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Day care for a 4 month old puppy. Opinions?

Pato

Member
Today Juno (14 weeks old puppy) started Puppy classes. At the beginning she was quite scared of the whole situation (other dogs and strangers close to her) and during playtime she spent most of the time running away from the other puppies. By the end of playtime she started to show more interest in the other dogs and a couple of times she hinted to almost want to initiate play. Her behavior was very different from the other puppies who were a lot more relaxed and playful. She definitely needs to be socialized more. The problem is that we have no friends who own dogs. The trainer suggested bringing her to day care (once she has her 3rd round of shots) for a couple of days a week to help her socialize more. What do you think? Good or bad idea?
Also any suggestions on how to socialize her more? At home we always play and hang out with her in the front yard so she sees plenty of people, dogs, cars, etc. go by. We also do short trips to places like Lowes which make her nervous. We take her for short walks (to the end of the block) and they are a struggle as she wants to stop every 2 seconds and after a few minutes turn around and head back home.
Thanks for the help!
 

Bailey's Mom

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
Increase your walk time and try for busy parks with lots of other dogs "on leashes", let her get to know that dogs are everywhere. Don't worry that she wants to stop and sniff, it's a good thing. You want them to use their noses and to be curious. Some trainers suggest starting a walk with a brisk step and short leash and then on the return trip, it is loose and explore. And, yes, a few days in doggy daycare would help as long as you are certain that the staff will support her with getting over her nervousness. Dog parks are out until she is over 6 months of age because of disease possibilities. Google other stores that allow pets in. TSC in Canada does, most Pet Valu and PetSmarts do. Additionally, look for info boards at pet stores to see if you can find other people looking for friends for their dogs. We are always arranging play dates for our girl and we try to take her with us no matter where we go so that she's exposed to as many new situations as possible.

I know that there is a local dog group in our city that puts on certain events like dog swims at local pools and help with our dog parks. Put up a notice at your grocery store about looking for people like you that want to meet and socialize their animals either in their homes or on short walks. Puppy Play Dates are Wonderful. And the owners get to socialize too and swap info and training strategies.

And, of course, visit here often and give us lots of pics of your pup and tell us how she's doing. We love puppy pics!

I see that you are a new member since May 31st, so, if we haven't greeted you yet, let me correct that now. WELCOME to the Forum, and thank you for joining our pack, I hope we will always be a great resource for you and your girl.
 

Pato

Member
Thank you so much for all the suggestions and welcome to the group. We are definitely going to increase taking her out of the house. Hopefully she will be more relaxed.
 

DennasMom

Well-Known Member
I'd find a puppy play group.
Daycare is ok... but the adult dogs might pick on a large breed puppy which would not be helpful at all...

If daycare is the only option, I'd insist on being in the room with the puppy, and keep it to just 30-60 minutes at a time. Step in to rescue the puppy anytime they get overwhelmed, but otherwise just keep walking around (don't let the puppy hide behind you) and encourage participation.

If you can find a puppy playgroup for an hour or two a week - especially if trainer supervised - that can do wonders. Denna learned a LOT about appropriate play energy and listening to doggie signals from her puppy play group. And it was BLAST to watch a group of puppies play. :) Love that my work schedule is flexible and my boss (self-employed) lets me do stuff like that. LOL.

In this video, you can see Denna getting a little over-zealous in holding the lab down, and she gets a squirt and "eh-eh" from the trainer... they break up and bounce back with better energy. The shy dogs get to roam the perimeter until they can't help themselves and join in the fun. We saw one shy dog really open up - after the 2nd or 3rd visit - all with no pushing from the humans, just letting the puppy develop at their own pace.