Molly failed doggie daycare test

**Mamaw** · 03-19-2008, 04:54 PM

I wanted to take my puppy to doggie day care and cage free boarding in our area. in order to be accepted, she had to have an appointment to meet and greet the other dogs that are usually there. So today, we go to day care and they start by letting her in a huge room with a little 12 week puppy. Molly did great and was very sweet. Then they let another dog in to be introduced. Then another....by the time they hit the 8th dog or so, little molly was running around with her tail between her legs most of the time. But she would also sort of nip at the other dogs. Hence, they will not let her attend at this point in time. I have to admit, I am a bit disappointed but I also feel it was just too much stress and fear for her. Do any of you have any tips to help her get used to other dogs more? Anyone else ever do the cage free boarding or doggie day care thing? any hints, tips or suggestions???

Note: My family thinks I have lost my mind because I have never been this involved in trying to keep a dog busy and happy...always loved animals and have certainly been good to them but I am a bit overboard with this one I guess......jeez.....

**Neeley** · 03-19-2008, 05:31 PM

We send our two dogs to daycare every so often. Both had to go through an introductory period where the contact was limited and they were heavily supervised before being allowed to fully interact with the other dogs.

Our weimeraner did great from the start. He was allowed full access on the second day. But, our Jack Russell was a bit on the timid side. They said it took her several days to get use to all of her playmates. She would stay in her room and hide under her bed. At one point they were not even able to coax her out with Frosty Paws ice cream treats. Once she got use to everyone she did great. It just took time for her to get use to other dogs and all of the excitement.

Your baby may be a bit overwhelmed. Give her some time to mature a little more then try it again. Until then do you have a dog park you can take her to or a walking trail where there are other dogs she can come in limited contact with? Do you have a friend who has a dog your baby can play with on a regular basis to help get her use to being around other dogs?

Hope it all works out. Personally, I love doggie daycare. I don't work, but still send mine so they can have a goodtime and "make friends".

**Mamaw** · 03-19-2008, 08:26 PM

Awwww Neely, you are my kind of person. Thanks for the encouragement!

**cissylu** · 03-19-2008, 09:48 PM

I wish I could help, but I never heard of doggie day care.

**Lori Biever-Launder** · 03-20-2008, 01:22 AM

Socialize your puppy every day. Take her into different situations with both people and other dogs. I didn't notice how old she is, but she may well grow out of this.

**nancycg56** · 03-20-2008, 09:29 AM

I'm not sure any of my dogs would have done well in that introduction ~ including my very laid-back Golden. Lots of dogs can't handle the stress of large groups of dogs right at the beginning.

Do you have a dog park nearby? Mine have done really well in that setting and are well socialized now but it did take several visits for them to be comfortable with all shapes and sizes of dogs. One of our Jack Russells is best friends with a Bernese Mountain Dog and it is the funniest thing to watch. Our new Jack is not real sure about big dogs but he's getting better

I agree with the other poster about socializing your dog as much as you can and then try again ~ good luck!

**DJ1972** · 03-20-2008, 01:09 PM

My puppy would fail that test miserably lol. He is a miniature schnauzer but has the attitude of a pit bull. He is 5 months old and very protective of his "humans" and he doesn't play well with others (except our oustside lab)....hoping he will calm down after he is neutered in a couple of months.

**frugalwanttobe** · 03-23-2008, 10:44 AM

My beautiful Cairn Terrier is a doggie daycare dropout. We brought her to a place when we were going on vacation and she failed miserably. The funny thing is, she is the dog in the neighborhood who is so excited to see the other dogs. She is the sweet one who when they are showing dominance she becomes submissive. At the dog park, which we do not go to anymore, because I am afraid that she will be trampled by the large breeds when they form a pack, she tends to run in front of the pack and barks at them in a yelling manner so as to tell them they are misbehaving. All of the dog owners think it is hysterical. It was scaring me so we ended that activity.

I was very upset about my terrier being a dropout but I decided that she is my dog and if she is a dropout, she is my dropout. So on vacation we left her at home and had a woman come to our house 4 times a day. She walked her, made sure she had food and fresh water. She played with her and really gave her the care that she deserves. My sister-in-law came over too. My sister-in-law knew the woman's schedule and so she would come in between the woman's hours. Lucy was so happy when we got back and she did not seem upset at all. I think she liked the excitement of never knowing who was going to come through the door, the woman or my sister-in-law. The woman was expensive but I thought of this money that I had to pay her as money that allowed my dog to be safe and in a cool (it was the end of July) airconditioned house that she loves. This year we will be taking her with us but if we couldn't I would definitely hire the woman again. My sister-in-law lives in the same town as us and she is more than willing to visit her canine niece.

I have probably gone on too long but just one more thing. As I mentioned I have the dropout dog but she is also the one who the vets tell us that she is the best patient. The vet that left the practice also told my husband and I that we were really doing something right because she was so good for them. She lays so still for them and even when they stuck a testing strip in her eye to test the ph she did not move. They always call her the good one when we go to the vet so I know we are doing something right.