Doggy Daycare and GSD

[Lovetosleep1]

We have recently started to send our 7 months out GSD to daycare twice a week. Mainly just to break her day up as I am in work all day although there is somebody in the house on and off most of the time due to shift work. The staff have said that she's been great but I've noticed her behaviour has got worse since starting, she is barking at dogs on walks, barking more in the house and has started resource guarding.
Does anybody have any advice? Is this just due to age or is it related to the daycare setting?

Daycare is not suitable for a lot of dogs. It tends to be an overestimating environment and can cause a multitude of issues including getting obsessed about playing with other dogs, and reactivity issues.

It depends on the size of the daycare and how well it is managed as well as the temperament of the dogs attending.
I know of one that is licensed for 25 dogs and they are mostly in together all day. Owners think it's fantastic because their dogs are exhausted at the end of the day, but there is so much potential for things to go wrong.
I would suggest using a dogwalker for 121 walks may be a better option, but choose carefully as the competence levels vary massively.
Your dog's age may be a contributing factor.

I could’ve written your post a few months back. My GSD is 10 months old now but I sent him to daycare for the same reasons as you when he was 6 months old.

He hated it. Would sit with the staff all day and just watch the other dogs play and run. He’d be so well behaved there and then come home and go crazy, whereas he was always so well behaved and trained at home.

He’d come home and just wouldn’t be calm, barking for no reason, started resource guarding with older dog and would chase him/play rough. Realised he was just seeing all the behaviour at daycare and mirroring it at home. Stopped sending him after 2 days because it was stressing us and him out. He was back to normal again within another two days.

This was a daycare with 5 star reviews and play equipment etc. Someone pointed out to me that daycares where you can hear the dogs are barking are not a good idea for a lot of dogs. At this place you can hear the dogs barking and see the excitement as they go in and as they come out.

I started him at a much calmer daycare a month or so later. The dogs have to go in calmly and they leave in a calm manner too. They have 25-30 dogs at a time and I have only ever heard a dog bark once. There is no constant barking or anything.

My GSD loves it and plays, is confident and they haven’t at all undone any of the work I’ve put into him. In fact, they correct his behaviour and he gets to play and learn with other doggies. This place doesn’t have 5 star reviews, trampolines or an insta following, but it’s been the best for all of us.

Personally I hate daycare and wish it was more tightly regulated.

I know SO many dogs (my own included) who have had issues since attending daycare.

I would take her out ASAP before her problems get worse and turn into something dangerous.

While there are some good, lots of daycares are awful. It’s stupidly overstimulating and often creates barrier frustration and leash reactivity as they get used to being able to go over and say hello/play with any dog they like and get annoyed as to why they can’t in the real world. The fact there are often toys left around with no supervision could of course lead to resource guarding as the dog may get anxious if his favourite has been taken off him by other dogs a few times.

Hes only young, and as a GSD he’s going to be a bit more prone to behavioural issues caused by anxiety. Id pull him out, and when he’s a bit older sort a good dog Walker to take him out for long exciting walks 1/2 times a week

The only day cares to ever consider are the ones who arrange a meet and visit beforehand to assess your dogs personality and make sure they’re a good fit personality wise and appropriate in their behaviour. Any other set up will 110% not benefit either of you and has the potential to cause a whole load of issues. FIL works at one split via size and altho it makes sense he’s often the only one in one area to 10+ dogs and the owners have given up meet and greets with potential new dogs as they “lost too many clients” doing so and he isn’t in the minority with the vast majority of friends I have working in the industry having gone self employed due to how poorly run a lot of these places are and how the set up makes them a danger for both dogs and staff. It’s also very overstimulating for a lot of dogs and hard for them to have any switch off / relax time when someone’s constantly wanting to play so you may find you end up with an overstimulated overtired dog reminding you of the puppy stages where awake too long and demon alligator was unleashed!

Word of mouth then enquiring directly to see if they do check personalities etc match well will be your best bet if you choose this route but a good group walker is usually the safer bet and your dog will probably get much more out of it.

Google the fuck out of any potential options, after a horror story from a friend that made him quit where two dogs were left in hot daycare van and died and it’s still open to this day! Seems to be very little regulation other than licensing and very little done when something does happen unless it happens to make it to the news as I wouldn’t want to send my dog or keep my business open if that was me!

It's probably a combination of going to daycare and his age as well. We have a golden retriever x GSD who also goes to daycare but it is run by a lady at her house. She usually has 5 or 6 dogs each day, takes them out for big walks in the morning and then does training / enrichment activities in the afternoon. I would really recommend looking for one like this in your area - a young, high energy, intelligent GSD is likely to really thrive somewhere like that.

Jesus Christ baby brain clearly has got the better of me this morning no clue what I was thinking I was responding to! Ignore my previous post altho do look at a group walker instead if you feel necessary as my point on that being more suitable for many dogs and they’re much more likely to personality match etc, ours doesn’t allow group walks until 2+ months of 1-1 as she likes to be sure they’ll all get along and are a good fit for each other rather than pairing the grumpier older or more well behaved ones with the boisterous hardly any manners puppies

I don't understand why daycare is seen as such a good thing for dogs - it's much more to suit the owners needs.
For many dogs being left in a strange place with lots of unfamiliar dogs and no routine or quiet space of their own and perhaps lots of noise & stress must be very overwhelming.
Especially for puppies & young dogs.

I've no experience of daycare as I've never used one myself, but I'd be very worried about potential hip dysplasia (not sure if elbow dysplasia works the same but it might do). Remember that, at 7 months, your dog should be having very carefully monitored exercise - I'd be worried about that, personally, in case she's crashing around, leaping, chasing etc etc.

She's still at a very formative age, only 7 months - a puppy still really. I'd want a dog of that age and that breed in a much more controlled environment tbh. Dog walker would be better. Won't add to all the very wise posts discussing "Doggy Daycare" but they're spot on. I don't actually believe it's a suitable option for many dogs, probably most.

I echo what has been said on this thread.
I'm at home all day so there was no need to send our 7 month old pup to daycare (except for
My sanity!) but felt he'd be missing out on something because every dog owner I know has said how much their dog benefits, mainly they are knackered when they get home.
So I sent pup for one morning session a week.
Said pup was indeed exhausted by the time he got home.
However his behaviour changed dramatically.
Needless to say after the second session he hasn't been back.
I'm sure he loved it and suits others out of necessity but it wasn't worth it for us.

Thank you so much for everyone's comments. She is really well behaved, calm and settled in the house. We see a trainer once a week for 1:1 sessions and attend a group obedience class too. I take her for a god walk with training before and after work and hire a private field a few times a week so she can play and run around off her lead.
I think I just felt guilty because I'm out of the house all day and as she had 2 homes before we got her I just wanted her to have every chance to socialise and be happy. I've just been off for a week for half term and she tends to sleep most of the day other than following me around the house so I know she's quite happy at home. My adult children are in and out all day and spend time with her, do training and play with her too. I agree with everyone's comments that day care is likely to be causing her stress.

If you're worried about company during the day, a dog walker who specialises in solo, paired or small group walks is probably a better solution than daycare.

@margotrose thanks I think you're right.
I also think I'm looking at it from a human perspective rather than thinking like a dog and what she'd like. I think she is happy having a bit of company during the day with playtimes and doing her regular patrols of the the house and garden.

My furbaby has gone to daycare since she was 16weeks old, she is 9 now . She initially went to a daycare at home with 3 other dogs. When that lady had an accident and closed temporarily I sent her to a large park like day care she absolutely hated it. So quiet when she came home not herself at all. I looked else where and found another home from home day care. She gets so excited to go there . There are 5 other dogs but there is plenty of space for them to go and be quiet on their own if needed and the owners treat her like their own . As others have said not all dogs can cope with loads of dogs around them and I do wonder how they can have individual attention throughout the day in those places. Try other places and make sure you have a meet and greet so that you and your dog interview them as well as them you to make sure it really works for all of you

@Welshphoenix thank you, that's great advice and glad your dog is happy.