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The doghouse

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Original poster

Upset puppy after dog minders

24 replies

Giovanna75 · 06/07/2018 16:01

Hi all,

Just looking for advice. I collected my 6 month old puppy from an overnight stay in the dog minders. She has stayed before but my DH has collected her so I haven’t seen her reaction when being picked up. DH says she was excited to see him. Anyway, I collected her earlier and she was really upset, even hysterical. Heart racing, crying etc.It took me a while to calm her down but she is absolutely fine now that she is at home. The minder is a very experienced lady who looks after at least 10-15 dogs per day. There wasn’t a peek out of any of them when I called up ! Not sure what to think now. Anyone had similar experiences ?

OP posts:

BiteyShark · 06/07/2018 16:33

My dog boards with the day care lady so he knows the house and her family like a second home. However, he is still completely 'out of sorts' after boarding and is a mix of being overjoyed and apprehensive that we might go again and not return.

I wouldn't think anything of it to be honest as a 6 month old puppy is going to be bloody excited you came back after being in a different home overnight.

Original poster

Giovanna75 · 06/07/2018 17:14

Tks Bitey, i’m sure you are right and it’s nothing to worry about. She always seems very happy to see the minder so I’m guessing that’s a good sign . She settled down really quickly when I got her home also. Can I ask if your dog likes to be touched when they come back from day care ? My puppy hates us going near us for a few hours after she comes home.

OP posts:

BiteyShark · 06/07/2018 17:38

Hmm hard to say as my dog is one that only likes being touched when he wants anyway. However, when he's 'on alert' he will keep backing away from me whenever I try and stroke him so it might be something similar.

BrownOwlknowsbest · 06/07/2018 17:55

That all sounds pretty normal to me. Also consider that if your pup was sharing and playing with other dogs at the minders, they may just be plain old tired when they get home. A case of 'That was fun Mum but can I now catch up on my sleep please.

DoryNow · 06/07/2018 18:04

10-15 dogs????? In one home?

Not sure where you are but most insurers and local authorities restrict it to 6 including family dogs.

Personally I'd find another daycare, your pup sounds really upset & it could lead to problems with her later in life.

Original poster

Giovanna75 · 06/07/2018 18:14

That’s sounds exactly the same Bitey. It’s more of a backing away. To be fair she like some cuddles but prefers her space. The dog minder lives on a huge property with lots and lots of space so not worried in that sense. However, I didn’t know there had to be a dog ratio so to speak. The place looks absolutely spotless or at least it did on the video she sent me anyway !

OP posts:

BiteyShark · 06/07/2018 18:19

There is a daycare near me that is licensed by the council for up to 30 dogs a day. However, they do have a few helpers and segregate dogs into different 'rooms' so I don't think that amount of dogs is something immediately to get concerned about.

Also if you could only look after 6 dogs at a time most boarding kennels would be out of business. I think you can get different licenses to the normal 'dog walking' license.

BiteyShark · 06/07/2018 18:24

OP it takes my dog a few days to settle back into normal routine and from what I have read it isn't that uncommon.

adaline · 06/07/2018 19:13

15 dogs in a family home? That sounds like far too much work for one person - unless she has helpers? How on earth does she manage to walk 15 dogs a day, and control things like feeding, and keep and eye on toileting?

Ours goes to daycare (he's 17 weeks) but he's only ever 1 of 4, normally he's on his own. There's three carers (family of three) - the son does the walks and his parents look after the ones at home (so puppies who can't really go on walks, or older/unwell dogs).

I have to say I wouldn't send my dog to a daycare with 15 other animals unless I knew there were several carers and walkers/minders for them all.

adaline · 06/07/2018 19:15

Also if you could only look after 6 dogs at a time most boarding kennels would be out of business.

But a professional kennels with several staff members, individual spaces for the dogs etc. is a very different scenario to someone watching dogs in their family home. Both situations have advantages and disadvantage but 15 dogs in a family home with what sounds like one carer doesn't sound great to me. How are the older dogs walked when there's a young puppy around, for example? Is she leaving some of them home alone to do so?

BiteyShark · 06/07/2018 19:18

adaline a lot of boarding kennels here advertise 'home' type kennelling rather than outside ones.

OPs boarder may not be ideal but I wouldn't jump to conclusions without knowing the whole picture. You can get a shit dog carer caring after one dog and a brilliant one caring for lots.

Original poster

Giovanna75 · 06/07/2018 19:40

Thanks all, it’s a family run business so she has around 3-4 helpers. There is an enclosed field belonging to her on her land so I presume walking multiple dogs isn’t a huge issue. I’d say my pup is the youngest for sure. She comes very highly recommended by a lot of people. I have a small gut feeling about her though & I don’t know why .

OP posts:

BiteyShark · 06/07/2018 19:45

If you aren't 100% happy then maybe trial somewhere else?

I think you have to have trust in who looks after your dog as it's hard enough to leave them in the first place. I know I find it hard to leave him as I miss him lots whereas BiteyDog has a great time during his holidays.

smackbangwhollop · 06/07/2018 20:26

Trust your 'gut', it's always right. You don't have to understand it. The only times things have gone tits up for me is when I've ignored that feeling. I'm old enough to know better now. Personally I think that's too many dogs for your young pup to deal with. See if you can find someone local who has less dogs, your pup may just feel overwhelmed.

adaline · 06/07/2018 20:31

She might be amazing, but maybe she's just not right for your pup? I think puppies require a lot of one-to-one attention which isn't always possible in a larger daycare setting.

Original poster

Giovanna75 · 06/07/2018 20:54

Adaline, I think you are right. She’s s pup in a grown dogs environment and I’d say it’s a bit daunting for her. Only that the dog minder comes HIGHLY recommended I’d be more worried. I might have a look around for a smaller dogs setting. It might suit her better. Thanks all

OP posts:

AvocadosBeforeMortgages · 06/07/2018 23:21

I think the problem with recommendations can be that
A) what works for one dog might not work for another
B) sometimes these recommendations come from people who are well meaning but ultimately clueless - for instance, many people will still recommend Cesar Milan, despite the fact that his methods are hugely problematic.

If it's not working for your dog, I would switch - but visit first, watch how staff and dogs interact, do a trial session with your dog etc.

SpanielsAreNuts · 07/07/2018 08:13

I haven’t seen her reaction when being picked up. DH says she was excited to see him. Anyway, I collected her earlier and she was really upset, even hysterical. Heart racing, crying etc.It took me a while to calm her down but she is absolutely fine now that she is at home.

Are you sure she was upset and not super excited to see you? If I haven't been to my brother's house for a while, my brother's dog can get so excited at seeing me, she "cries", her heart races with excitement, etc. She is the same with any member of the family, who she hasn't seen for a week except it's even more exciting and takes a lot longer to calm down if it's my brother coming home after a stay in hospital (for him even if it's only one night he has been away).

SpanielsAreNuts · 07/07/2018 08:15

I'm especially wondering that since your DH thinks she's just very excited.

Original poster

Giovanna75 · 07/07/2018 08:50

No, she was definitely upset. Her behaviour reminded me of when she first arrived and we were leaving her to sleep on her own. Frantic almost ! Someone upthread mentioned I should see how the staff interact with the dogs. That in itself would be a problem. You literally drop the dog at her front door and go. Even at the beginning when we first met her we were never given any tour of the place so to speak. I thought it was because she didn’t want people in her home every time they dropped or collected their dogs. There is a side entrance but I can see how it would be disruptive to the dogs if you went in there also. I don’t think she is hiding anything,like I said earlier everything looked in perfect order in the video. With the greatest respect to my DH he just doesn’t get it He would just go & collect her and think VERY little about it after that.

OP posts:

BiteyShark · 07/07/2018 08:56

It sounds like you aren't happy anyway although I do think it sounds 'normal'. In that case I would look for someone else to board her with.

However, you may find she reacts like that after any boarding just because she is unsettled with being left coupled with joy in you returning.

Have you left her longer than just a night? Maybe trial her for 2-3 nights to give her the opportunity to settle in the new home as I think one night of being somewhere new then straight back home means she is going to be on alert as everything keeps changing.

Original poster

Giovanna75 · 07/07/2018 10:52

Thanks Bitey, she has spent 2 nights and a lot of single days there so she is sort of used to it. If I hadn’t seen her yesterday I would have thought nothing more about it. She is due to stay for a longer period of time soon so I think I’ll make my final decision then. Thanks for your advice. You sound like a lovely chilled out dog owner. Can you come and live with me please

OP posts:

thegirlsallgrowedupnow · 07/07/2018 14:38

I’m afraid alarm bells would ring for me if I had never been shown around and was cut off at the front door especially in a home boarding situation. Your pup sounds like she was completely overwhelmed and over stimulated. I think I would be looking for something smaller and more open in its approach.

SpanielsAreNuts · 07/07/2018 16:23

Never seeing around is alarming to me too. You don't need to see every time but I would expect to see where dog is being put before the dog first goes to stay or at least during the first time a dog is dropped off. That to me would be an absolute essential of using a home border.

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