Is this daycare right for my puppy? X-post r/dogs

[tignatia]

Hi. I have a Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy, she is 4.5 months old. Most daycares where I live don't accept puppies under 6 months of age so I assumed that I would have to make do until then (which means traveling back and forth to family and friends who can care for her during my work days). However, I recently found a daycare accepting puppies her age which she has been going to for a week now.

This daycare picks the dogs up at home and returns them at home, so I haven't had a chance to really see how she actually does at the daycare other than short videos and images. I am now contemplating whether this is actually a good daycare and whether it's right for her.

Some notes about the daycare:

- They have her sleeping/chilling in a small "room" (a division in a larger room, about 50 sqft, but with an open roof) with two other dogs

- They use a spray bottle with water when dogs misbehave at the dog park

- They usually take the dogs in groups of 15 to the dog park

Furthermore, I have observed her reaction when she is picked up for the daycare. She whines a lot when they come to pick her up. However, I can't tell if it's a bad thing as she is quite whiny when she meets people she likes after a long time. She does have her ears slightly to the back though, and I once saw her pee herself when they put the leash on to take her out. However, she pees herself when greeting people out of excitement as well.

Making the whole situation more difficult is the fact that she has been so much better behaved since going to the daycare. She walks a LOT better on leash, she is very tired when coming home and does not bite nearly as much as she used to. All in all she is calmer and better behaved, but I can't make out whether it's because she is traumatized/depressed or just tired.

It breaks my heart everytime I hear her whine when they pick her up but I can't be sure whether or not I should take her off the daycare or not.

If you've read this far, thank you and looking forward to seeing your response.

 

[eront]

@tignatia The spray bottles would make me pass there are better ways to control the dogs.

The fact that you haven't been there and toured the place is a huge red flag. The fact you don't know how they match playgroups or anything (seen on the other post) is a huge red flag.

Honestly I'd just take her out of it and work with mental exercise.

 

[basharg]

@tignatia Fellow ridgeback puppy owner here . The spray bottle and group of 15 dogs at the park would be a pass for me. Even if they're fine at the facility, there's no way your dog is getting individual attention with 15 dogs at a dog park (plus whatever other dogs are there).

Ridgebacks are sensitive beans. I'd recommend instead to look for puppy socials run by positive reinforcement trainers. We did these for months - ours was an hour on saturday, and you'd go with the dog and all the other owners and the trainers would help everyone moderate play. you'd practice randomly grabbing all the dogs and letting them cool down and then keep playing. It was excellent for teaching good play and you could be there the entire time to ensure proper treatment, if something seems sketchy you can leave. It was so helpful for us.

My guess would be that there's some scary stuff at the daycare mixed with also some fun stuff, and she may just not really know how to feel about getting picked up for it. So, it could be both nervous and excited whining. Most likely she's so much better behaved because she's wiped out (physically, mentally, etc), which is great, but you can do that on your own . Mental stimulation goes a LONG way. if you can sign up for a once weekly puppy training class that can tire your pup into the next day.