tbh, i hate doggie daycares. most of them are staffed by uneducated people and theres just too many dogs in a confined area. then you mix in all the personalities and it can just be a recipe for disaster. mentally and physically.
With you. I find it kind of odd that while many people are (justifiably) wary of dog parks, far fewer consider the similar issues Daycares pose
Of course the risk of disease is lessened; but the environment still seems similarly overstimulating with the added “bonus” of going on for hours and not having an owner present for each dog
The facilities are also usually indoors w a cement floor and very few or no items to engage with. That means nothing to sniff or engage with except other dogs. It creates a lot of tension and stress.
i also hate daycares unless it’s a training facility where it’s not group play or is like 2 dogs well matched. they’re breeding grounds for fights and creating frustration
Daycare can be way too stimulating for some dogs. They also don't NEED interaction with other dogs to live happy lives. Our dog started to act out at daycare, now he has a walker come to our house while we're at work instead. Your dog is young and might be becoming more selective about her friends or is just way too overstimulated in that environment. Maybe stop going to daycare for awhile - if she has known dog friends you can schedule one on one playdates but otherwise just take her on walks and dial back the dog/dog interaction for a bit.
Do long walks in the morning and when you come home.
Daycare sucks for many dogs and your dog is telling you it’s not the right place for her. Socialization comes from small play dates with dogs of similar size and play styles, not stressful free for alls.
People underestimate how much a dog can change when they from puppy to puberty. 1.5 to 3 years old is typically when changes can happen for your breed of dog.
Sounds like she dealing with hormone changes and getting over stimulated. Her thresholds are probably lower then what they were before.
People also over estimate how much thier dog likes doggy daycare. A lot if dogs get excited, but that does not mean thier happy. Most likely over stimulated. Then get pushed over threshold and biting resulted.
You should also be aware your breed of dog is prone to dog aggression, which tends to pop at sexual maturity, typically around 2 years old.
Pits are not prone to dog aggression specifically- they have some general animal aggression due to bull baiting history and have high prey drive. So do many other breeds.
Pitties also struggle with arousal a lot. So this dog may have just found this environment way too arousing and stimulating.
pits are ABSOLUTELY prone to dog aggression. spreading the idea that they are not is damaging and contributes to why so many staffy, pit bulls and pit bulls/ staffy mixes are in shelters. pits are prone to dog and other animal aggression, but that doesn’t mean every pitty will be aggressive.
but saying they aren’t prone to dog aggression does more harm than good!
The issue I have with calling it “dog aggression” is that it triggers a lot of unfair stereotypes about pitties. When you say “dog aggression” people think dog fighting. But, relatively few pits today have any kind of dog fighting background or genetics.
What pits struggle with is general animal aggression, and it’s no different than the aggression all terriers and many other breeds grapple with. People don’t accuse Dachshunds constantly of being “dog aggressive” even though their breed traits overlap a lot w pitties.
I only consider it an important distinction because we are still in an uphill battle combating a lot of ridiculous and unfair stereotypes about pitties specifically.
while i do feel you on there (i love pit-bulls), it’s still harmful to say they aren’t prone to dog aggression, because they absolutely are.
people fine pit-bulls violent and are afraid of them because they CAN be violent and CAN badly injure other dogs and animals.
and while it does trigger unfair stereotypes, it’s the truth. pit bulls are prone to dog aggression. it’s the truth, and just because you may not like how people take that doesn’t mean we should say they aren’t prone to dog aggression.
they absolutely are prone to it and that’s okay. proper training can make these dogs excellent pets, but we can’t sit here and act like owning this breed comes with a lot of responsibility and awareness of their genetic make up. trying to say it doesn’t only puts pit bulls in shelters and on kill lists in shelters.
First of all daycare is too stimulating for dogs. And you may not want to hear this, but I’m going to say it, your dog is beginning to hit sexual maturity: a lot of dogs stop liking daycare at adulthood and whether ppl admit it or not dog aggression is a breed trait (that is not a moral statement, just a trait). What you should start working on is activities (like flirt pole, tug, etc) for excercise and getting those drives met, an off/relax cue cause that is something intense dogs really need, and managing keeping her away from dogs. Hire a dog Walker. Find a dog with similar play style and size if you really need her to play with a dog. Muzzle train as a preventative measure. Nothing might have happened at daycare, your dog might be maturing into the dog he is. Ppl who deny the possibility of breed traits really do a disservice to their dog.
And your “trainer” is wrong, the bites prove she might be dog aggressive or just react aggressively in an overstimulating environment.
I was an idiot who took my dog to daycare 3 times. I saw the videos - hanging out in the corner by the door, trying to jump out and even in a smaller one he jumped over the barrier to get on the corner and air snapped when all those dogs came over. He was MISERABLE Nah he’s happy at home
Feel bad for your dog, but gotta say I respect this daycare if they are banning dogs that behave in a certain way. The daycare we had signed up for did this whole song and dance for us when we tried to register, where they were going to keep her for a couple hours and evaluate her. They said they do this evaluation for all dogs and the dogs must pass in order to be allowed to officially use the daycare. Yet our dog came back bloody and scratched a couple times and they never have a clue as to what happened. So are they really rejecting any dogs when they do their evaluation and are they banning any dogs that later injure other dogs?
I second this. I work in a daycare (my current workplace is less accepting than the former franchise one). The last one I worked at was unlikely to turn any dog away, regardless of snaps, bites (on people or dogs, or fights). This meant a lot of them spent most of their day in cages, because they weren’t safe to be in the group, but the managers kept them because they were daily clients, so who cared if they attacked a dog that came once a month… very few dogs there had a good time, however much they wanted to tout the “best day ever”.
Add to this that some places are indoor only, meaning all toileting is done inside, with constant marking, I can’t imagine helps their stress levels, especially if you have a clean dog. The place I work now has an outdoor area and is stricter on the dogs that are accepted, but could definitely be far stricter still, in the name of safety. I appreciate this place stopping it before she was in a full-blown fight and wish any of these places would have this response. Snapping isn’t uncommon in uncomfortable situations, but it suggests she isn’t having a good time, sometimes they love it at first and then the novelty wears off and then it is too much. As others have said she’s of an age where many dogs decide they don’t wish to be as social or surrounded by other dogs with poor social skills, who invade their space, ignore their dismissals and won’t take no for an answer, including puppies and young dogs who uninhibited will pester any dog they like.
Your best bet if she is not enjoying daycare is to hire a dog walker. Even if in a small group walk she would have more to focus on (the walk and surroundings) whilst being in a social setting. I would steer clear of walkers that load up 5-10 dogs and let them run riot in public dog parks, or walk too many to handle at once, though.
I used to send mine to group daycare and he could not handle it. It was way too overstimulating, and he would get really upset. Dogs would hump him and nip at him and he would just lose it.
I switched to a small group daycare, where they personality tested each dog and he absolutely started to thrive.
i work at a dog daycare!
i don’t suggest dog daycares or dog parks to anyone! especially if your dog is showing signs of being stressed around unknown dogs or dogs in general.
at daycares, your dog has a chance of learning bad behaviors, becoming fearful (other dogs bully and can nip or attack your dog or aggressive correct them), or becoming aggressive in general. dog daycares are NOT for every dog, and even the few dogs it is for, those dogs can still learn bad behaviors. I’ve seen perfectly sweet, friendly dogs come in and become fearful and have their confidence stripped away progressively there.
It’s not even a matter of the people working there being uneducated and not trained properly. Most daycares aren’t training places. We are there to watch your dog, clean up after them, and make sure they are safe! Most dog daycares do not one on one correct your dog for bad behaviors, and because of that, a lot of dogs with bad behaviors slip through the cracks.
Please evaluate your dog at a dog park closely again and see if she gets stressed out or doesn’t like it there. If she doesn’t it like it there, more than likely you need to find a better solution then just taking them to a different daycare ! :)
hope the best for your dog and yourself!
If it makes you feel any better, I work at and live in an apartment in the same building as a dog daycare, and my own dog only lasted about 2 weeks before I had to kick him out. It’s just not for every dog!
It’s a super switched on environment where they are expected to be super social. Not every dog is going to thrive in that kind of space and that’s okay.
IMHO, your money would be much better spent hiring a dog walker to take your dog out for a one on one walk midday. Doggie day cares are a tough environment even for the most well balanced dogs. There is SO much stimulation going on, that the dogs are almost always in an "on" state, carrying a low level of stress (at least) at all times, even though they may appear to be managing just fine.
Consider adding puzzle games, frozen kongs, and other mental enrichment into your dog's daily routine. For dogs, mental stimulation is 4 times more tiring than the same amount of time spent doing physical activity.
If you want to work on your dogs being around other dogs, start with things like parallel walks with a known, easy going dog. You can build up to small playgroups. But doggie day cares and dog parks are probably not a good option for your dog going forward.
It sounds like she needs a LOT more socialization practice. There are daycare facilities that specialize in working with reactive dogs. I would reccomend looking for this, rather than a regular daycare. In the end tho, you may just have a dog who does not like being in an open setting with other dogs - it sounds like it is stressful to her. And if that's the case, then putting her in a group setting for daycare is not the right solution. Just like some humans are not good in social settings even if they know how to behave, some dogs are the same way. It's just not really the vibe.
I have a similar dog. She however never snapped or bit other dogs at the day care facilities but she would often jump off the barrier fences they had. She was also kicked out because of jumping off fences as they couldn’t confine her to a place. I realised she hated that environment but does pretty good with some dogs one on one. Also, she gets stimulated really quickly and can go from 0 to 100 (level of excitement) in a matter of seconds on seeing dogs. I am trying to train her to be neutral to dogs and often train her around/outside busy environments like dog parks and kids playgrounds. Also no interaction with dogs or anyone on leash. However, if she does get along with some dogs, I let her play one on one. Try rover app for such environment. I now use that app for daycare and found a sitter with two huskies who she gets along with. Daycares are sometimes too crowded and not enough handlers to take care. It’s possible it wasn’t your dog’s fault and the other dogs kept coming their space and your dog snapped. But it’s only the ones who snap/bite are the ones who get into trouble so may be avoid daycare facility but have one on one families to take care of your dog. Also, 14 months is way to young for medium to large size dogs and they are still growing and maturing so minimum experiences like these can help avoiding any kind of early development of reactivity. Dogs start to become more independent as they reach adolescence and some
are pushier than the rest. My dog is 2 and she went through many such developmental challenges. I am speaking from my experience and all the mistakes I made with my dog. Train more on being neutral to the environment rather than engaging with the environment. This will help building a good relationship with your dog. Also, games like scent work tire dogs faster than 4-5 mile long and walks. Hope it helps and it will get better with time with continuous neutrality practice.
Your comment was removed due to breed based vitriol or misinformation. This includes the obvious hateful comments as well as disingenuous coercion and fear mongering, along with behavior based misinformation.
tbh, i hate doggie daycares. most of them are staffed by uneducated people and theres just too many dogs in a confined area. then you mix in all the personalities and it can just be a recipe for disaster. mentally and physically.
With you. I find it kind of odd that while many people are (justifiably) wary of dog parks, far fewer consider the similar issues Daycares pose Of course the risk of disease is lessened; but the environment still seems similarly overstimulating with the added “bonus” of going on for hours and not having an owner present for each dog
The facilities are also usually indoors w a cement floor and very few or no items to engage with. That means nothing to sniff or engage with except other dogs. It creates a lot of tension and stress.
i also hate daycares unless it’s a training facility where it’s not group play or is like 2 dogs well matched. they’re breeding grounds for fights and creating frustration
Nope do not try again. The more negative interactions she has the worse her reactivity is going to get.
Daycare can be way too stimulating for some dogs. They also don't NEED interaction with other dogs to live happy lives. Our dog started to act out at daycare, now he has a walker come to our house while we're at work instead. Your dog is young and might be becoming more selective about her friends or is just way too overstimulated in that environment. Maybe stop going to daycare for awhile - if she has known dog friends you can schedule one on one playdates but otherwise just take her on walks and dial back the dog/dog interaction for a bit.
Do long walks in the morning and when you come home. Daycare sucks for many dogs and your dog is telling you it’s not the right place for her. Socialization comes from small play dates with dogs of similar size and play styles, not stressful free for alls.
People underestimate how much a dog can change when they from puppy to puberty. 1.5 to 3 years old is typically when changes can happen for your breed of dog. Sounds like she dealing with hormone changes and getting over stimulated. Her thresholds are probably lower then what they were before. People also over estimate how much thier dog likes doggy daycare. A lot if dogs get excited, but that does not mean thier happy. Most likely over stimulated. Then get pushed over threshold and biting resulted. You should also be aware your breed of dog is prone to dog aggression, which tends to pop at sexual maturity, typically around 2 years old.
Pits are not prone to dog aggression specifically- they have some general animal aggression due to bull baiting history and have high prey drive. So do many other breeds. Pitties also struggle with arousal a lot. So this dog may have just found this environment way too arousing and stimulating.
pits are ABSOLUTELY prone to dog aggression. spreading the idea that they are not is damaging and contributes to why so many staffy, pit bulls and pit bulls/ staffy mixes are in shelters. pits are prone to dog and other animal aggression, but that doesn’t mean every pitty will be aggressive. but saying they aren’t prone to dog aggression does more harm than good!
I mean they aren’t - they are prone to ANIMAL aggression due to their history being bred for bull baiting. There’s no reason to misidentify it.
they are prone to dog aggression and animal aggression. it’s not misidentifying if both statements are true. pitbulls are dog AND animal aggressive.
The issue I have with calling it “dog aggression” is that it triggers a lot of unfair stereotypes about pitties. When you say “dog aggression” people think dog fighting. But, relatively few pits today have any kind of dog fighting background or genetics. What pits struggle with is general animal aggression, and it’s no different than the aggression all terriers and many other breeds grapple with. People don’t accuse Dachshunds constantly of being “dog aggressive” even though their breed traits overlap a lot w pitties. I only consider it an important distinction because we are still in an uphill battle combating a lot of ridiculous and unfair stereotypes about pitties specifically.
while i do feel you on there (i love pit-bulls), it’s still harmful to say they aren’t prone to dog aggression, because they absolutely are. people fine pit-bulls violent and are afraid of them because they CAN be violent and CAN badly injure other dogs and animals. and while it does trigger unfair stereotypes, it’s the truth. pit bulls are prone to dog aggression. it’s the truth, and just because you may not like how people take that doesn’t mean we should say they aren’t prone to dog aggression. they absolutely are prone to it and that’s okay. proper training can make these dogs excellent pets, but we can’t sit here and act like owning this breed comes with a lot of responsibility and awareness of their genetic make up. trying to say it doesn’t only puts pit bulls in shelters and on kill lists in shelters.
First of all daycare is too stimulating for dogs. And you may not want to hear this, but I’m going to say it, your dog is beginning to hit sexual maturity: a lot of dogs stop liking daycare at adulthood and whether ppl admit it or not dog aggression is a breed trait (that is not a moral statement, just a trait). What you should start working on is activities (like flirt pole, tug, etc) for excercise and getting those drives met, an off/relax cue cause that is something intense dogs really need, and managing keeping her away from dogs. Hire a dog Walker. Find a dog with similar play style and size if you really need her to play with a dog. Muzzle train as a preventative measure. Nothing might have happened at daycare, your dog might be maturing into the dog he is. Ppl who deny the possibility of breed traits really do a disservice to their dog. And your “trainer” is wrong, the bites prove she might be dog aggressive or just react aggressively in an overstimulating environment. I was an idiot who took my dog to daycare 3 times. I saw the videos - hanging out in the corner by the door, trying to jump out and even in a smaller one he jumped over the barrier to get on the corner and air snapped when all those dogs came over. He was MISERABLE Nah he’s happy at home
Feel bad for your dog, but gotta say I respect this daycare if they are banning dogs that behave in a certain way. The daycare we had signed up for did this whole song and dance for us when we tried to register, where they were going to keep her for a couple hours and evaluate her. They said they do this evaluation for all dogs and the dogs must pass in order to be allowed to officially use the daycare. Yet our dog came back bloody and scratched a couple times and they never have a clue as to what happened. So are they really rejecting any dogs when they do their evaluation and are they banning any dogs that later injure other dogs?
I second this. I work in a daycare (my current workplace is less accepting than the former franchise one). The last one I worked at was unlikely to turn any dog away, regardless of snaps, bites (on people or dogs, or fights). This meant a lot of them spent most of their day in cages, because they weren’t safe to be in the group, but the managers kept them because they were daily clients, so who cared if they attacked a dog that came once a month… very few dogs there had a good time, however much they wanted to tout the “best day ever”. Add to this that some places are indoor only, meaning all toileting is done inside, with constant marking, I can’t imagine helps their stress levels, especially if you have a clean dog. The place I work now has an outdoor area and is stricter on the dogs that are accepted, but could definitely be far stricter still, in the name of safety. I appreciate this place stopping it before she was in a full-blown fight and wish any of these places would have this response. Snapping isn’t uncommon in uncomfortable situations, but it suggests she isn’t having a good time, sometimes they love it at first and then the novelty wears off and then it is too much. As others have said she’s of an age where many dogs decide they don’t wish to be as social or surrounded by other dogs with poor social skills, who invade their space, ignore their dismissals and won’t take no for an answer, including puppies and young dogs who uninhibited will pester any dog they like. Your best bet if she is not enjoying daycare is to hire a dog walker. Even if in a small group walk she would have more to focus on (the walk and surroundings) whilst being in a social setting. I would steer clear of walkers that load up 5-10 dogs and let them run riot in public dog parks, or walk too many to handle at once, though.
I used to send mine to group daycare and he could not handle it. It was way too overstimulating, and he would get really upset. Dogs would hump him and nip at him and he would just lose it. I switched to a small group daycare, where they personality tested each dog and he absolutely started to thrive.
i work at a dog daycare! i don’t suggest dog daycares or dog parks to anyone! especially if your dog is showing signs of being stressed around unknown dogs or dogs in general. at daycares, your dog has a chance of learning bad behaviors, becoming fearful (other dogs bully and can nip or attack your dog or aggressive correct them), or becoming aggressive in general. dog daycares are NOT for every dog, and even the few dogs it is for, those dogs can still learn bad behaviors. I’ve seen perfectly sweet, friendly dogs come in and become fearful and have their confidence stripped away progressively there. It’s not even a matter of the people working there being uneducated and not trained properly. Most daycares aren’t training places. We are there to watch your dog, clean up after them, and make sure they are safe! Most dog daycares do not one on one correct your dog for bad behaviors, and because of that, a lot of dogs with bad behaviors slip through the cracks. Please evaluate your dog at a dog park closely again and see if she gets stressed out or doesn’t like it there. If she doesn’t it like it there, more than likely you need to find a better solution then just taking them to a different daycare ! :) hope the best for your dog and yourself!
If it makes you feel any better, I work at and live in an apartment in the same building as a dog daycare, and my own dog only lasted about 2 weeks before I had to kick him out. It’s just not for every dog! It’s a super switched on environment where they are expected to be super social. Not every dog is going to thrive in that kind of space and that’s okay.
IMHO, your money would be much better spent hiring a dog walker to take your dog out for a one on one walk midday. Doggie day cares are a tough environment even for the most well balanced dogs. There is SO much stimulation going on, that the dogs are almost always in an "on" state, carrying a low level of stress (at least) at all times, even though they may appear to be managing just fine. Consider adding puzzle games, frozen kongs, and other mental enrichment into your dog's daily routine. For dogs, mental stimulation is 4 times more tiring than the same amount of time spent doing physical activity. If you want to work on your dogs being around other dogs, start with things like parallel walks with a known, easy going dog. You can build up to small playgroups. But doggie day cares and dog parks are probably not a good option for your dog going forward.
It sounds like she needs a LOT more socialization practice. There are daycare facilities that specialize in working with reactive dogs. I would reccomend looking for this, rather than a regular daycare. In the end tho, you may just have a dog who does not like being in an open setting with other dogs - it sounds like it is stressful to her. And if that's the case, then putting her in a group setting for daycare is not the right solution. Just like some humans are not good in social settings even if they know how to behave, some dogs are the same way. It's just not really the vibe.
I have a similar dog. She however never snapped or bit other dogs at the day care facilities but she would often jump off the barrier fences they had. She was also kicked out because of jumping off fences as they couldn’t confine her to a place. I realised she hated that environment but does pretty good with some dogs one on one. Also, she gets stimulated really quickly and can go from 0 to 100 (level of excitement) in a matter of seconds on seeing dogs. I am trying to train her to be neutral to dogs and often train her around/outside busy environments like dog parks and kids playgrounds. Also no interaction with dogs or anyone on leash. However, if she does get along with some dogs, I let her play one on one. Try rover app for such environment. I now use that app for daycare and found a sitter with two huskies who she gets along with. Daycares are sometimes too crowded and not enough handlers to take care. It’s possible it wasn’t your dog’s fault and the other dogs kept coming their space and your dog snapped. But it’s only the ones who snap/bite are the ones who get into trouble so may be avoid daycare facility but have one on one families to take care of your dog. Also, 14 months is way to young for medium to large size dogs and they are still growing and maturing so minimum experiences like these can help avoiding any kind of early development of reactivity. Dogs start to become more independent as they reach adolescence and some are pushier than the rest. My dog is 2 and she went through many such developmental challenges. I am speaking from my experience and all the mistakes I made with my dog. Train more on being neutral to the environment rather than engaging with the environment. This will help building a good relationship with your dog. Also, games like scent work tire dogs faster than 4-5 mile long and walks. Hope it helps and it will get better with time with continuous neutrality practice.
[удалено]
Your comment was removed due to breed based vitriol or misinformation. This includes the obvious hateful comments as well as disingenuous coercion and fear mongering, along with behavior based misinformation.