Nipping
Akira is about 6 months old and loves going to daycare. Unfortunately, he's been spending a lot of time in "time out" recently because he nips at other dogs. We took him to the dog park earlier with our obedience trainer and she thought his behavior there was normal for a puppy. He does nip and once I had to pull him off a young german shepherd puppy that was just confused by all the nipping. We're not sure if the daycare just isn't good at handling the dogs or if we have a problem puppy. He's generally a pretty friendly and playful soul and not aggressive. Thoughts?
Comments
Somewhat related...
I also wouldn't really put too much weight on how your dog does in daycare or at the dog park, IMO. Just because a dog does poorly in daycare or at a dog park necessarily mean they're a problem dog or aggressive.
My Shikoku accompanied me when I worked at a dog daycare -- he loved playing and he is friendly with other dogs, but he was always 500% more stressed at daycare than he is normally, which could lead to misunderstandings. I don't even try to really bring him to the park.
My Malamute cannot be around strange dogs in a dog park or daycare environment, but does very well with familiar dogs or dogs introduced to him properly. He loves to play with other dogs, but he's just not "dog park" material.
We had been there a couple times and passed by the daycare area before we tried it. The people that they have in the rooms weren't all that knowledgeable. If a dog got too roudy (initiated any play really), then they squirted them with a water bottle or took them away (doggy time out). So most all of the dogs just sat or laid down and chilled in a corner somewhere. If I want my dog to NOT play and just sit and lay down then I could just leave them at home lol He does great with his doggy buddys and has some good times at the dog park, depending on the other dogs.
Daycare is a very different enviornment and like @Crispy said I wouldn't worry any over what happens in daycare. Your dog has to fit a very specific mold in order to do well in daycare, most dogs don't fit that mold, but that doesn't make them bad or problem dogs. Just a normal dog
I just started sending TK to daycare again for a once-a-week thing. The facility doesn't look like much (it's a repurposed apartment building), but the staff is super knowledgeable and the capacity is very low. It feels like a comfortable place and I haven't had any problems with it. Good daycares are out there!
My foster dog spends more time sleeping than playing, but that's ok. He's just a big lazy puppy. TK's just been there once, but I was very happy when they put him in with the "small" dog group instead of throwing him in the large dogs (which is what a lot of people want to do when they see his play style). He does 100x worse with the large dogs because he gets stressed out easily in new situations. He's much more polite with small dogs.
@AkiratheKishu - How many days do you send him to daycare and for how long? That can have an effect on the dog's behavior while in the play area. Most dogs can only handle between 1 and 3 days a week. I like 1 or 2 days - the dogs that go for one or two days always seemed the happiest to come in and play. Some dogs did okay with more, but most really didn't.
Hope this helps
It's a good idea, though.
IMO, finding another place (smaller, quieter, or more understanding) is the best option if their reaction is to throw him in time out and label him a "problem".
But coming from a high-volume daycare job, I'm a bit jaded.
Kouda spends the day with our trainer a few times a month. She does boarding for clients and has watched him before when we travel. She knows his quirks and understands our interest in healthy socialization. There are a few regulars as well as her own 2 dogs, and she manages interactions with new dogs carefully. And we can tell he enjoys it when he can't wait to get in the door!