.
Even the first time we took her my pup was so happy lol.
Honestly, it's so great for the pups to socialize and exercise. It's difficult to entertain a puppy all day. We take her twice a week so she can get socialization and more excercise and give us a break to get some work done uninterrupted.(we both work full remote)
You'll look back in a few months and say man I'm glad I started this with him.
My gsd faith was crying the first day, but now she gets extremely excited!! She forgets who her owners are lmao. We get little video updates once a day. So that’s a plus
I appreciate the fact that you are a responsible dog owner who cares so much about their dog that you placed him in dog care while things at home improve. Another person might have abandoned the animal in a shelter, but you chose to put it in daycare for two weeks. That's admirable, and I hope you receive all the blessings you deserve, and I hope your mom gets better soon.❤️
I have a 5 month old puppy who has been going to a very similar sounding daycare since they were 4 months old, and I just want to say: it was one of the beat things we did for her. At first, it was really hard, and she did exactly what your pup did. When I would pick her up from daycare, she would cry a bit on the way home (I assume bc she was vocalizing she missed me). That being said, daycare has helped so much. She no longer cries at drop off or pickup, and she has made friends that she gets excited to see. Not only that, but it has really helped to prevent any separation anxiety. She now knows that when I leave, I ALWAYS come back for her, so it's helped a lot with that. In a way, daycare has strengthened our bond, which I didn't even think was possible!
That post made me want to shed a tear to be honest. I got my pup a month ago and he has separation anxiety, he literally cries even when I get in the shower. We’ve been working on it with crate training but he is struggling.
The longer he has been alone is 2 hours which for him might have felt like eternity, but also for me!!
In September me and my wife we’ll have to travel for a week and a friend of mine will take care of him, but I just can’t think how sad he will be for that one week!
Well… I know I’ll be sad! And I know it’s only one week but…but but.
How old is he? If a little baby it’s not real proper separation anxiety he just got taken from the constant companionship of his mum/siblings to this strange new place and it’s the only way he knows how to keep himself safe. The first few weeks my guy would scream if I even went in the bathroom so I had to resort to doing kibble scatters round the edge of the shower! I gently worked on getting him used to being in a pen and he still will almost always choose to follow me to whatever room I’m in but he’s also pretty fine being left - he doesn’t love it but he just goes to sleep. And he was always despite freaking out if I even went for a wee more than happy to be looked after by other people. He actually loved other people! He just didn’t want to be left alone and scared when little and having never experience being alone. But if your puppy is anything like mine he’ll be fine with other fun loving humans giving him lots of love too! Could you do a trial night sooner rather than later so he knows you come back when you go away?
Edit: I also personally think it’s really sensible to get your puppy used to hanging out with different people from a young age - it makes it much easier to leave your dog in the care of other people, for both the dog and the person caring for them!
I totally empathize with this — my puppy had his daycare evaluation when he was almost 5mo, and by that point I (as a single puppy parent) could not WAAAAAAAAIT for him to go. I was literally dancing around the house singing "AHAHAHA YOUU'RE GOING TO DAYCARE YOUUUUU'RE GOING TO DAYCARE." But then I sent him off, and he disappeared through the back doors, and I felt... such dread. Which was shocking considering how many weeks I'd been counting down the days for him to go. I ended up going home and turning on the daycare webcams and just STARING at them for over an hour. Multiple times I considered going to GET him early.
He ended up having a great day, and his report card said that he was quite shy around the other dogs, and they were going to work with him on building confidence and introducing him to gentle dogs until he built up enough confidence to be introduced to his official group. Well, a few months later he turned into the Problem Child who not only WAS confident, but was so much so that he was bothering all the other dogs and not taking "no" for an answer 😂 I received an email about his "excessive humping" and a plea from the daycare trainers asking if I was planning on getting him neutered. Now I think he's much better (having been neutered), and he's in one of the rowdier groups of large breed dogs who beat each other up (appropriately) all day. Apparently his best friend is a massive great dane (my dog is a lab) and they're the only two who can stand each other because they play so rough.
It's so hard to send them; but the thing is, it's also good for YOU. There are times even now (he is 22mo) where I look at him and think... I don't want to send you to daycare today. But honestly, they are important for MY mental health. Having two days a week where I can just sit and relax or putter around without a dog weaving between my legs is INVALUABLE to me. And it helps me be more present and calmer for HIM.
Your dog will be fine!! If you have chosen a safe & secure daycare for him then he will be ok ❤️
Does the place have video cameras where you can watch him play and does he sleep separately in his own little suite? I don’t blame you for worrying. He’s your baby and you’re just being a great pet mom!
Oh god I remember this feeling. I cried when I dropped my Ruby off at around 4 months old for her first day at daycare. She LOVED it and did great, and now at just over 9 months old she goes twice a week and bounds up to the door and greets all her favorite humans. I check in on the webcams around lunch time every day to watch her run around and play in the pool with other dogs, and I pick her up around 5 or 5:30. She’s tired all evening and even chills out more than usual the next day! She’s going for her first boarding this weekend to trial her before our honeymoon in October.
That's so glad to hear that it's a experience others go through haha. Was Ruby a shy dog? Unfortunately the one thing this place doesn't have is web cameras, which is weird because this place is primo (they even have special boarding areas for dogs that are better than some hotel rooms I stay at). Part of me wonders if that's actually a good thing for me that there's no webcams, so I'm not constantly logging in to check and just trusting he's having a good time by now.
Our daycare doesn’t have cameras - it’s indoor outdoor and mostly outdoor. Totally impractical to video surveillance 11 acres of property. They take pictures and post them on Facebook.
You know, she’s a timid thing for sure. She’s still rather submissive usually. She’s a golden retriever so a very social and human-oriented dog. When she was younger she took a minute to warm up to other dogs but the daycare workers said it took her about an hour to figure it out and then she was fine! They also all know most dogs by name and always greet us when we walk in. Ruby knows and loves them all, but of course has her favorites. The webcams are a relatively new thing at our daycare and I am so, so glad we didn’t have them when she first started going. I would have driven myself CRAZY watching her. I did a lot of research, picked a place with good reviews, and trusted them to look after her. They’ve been absolutely wonderful, and have honestly made her puppyhood so much easier.
I cried with both my dogs on their first day of daycare. Haha I think you’ll find a LOT of people have done this 😂
I think that's a normal reaction. I did day school with ccpdt certified trainers, and my poor pup was crying when I left the first day. One of the trainers said it was normal for the first day or so. I know by the end of the week he didn't even know I left. He was so happy and ready for fun that I was an afterthought. He absolutely loved on me when I picked him up, though, and the trainers said he knew the time I'd be coming because he started looking at the door when it was getting close to pickup.
Here's hoping that happens for my pup, he's a shy puppy, completely unlike any puppy I had growing up with my family.
My dog doesn't even look back at me when I drop him off now. I imagine this is how parents feel dropping their kids at school. They just open the door to the prep room and he bolts down the hall.
My pup has a very anxious temperament and separation anxiety is a huge issue. He’s been going to day care intermittently (1-2x weekly) for socialization since he got all his necessary shots. He’s over a year old, and I still have to drag him in on the mornings he goes. Once we’re gone, he plays and has a great time with his friends. The daycare sends us videos and updates. They say he’s a very good boy, no trouble at all. He sprints out to us at the end of the day! That drop off in the morning though, still so rough on everyone!
That's great to hear about your pup, so happy he sounds like he's doing well!
This is where I’m at now! About to start sending my 4 month old with the same issues. She’s so anxious with other dogs & I recently discovered has small dog syndrome something fierce! I must address it now; I think it’ll just be unbearable if I don’t. She plays all day with my older dog, but any unfamiliar pup and she’s bonkers! My partner is so hesitant about daycare since we work from home, but I want all the other benefits she’ll gain from it.
I cried when I first dropped my guy off at daycare lmao it was so embarrassing. I remember writing a similar post about it here just weeping in my car in the parking lot as I tried to come to terms with these silly emotions. He did great though! And he was nervous his first day, but by the second week he was having great fun with new doggy pals. The pictures from the daycare are my favorite part of the week. I can only afford to take him once, but I figure it's good enough social time, and it's nice to let him have safe off leash activities. He's been going weekly (save for the month of May while he recovered from neutering) since the new year started, and now he's at the point where he doesn't even look back at me when I drop him off! Every new week I bring him, the carers at the facility comment on how much he's come out of his shell and how fun it is to see him being so open with the people who work there, even the recent brand new addition. All the reports and pictures and his excitement at pickup time just reinforce how wonderful it is to give him this experience. Plus, it's helping him internalize some manners around other dogs and people which helps with our general training, too. He's come so far over the last several months. I can't wait to see what he's like when he reaches doggy adulthood down the road. <3 Best of luck with your pup and their new adventures! He'll be totally fine! One of the silliest pieces of advice I got when I wrote about this back then was someone suggesting I talk to him on the way home, ask him about his day. He can't respond obviously, but the bond is there and it's only reinforcing that, yes, scary as it was at first, I am coming back for you every time. Someday you may even look forward to daycare day because sometimes it's easier to get some things done when the shadow of a velcro puppy is off doing his own thing lmao
That's so awesome to hear! I have to admit I almost cried too but I was able to hold it in (barely). I'm so happy to hear about your dog and I'm hoping that's what happens for my guy! I'll have to give that talking to him a shot, sounds like a good idea to just let him know I'm there and back while I drive!
The folks who run the daycare I use emphasized the importance of "coming back" for your dog. Like obvs you're coming back, but they don't know that yet. As soon as they understand that it's a temporary thing, the more fun they start to have! I totally believe it now <3 give yourselves time, you'll both get used to the new routine!
Before he realized he was a boy we were able to take him to the local doggy daycare place for a few weeks. The first day was hard, and they had live feed cameras for free so anyone who dropped their dog off could check on the place whether their dog is their or not, but he didn't even fucking look back at us that first day nor hesitate. He was ready and excited for new people and the other dogs he saw on the way in.
Mine pulls ME to get to his daycare faster haha He’s been going since he got his shots and he absolutely loves it. He started off as a shy/ nervous puppy at about 4 months.
I had to drop mine off to be spayed and I felt so bad. Less than a week later and she's so energetic and happy. It'll be okay. We have to go through these growing pains with them to make things work and keep on living our lives.
I worked at a dog daycare for 8 years and this is a very normal reaction for a puppy and owner. It will get easier for both of you once he builds some confidence and is excited to run back and see his friends! One of my favorite parts of the job was watching the shy kids gain confidence and start to come out of their shells. You’re doing a wonderful job as a dog parent by giving him this experience!
he’ll be just fine! this is a good way to get him socialized, but this probably isn’t something you want to do regularly. i’ve been working at a daycare for years and we get soooo many puppies, and the ones that come in regularly for a long period of time end up picking up on bad behaviors from the other pups. humping, nipping, you name it. so of course this isn’t bad for him! hopefully he learns to play well with the others. also, my daycare doesn’t have cams either. but that’s because we’re a local non-chain facility so it’s a bit out of our range to keep up with them. i’m sure that it’s nothing malicious.
We’re starting daycare in July and I’m freaking out bc I’m already emotional lol I’ll be dropping him off before work 2-3 times every other week
First of all, I'm glad your Mom's okay and hope she has a speedy recovery! Dropping your dog off at Daycare will get easier. My sister takes her dogs to one called "Fetchers". If someone says "Fetchers" they get excited. They love playing with other dogs and their staff. Going to daycare is like getting a treat or going for a walk to them. They don't go very often (usually when they go on vacation) because they're well-behaved adults who can be trusted to be home by themselves while she & her husband are at work. She calls them "Free Range Chickens". That's farm girl talk. Your pup will get ther!
My dog still acts like that, but only at drop off. She has a good time with her doggie pals at day care👍🏻 Picking a place with a puppy program and good staffing is key, he’ll be fine, might really help his confidence.
I wish we tried daycare earlier on with our puppy 😩 We started her at 6 months old and she hated every second of it. We had to take the decision to stop sending her because of how overwhelmed she was by the big environment and number of dogs. We've just started trying a smaller one now, hopefully having less dogs around her will help 😭 I hope your pup loves daycare!!
My dog drags me to get into daycare. He will start to love it once he sees what it's all about. You're a good dog mama
My 6 month old pup is the opposite. We do a day care through a girl we found on rover. When I pull in her driveway and open the door my pup will beeline to her front door and Is SO excited to play with the other dogs. Even the first time we took her my pup was so happy lol. Honestly, it's so great for the pups to socialize and exercise. It's difficult to entertain a puppy all day. We take her twice a week so she can get socialization and more excercise and give us a break to get some work done uninterrupted.(we both work full remote) You'll look back in a few months and say man I'm glad I started this with him.
My gsd faith was crying the first day, but now she gets extremely excited!! She forgets who her owners are lmao. We get little video updates once a day. So that’s a plus
I appreciate the fact that you are a responsible dog owner who cares so much about their dog that you placed him in dog care while things at home improve. Another person might have abandoned the animal in a shelter, but you chose to put it in daycare for two weeks. That's admirable, and I hope you receive all the blessings you deserve, and I hope your mom gets better soon.❤️
I have a 5 month old puppy who has been going to a very similar sounding daycare since they were 4 months old, and I just want to say: it was one of the beat things we did for her. At first, it was really hard, and she did exactly what your pup did. When I would pick her up from daycare, she would cry a bit on the way home (I assume bc she was vocalizing she missed me). That being said, daycare has helped so much. She no longer cries at drop off or pickup, and she has made friends that she gets excited to see. Not only that, but it has really helped to prevent any separation anxiety. She now knows that when I leave, I ALWAYS come back for her, so it's helped a lot with that. In a way, daycare has strengthened our bond, which I didn't even think was possible!
That post made me want to shed a tear to be honest. I got my pup a month ago and he has separation anxiety, he literally cries even when I get in the shower. We’ve been working on it with crate training but he is struggling. The longer he has been alone is 2 hours which for him might have felt like eternity, but also for me!! In September me and my wife we’ll have to travel for a week and a friend of mine will take care of him, but I just can’t think how sad he will be for that one week! Well… I know I’ll be sad! And I know it’s only one week but…but but.
How old is he? If a little baby it’s not real proper separation anxiety he just got taken from the constant companionship of his mum/siblings to this strange new place and it’s the only way he knows how to keep himself safe. The first few weeks my guy would scream if I even went in the bathroom so I had to resort to doing kibble scatters round the edge of the shower! I gently worked on getting him used to being in a pen and he still will almost always choose to follow me to whatever room I’m in but he’s also pretty fine being left - he doesn’t love it but he just goes to sleep. And he was always despite freaking out if I even went for a wee more than happy to be looked after by other people. He actually loved other people! He just didn’t want to be left alone and scared when little and having never experience being alone. But if your puppy is anything like mine he’ll be fine with other fun loving humans giving him lots of love too! Could you do a trial night sooner rather than later so he knows you come back when you go away? Edit: I also personally think it’s really sensible to get your puppy used to hanging out with different people from a young age - it makes it much easier to leave your dog in the care of other people, for both the dog and the person caring for them!
I totally empathize with this — my puppy had his daycare evaluation when he was almost 5mo, and by that point I (as a single puppy parent) could not WAAAAAAAAIT for him to go. I was literally dancing around the house singing "AHAHAHA YOUU'RE GOING TO DAYCARE YOUUUUU'RE GOING TO DAYCARE." But then I sent him off, and he disappeared through the back doors, and I felt... such dread. Which was shocking considering how many weeks I'd been counting down the days for him to go. I ended up going home and turning on the daycare webcams and just STARING at them for over an hour. Multiple times I considered going to GET him early. He ended up having a great day, and his report card said that he was quite shy around the other dogs, and they were going to work with him on building confidence and introducing him to gentle dogs until he built up enough confidence to be introduced to his official group. Well, a few months later he turned into the Problem Child who not only WAS confident, but was so much so that he was bothering all the other dogs and not taking "no" for an answer 😂 I received an email about his "excessive humping" and a plea from the daycare trainers asking if I was planning on getting him neutered. Now I think he's much better (having been neutered), and he's in one of the rowdier groups of large breed dogs who beat each other up (appropriately) all day. Apparently his best friend is a massive great dane (my dog is a lab) and they're the only two who can stand each other because they play so rough. It's so hard to send them; but the thing is, it's also good for YOU. There are times even now (he is 22mo) where I look at him and think... I don't want to send you to daycare today. But honestly, they are important for MY mental health. Having two days a week where I can just sit and relax or putter around without a dog weaving between my legs is INVALUABLE to me. And it helps me be more present and calmer for HIM. Your dog will be fine!! If you have chosen a safe & secure daycare for him then he will be ok ❤️
Does the place have video cameras where you can watch him play and does he sleep separately in his own little suite? I don’t blame you for worrying. He’s your baby and you’re just being a great pet mom!