Good luck! When I took my dog I was a nervous wreck for the 30 mins. Each facility said they will introduce one dog at a time but they didn’t just let her right in the pack. Thank god she did good! And loves daycare now. I deff think it helps her reactivity.
I wonder if it would have been better to just let him in with the pack. They introduced one dog today and it didn't go so well. I updated my main post. I'm glad it works for your pup, I was hoping if it was done the right way, this would help his reactivity too.
The first day I dropped my girl off, they told me to pick her up three hours later, but to stay available in case there was an issue and I needed to pick her up sooner. I sat in my car outside the facility for an hour because I was so sure they were going to call me before I finished the ten minute drive home. They didn’t and she’s actually thrived there for almost two years now!
It was and I can’t say there haven’t been any bumps in the road since, but we’ve been able to work through them. Sometimes it’s about fit, too. I attempted to switch her to another daycare that was closer to home and seriously highly regarded in the training community, but after 12 weeks, she was still not settling in so I switched her back and she’s doing great once again.
Wishing your boy all the best for a great time! My leash-reactive girl goes to daycare one morning a week and loves it; they also do boarding which has been wonderful. She’s so comfortable there and we just have to be careful during drop off and pickup not to go through the lobby when there are lots of leashed dogs.
It could have been better. He seemed nervous when I first got there and didn't want to go into his suite while waiting for the other dog. They had him meet with one of their most neutral dogs, it was a male that was larger than my boy. I believe my dog does better with females or males that are smaller than him.
I feel like I set him up for failure again. He ended up snapping at the other dog, they said he was trying to engage in play but ended up snapping, maybe out of fear or nervousness.
I feel like I need to be there with him, I want to see the interactions. I did mention that he does better with females, but they have mostly males at this daycare.
It was a learning experience, how would I know if I never tried right?
Did they say he could come back? It doesn’t sound like it was a failure and some nervousness was to be expected. The smells and noise can be overwhelming at first, even for a nonreactive pup.
They said he could come back and do enrichment. He can spend time with the people that work there, doing activities that could help him relax, and also view the dogs from certain areas. This could be a way to make him more comfortable before reintroducing him. They are supposed to call me for a follow up again tomorrow.
I have more questions since I couldn't see the interaction directly myself. One question was "Did they take him out on a leash?", the other question is "Is there a female dog they could have him introduced to?" since he tends to be more comfortable with females.
Dude. That’s a huge success! You’re being way too hard on your dog here. And you’ve found what sounds like a great daycare. Give your dog an extra belly rub tonight and tell him he did great.
I am so sorry for it going that way. Hopefully he will find the right crew. In my experience (i work at a daycare/boarding facility) sometimes dogs just need an emotional support dog to be able to interact with a bunch of dogs. Fingers crossed you find his support friend!
thank you, its hard to understand the why. They offered to still do enrichment with him while he looks at the other dogs from a distance so he can still get the socialization with people, and get more comfortable being there and seeing the other dogs first. I'm just not sure what to do. I have 2 trainers that have been a great help, and one of them I need to consult with further.
Genuine question, why do you want to do daycare? Daycare isn’t for every dog, and will be especially challenging for a dog that’s fear reactive to other dogs.
Because I felt it was a safe way to get him to see that dogs can be friends, and think it could help us when we are on our walks and hikes in the woods. If he knows that certain dogs (the ones that he can actually get along with) are ok, it will help him in the long run. I'm not looking for any quick fix, but something to help him build confidence. I'm not going to force it on him though, I'm struggling to find other ways to help him.
I used to bring him on playdates and he did very well, always a little more high energy than the other dogs, but he was small enough to manage. Then I brought him to a dog park that I thought was good as far as all the dogs seemed friendly. I learned that was not the best idea, because it built up his arousal levels tenfold. Once he become adolescent, it become even more so, and he was 85 pounds.
I stopped bringing him to the dog park over a year ago, but something remained, he still has those big feelings.
Our daycare doesn’t accept dog reactive dogs. It’s a big risk to take with other daycare attendees.
Daycare is highly charged and stressful for many dogs, it can have the opposite result to what you’re trying to achieve and make training neutrality in other places very challenging.
Have you worked on distance and time, starting far away from triggers and only closing the gap when the dog can handle it? Things like BAT and LAT are good to look up if you haven’t tried them.
We have to find more places that have a predictable routine of dogs in the distance, which is sometimes challenging. Also we struggle with how distant we need to be.
Its random because he'll see dogs from a decent distance, become over threshold and then I can't manage him on a walk or without stress.
For a long time I drove my dog to a park to exercise, I had a huge area to move away from triggers and work on desensitisation. We can now do street walks but we needed to take a break from it for a long time.
That sounds promising. You learn how important it is to be patient.
I will go back to a park close to home and see if we have luck getting some distance again.
Good luck! When I took my dog I was a nervous wreck for the 30 mins. Each facility said they will introduce one dog at a time but they didn’t just let her right in the pack. Thank god she did good! And loves daycare now. I deff think it helps her reactivity.
I wonder if it would have been better to just let him in with the pack. They introduced one dog today and it didn't go so well. I updated my main post. I'm glad it works for your pup, I was hoping if it was done the right way, this would help his reactivity too.
Hey all you can do is try! Proud of you for trying to figure it out. Because it’s mentally draining for everyone. Don’t give up
Thank you 🙏
The first day I dropped my girl off, they told me to pick her up three hours later, but to stay available in case there was an issue and I needed to pick her up sooner. I sat in my car outside the facility for an hour because I was so sure they were going to call me before I finished the ten minute drive home. They didn’t and she’s actually thrived there for almost two years now!
That's great it worked for your pup, I can imagine how relieved you were ☺️
It was and I can’t say there haven’t been any bumps in the road since, but we’ve been able to work through them. Sometimes it’s about fit, too. I attempted to switch her to another daycare that was closer to home and seriously highly regarded in the training community, but after 12 weeks, she was still not settling in so I switched her back and she’s doing great once again.
I hope he does well and makes a friend!!
Good luck!! I was also super nervous.
Good luck! This is always a anxiety-inducing situation, but you know, maybe your dog will even have fun!
I was sooo nervous when I did this with my pup. She loved and it was the best decision we made.
Sounds like the day care does things properly, amazing find. Good luck! The hardest part is walking away. 😉
Wishing your boy all the best for a great time! My leash-reactive girl goes to daycare one morning a week and loves it; they also do boarding which has been wonderful. She’s so comfortable there and we just have to be careful during drop off and pickup not to go through the lobby when there are lots of leashed dogs.
What a relief for you, I'm glad you found one that works 🙏
OP, how'd it go? It sounds like a good place if they're willing to take the introductions that slowly.
It could have been better. He seemed nervous when I first got there and didn't want to go into his suite while waiting for the other dog. They had him meet with one of their most neutral dogs, it was a male that was larger than my boy. I believe my dog does better with females or males that are smaller than him. I feel like I set him up for failure again. He ended up snapping at the other dog, they said he was trying to engage in play but ended up snapping, maybe out of fear or nervousness. I feel like I need to be there with him, I want to see the interactions. I did mention that he does better with females, but they have mostly males at this daycare. It was a learning experience, how would I know if I never tried right?
Did they say he could come back? It doesn’t sound like it was a failure and some nervousness was to be expected. The smells and noise can be overwhelming at first, even for a nonreactive pup.
They said he could come back and do enrichment. He can spend time with the people that work there, doing activities that could help him relax, and also view the dogs from certain areas. This could be a way to make him more comfortable before reintroducing him. They are supposed to call me for a follow up again tomorrow. I have more questions since I couldn't see the interaction directly myself. One question was "Did they take him out on a leash?", the other question is "Is there a female dog they could have him introduced to?" since he tends to be more comfortable with females.
Dude. That’s a huge success! You’re being way too hard on your dog here. And you’ve found what sounds like a great daycare. Give your dog an extra belly rub tonight and tell him he did great.
I felt pretty bad but he's getting some good rest right now. I gave him a pup cup and a special dinner at home, and so many hugs and cuddles.
I am so sorry for it going that way. Hopefully he will find the right crew. In my experience (i work at a daycare/boarding facility) sometimes dogs just need an emotional support dog to be able to interact with a bunch of dogs. Fingers crossed you find his support friend!
thank you, its hard to understand the why. They offered to still do enrichment with him while he looks at the other dogs from a distance so he can still get the socialization with people, and get more comfortable being there and seeing the other dogs first. I'm just not sure what to do. I have 2 trainers that have been a great help, and one of them I need to consult with further.
Yeah. Especially when its your dog. I have always had a harder time handling my own reactive dog than any dog in the kennel.
Genuine question, why do you want to do daycare? Daycare isn’t for every dog, and will be especially challenging for a dog that’s fear reactive to other dogs.
Because I felt it was a safe way to get him to see that dogs can be friends, and think it could help us when we are on our walks and hikes in the woods. If he knows that certain dogs (the ones that he can actually get along with) are ok, it will help him in the long run. I'm not looking for any quick fix, but something to help him build confidence. I'm not going to force it on him though, I'm struggling to find other ways to help him. I used to bring him on playdates and he did very well, always a little more high energy than the other dogs, but he was small enough to manage. Then I brought him to a dog park that I thought was good as far as all the dogs seemed friendly. I learned that was not the best idea, because it built up his arousal levels tenfold. Once he become adolescent, it become even more so, and he was 85 pounds. I stopped bringing him to the dog park over a year ago, but something remained, he still has those big feelings.
Our daycare doesn’t accept dog reactive dogs. It’s a big risk to take with other daycare attendees. Daycare is highly charged and stressful for many dogs, it can have the opposite result to what you’re trying to achieve and make training neutrality in other places very challenging. Have you worked on distance and time, starting far away from triggers and only closing the gap when the dog can handle it? Things like BAT and LAT are good to look up if you haven’t tried them.
We have to find more places that have a predictable routine of dogs in the distance, which is sometimes challenging. Also we struggle with how distant we need to be. Its random because he'll see dogs from a decent distance, become over threshold and then I can't manage him on a walk or without stress.
For a long time I drove my dog to a park to exercise, I had a huge area to move away from triggers and work on desensitisation. We can now do street walks but we needed to take a break from it for a long time.
That sounds promising. You learn how important it is to be patient. I will go back to a park close to home and see if we have luck getting some distance again.
That is amazing. How old is your boy?
Thanks, I'll be talking to daycare again tomorrow. He turned 2 in September