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Infuriated.. doggy daycare!

6K views 65 replies 23 participants last post by  wyoung2153 
#1 · (Edited)
So I have been taking Titan to Doggy daycare since November. The only reason I decided to try it out was because a friend of mine went to this particular one and said she loved it and her pup always comes home tired.. He doesn't play with other dogs much.. He isn't aggressive or uncomfortable, quite literally doesn't really care. He has had certain doggy friends that he will chase and actually play with but it's rare. I thought maybe this would give him a reason to interact with other dogs. He doesn't NEED to and this wasn't something I was trying to force, just wanted to see if he may start playing if given more of an opportunity.. plus it would tire him out which is always nice. Not that I can't exercise Titan, we do anyways, I just thought it would be nice for him to not be home alone all day since me and the BF work full time.

Anyways, did a couple trial days.. he seemed to come home tired, always wanting to lay down for a quick nap.. (then back to our normal routine) Thought this meant he was playing a lot while he was there. I asked every time, how did he do.. the girls all insisted that he had so much fun and played with all the other dogs fabulously! Titan chases his tail when he is anxious or doesn't otherwise know what to do. He does this (if you haven't read my other threads) normally in new environments until he's comfortable.. just like our new house, did it for about 2 days and stopped and is just fine now. Mind you we DO NOT let him do this. We understand it is unhealthy and have come a very long way in preventing this. Well I brought that up to the ladies there and that if he does it that he needs to be told "enough" then reengaged with either play or a few OB commands. They agreed and have been "doing it" every since. Saying every time I ask that he has stopped chasing his tail as much, if at all.

Well a few days after his muscle spasm incident, after being cleared with the vet. I took him to there and asked the guy that works there to make sure he doesn't play hard because of the incident. (this place is also a vet clinic so I did make them aware of his health issues) He said "well he doesn't play much anyways, so I'm sure he'll be fine.. Well that struck me odd since the girls there always tell me how much he plays. And this guy has been there since Titan has started going so I know he's not just new and not there frequently.

So today.. being the second day back since his spasm.. I picked him up and asked that same gentleman to be honest with me and tell me what Titan does all day.. He literally said "He chases his tail all day." Point blank. I asked if they stopped him and he said they try but he just does it the whole time. Said there are 2 dogs that come that he loves and actually does play with them but they aren't there frequently like Titan. Then I asked if he plays at all with other dogs and he said never. Then I asked in his opinion (just because i was curious) was it worth it to come 3 days a week if all he does is chase his tail and try to play with the hose when they clean.. He said he wasn't sure and that if anything, he gets out of the house. I thanked him for being honest with me and left.

So this is what it looks like to me.... Titan does not like doggy daycare.. as I can tell by his tail chasing. That tells me that he is not comfortable there and is in an anxiety driven mental state the entire time he is there... which would explain the exhaustion when he comes home. Heck, I would be mentally drained if I spent my entire day on the edge of an anxiety attack too. Part of me feels incredibly stupid that I believed them, I knew better. During the trial days I was going to see if he played and appeared to enjoy it, if he didn't I wouldn't have even worried about taking him there. But being that they seemed so genuine about him having fun, I thought, maybe this was what he needed. This could explain the sudden reversal in some commands, the even more intense ball drive, etc.. Just UGH, I'm mad at myself but even more pissed that these people let my dog chase his tail for 3 fricken months and didn't tell me about it KNOWING that was a huge concern for me!!! :mad: sorry... not sure what I expect to hear from you guys, but I just needed to vent to someone who could understand my frustration.

I am not taking him back. We will just ramp up his physical activity, like we were doing before. It's not a big deal (about the exercise thing) just pissed that I let my poor baby be in that situation for that long thinking he was actually excited to be there!! :(
 
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#2 ·
I would be quite peeved with the daycare as well..Is there an 'owner'? I would speak to them about what the girls told you and what the guy told you..I'm not a fan of doggie daycare, however, I think they should be HONEST with you about what's going on with YOUR dog..
 
#5 ·
I am thinking about going in sometime this week to talk to the owner... calmly.. I fear if I go now, I will allow my anger to get the best of me, and I'll start making accusations vs actually trying to figure out what went on. When I do go in I want to talk to the owner privately about it and get her opinion. She is a very nice lady and seems to be very helpful to the Military here. Crossing my fingers she will be honest with me too.
 
#8 ·
I would always feel really uncomfortable leaving my dogs with another group of dogs with out me to supervise.

I would need to know the people very well to trust them to deal with any situation that arises.

It is not worth it. Better to leave them in the house for what ever time necessary rather than throw them into a pack with some novices supervising.
 
#9 ·
I did agree... and now agree even more. But when they gave me the tour initially.. there were 2 parts, a smaller big dog side, for the less active big dogs, and a big side for the more active bigger dogs and there was always at least 2 people outside at all times... etc.. seemed to handle pretty well and ensure that they never let dogs get out of control. I also assumed, stupidly, that because they were part of a vet clinic they had a better idea of what to look for behavior wise and might have a better handle on reading dogs than just the lady down the street you know?
 
#11 ·
That's bad! I do agree that it would be a good idea to talk to the owner in private when you are calm enough. Those girls downright lied. Kinda makes me feel like the groomer we tried for our rescue's first professional grooming. We got the bait & switch, great person over the phone & to start, when we came back, totally different & snippy rough-handling lady. From now on, until he gets comfortable with our own tub (higher sides so tougher to get in as a dog), I will take the 2 hour drive to my friend's for his grooming I think. I hope you at least get some answers.

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#16 ·
Wow I would be pissed at that too! I very rarely take him to the groomers for that reason. Tried petsmart ONE TIME.. and that was enough for me.. they are over priced and couldn't even blow dry my dog.. so I'd drive the 2 hours too if that's what it took.. maybe make a day trip out of it..

I would really be furious. You were trying to do something positive for your dog, and it turned out negative. He could have injured himself, or become even more entrenched in the unwanted behavior. And yes, if it caused by anxiety, no you don't want your dog in an anxious state for prolonged periods. The vet clinic that runs this ought to know better, and I probably would talk to the owner and or vet there. Because people shouldn't lie to you and leave your dog in a situation that he is clearly uncomfortable in.
Which is what makes me so mad at them. The very first day with them I went through everything with them about him.. how he does SAR and is very well behaved but doesn't pay any mind to other dogs and he chases his tail when he's uncomfortable (you've read my threads I think) and I would like to try a couple days and get his feed back on if he seems to thrive here. Thought maybe he just needed the opportunity and he'd have fun you know? And I mean we talked for a solid hour about my expectations with him and if it would be too much and they were mare than willing to take it all on... why go through all that to just blatantly lie to my face. They aren't doing terrible with business!

I'm gonna call and see if I can talk with the manager at some point today. I need my answers and my money back for the remaining days I have paid.

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#12 ·
I would really be furious. You were trying to do something positive for your dog, and it turned out negative. He could have injured himself, or become even more entrenched in the unwanted behavior. And yes, if it caused by anxiety, no you don't want your dog in an anxious state for prolonged periods. The vet clinic that runs this ought to know better, and I probably would talk to the owner and or vet there. Because people shouldn't lie to you and leave your dog in a situation that he is clearly uncomfortable in.
 
#13 · (Edited)
You have a dog with issues, Did you really expect them to deal with it without telling them? You knew your dog chases its tail, yet you just sent it to them to deal with without even telling them and they dont have as much time as you do because theyre dealing with lots. It reminds me of schools.

Im pretty sure if you were honest and told them your dogs issues and how you wanted them to not have your dog have issues in their presence- you wouldve been sent packing. The few dollars you pay arent worth the trouble.
What you need is some very expensive training and it isnt gonna happen at doggy day care. Oh btw- the training is for you, not the dog.

It comes down to this- They werent honest with you about your dog chasing its tail. But you started teh cycle of lies by not telling them your dog had issues with chasing its tail.
 
#17 ·
I would definitely talk to the owner about what happened.. Maybe in doing so, it can help another client in the future.. Other than that, I'd move on and chalk it up to a lesson learned... Or you may find out it wasn't as bad as this young man said???

Your dog doesn't seem to be in any more distress from the experience.. Or at least you never mentioned his spinning had gotten any worse..
 
#18 ·
His attitude has changed recently. He's a little testy with us with OB on occassion. We chalked it up to the 100+ changes since I've been back from deployment. Actually causing me to go back to basics and seek a one on one trainer to reestablish some boundaries with all the changes. This may have been contributing to the issue though.

Don't get me wrong he's VERY well behaved even on his bad days but I just want to address certain things.. and his spinning doesn't occur anymore in our home and very rarely in our pressence including in public and all that. But I know he does it when he is somewhere new without me and will only stop when he's uncomfortable. Like when I was deployed my friend said he did it for the first few days and then stopped when he got used to the routine. It's something I address with everyone that watches him.. grooms him.. works with him.. etc.

I'm hoping it's not as bad as he said.. that's why I wanted to wait to talk to them when I wasn't so mad. I'll think more clearly lol!

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#19 ·
I would complain too, but start out by saying you appreciate the guy's honesty because the tail chasing is a big problem for this dog, and express your disappointment that the others were being untruthful when asked directly about it.

Don't beat yourself up. Daycare can be great for more social dogs, but it's definitely not a fit for everyone. If your dog needs some relief during the day, what about hiring a dog walker to give him a walk and some play time mid-day?
 
#21 ·
Yeah I think that's the route I want to take. Trying to decide if I want to point specific people out or if I just want to generalize.. could be good or bad you know?




That's definitely a smart move on your part!! :)
Ha yes.. I know my mindset when I'm angry.. I'm not exactly the easiest person to argue with lol.

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#20 ·
I'm hoping it's not as bad as he said.. that's why I wanted to wait to talk to them when I wasn't so mad. I'll think more clearly lol!
That's definitely a smart move on your part!! :)
 
#22 ·
When you talk to the doggie daycare people, don't come across accusatory or angry, just tell them you've gotten conflicting information. It's entirely possible that the days the girls told you he played all day, those were the days his doggie buddies were there and he actually DID play with them all day... or it could be that they were trying to make you feel better by embellishing the truth (or outright lying).

I never understood why people would gloss over a dog's behavioral issues and tell the owner everything is fine, when it isn't. I *always* tell people honestly how their dog behaves when he is in for grooming. If the dog is nervous or scared, aggressive, doesn't like his feet touched, or whatever, I tell the owner so that they can do something to help mitigate the issues (if they are so inclined, half the time they don't care). Especially if there is an aggression issue, the owners NEED to know the dog is prone to biting in certain circumstances. It does no one any good to lie or gloss over the truth. But I guess some people just want the owner to feel better. I think it's unprofessional and unethical. Sometimes I tell the owner the truth and they don't believe me, or they get upset. I hate upsetting people, but that's no reason to lie, IMO.

There are a lot of dogs that simply don't do well at doggie daycare, and GSDs on the whole are not suited for it IMO. One-on-one play with a dog they really like can be a good thing, but putting them in the midst of a pack of dogs they don't know, and anxiety often comes up. Lots of dogs like Labs, 'doodles, etc. thrive on socializing and playing with other dogs, but GSDs past a certain age generally do not.
 
#24 ·
What you have to understand about the repeat service industry is that they have incentive to try and keep you coming back. The only way they make money is by you bringing your dog back, and although it wasn't healthy for your dog, the other dogs and your dog weren't physically hurt by his actions, so why not keep your dog there by telling you everything is alright?

You're not the first person to complain about how your dog was treated by a boarding type facility, but at some level, I find it funny that people think they can pay $20-$30 a day to a place, come with a list of instructions, and expect them to be followed to a tee. There are probably at least a dozen dogs there at a time, they probably focus more on the ones that are interacting together/getting rowdy, than those off in the corner doing nothing.

I always gauge potential instructors in this same way. I always remember that an instructor has an incentive to keep me coming back. So its not always in their best interest to teach me everything they know as fast as possible and move myself/my dog along at the quickest rate. I remember when I would teach swim lessons and the parents were just happy that week after week their kids would improve....some kids, whether it be due to the skill of the instructor or the rigidity of the program, would take a good year or two to learn how to swim extended distances comfortably. I remember when I was taught to swim, I learned 5 strokes in 2 months and was swimming laps within that time period...

BTW...I think you have all the reason to be angry to some level...maybe not IMO to the level that you should spend time posting it online, but if this happened to me, I would not visit this establishment again.
 
#25 · (Edited)
I was wondering if you want to break up Titan's day could someone stop in and walk him ,play w/ him or just keep him company w/ a game of fetch. There were times over the yaers due to out of town trainings I would get our dog sitter or family memeber I trusted to stop over to play w/ Daisy and Lucky. You have every right to be angry . The need to keep repeat business is probably the reason no one reported the tail chasing as well as the fact that since Titan's behavior didnot affect other dogs they didnt see it as anything worth reporting. I have a cousin who used the puppy cam to keep track of what her dog was doing at daycare but alot places around here dont offer that. Is there someone who does SAR training or who has a SAR dog that Titan likes that he could hang with during the day once or twice a week? Just some thoughts. My 4 GSDs all have some DA issues so daycare wasnot an option. The problem is like in any service industry service doesnt always live up to expectations and is affected by folks moods and their personal interest in what they do. I remember your posts re the tail chasing and also all the adjustments you both had to make when you came home. You did nothing wrong and while the daycare may not like that guy telling the truth to you thank god he did.
 
#26 ·
Ok so I just got done meeting with the manager. I asked her point blank if she knows what Titan actually does all day and she told me the same thing the guy did. Which made me feel slightly better that it may just be some of the staff that have that business mind set.

Anyways, we talked for about 45 minutes about my concerns and then again with what actually goes on. I told her that due to the fact that he does sit there and try to chase his tail when he can and that he comes home exhausted.. I can safely assume he's exhausted because he's in that anxious state of mind all day. She agreed. She did also wanted to ask a question the all have been wondering since Titan has been there... how long have I let him play with a laser pointer.. :confused: Um.. never.. but apparently they thought that was the reason he chased his tail so much (never heard that before) which she said may have been why they didn't think it was too big of a deal.

I told her that while I think he facility is for some dogs, it's not mine. I don't need to be paying anyone to watch my dog chase it's tail and lay there (on occasion) and not actually interact with anyone.. If he's going to do any of that it will be for free in his home. :rolleyes: She offered me a full refund for my remaining days on the package and also told me she would get me some good names of dog walkers. As well as, talk with her staff abotu being 100% honest with the customers. Lesson learned!

To Daisy: I have been thinking about someone but it has to be someone he knows.. and our SAR team is actually about an hour and 15 min from us. I will definitely keep thinking about it and coming up with things.. I WISH I had family here, they love Titan and would be more than willing to play with him. My neighbors in my old place did that for me, Titan loved them. They live 45 minutes away though.

To martemcik: I appreciate your input on that.. good perspective I jsut really tend to not think about when it comes to living things. Sorry if you think it wasn't annoying enough to post about it, but it was rather frustrating. I tend to need to vetn my frustration so that's what this was. I'm sure there are things that frustrate you to no end, that don't frustrate others quite the same.
 
#27 ·
That sounds like a good resolution! You might even luck out with the dog walker, mine offered to bring my dog along to another home with a GSP and see if they got along, but I wasn't comfortable having her drive my dog around and also my dog can be reactive on first meetings, so I said no.

But maybe for your dog, they can find a smaller group for him to not feel so overwhelmed, or just have the walker take him out alone, whatever is best for him.
 
#28 ·
That's exactly the kind of dog walker we had in Germany. He would come and take Titan with him on his other jobs because he needed so much exercise.

I'm thinking I will stick with him just being home and amp up his exercise. I am going to a one on one with a trainer this weekend and plan on bringing all this up to see what she has to say and what she suggests exercise wise. I understand he's a dog and can be home without issue, so if that's the decision I'm ok with it. I just know he would LOVE if someone played fetch with him during the day, ha!
 
#29 ·
Lots of things wrong in that day care. Dishonesty, no communication between employees and owner, owners seems not involved in her operation or if she is, lacked the sense of notifying you about Titan's behavior. Or they are oblivious what problem behavior actually is.
Have a conversation and if they are not receptive to your concerns, give them a rating on Yelp.
 
#31 · (Edited)
It sounded to me like the owner stepped up to the plate and accepted responsibility? Owner didn't blow her off,accepted responsibility and offered a partial refund as well as possible resources.

Owner didn't blow her off and say, "uh you're wrong...get out or I'm calling the cops!" And it could very well be the case that doggie wasn't doing it while the folks that saw him were watching, who knows?

And...I didn't see anywhere in the rules that only people with "serious" issues are allowed to post??? (Thus implying) that I "read" the rules!:D

If people don't find a subject interesting, don't read it,don't respond..."problem" solved!:p
 
#32 ·
I think it's really sad that they assumed that you played with a laser pointer with Titan, and therefore his tail-chasing wasn't a big deal. Without mentioning it to you. What else do they just assume when they see the dogs in their care, and don't mention to the owners? Crap.
 
#33 ·
Glad the talk went the way it did. And after talking with her and what happened her views on it all I am not nearly as angry. She did step up to the plate and recognize where her staff was wrong and said she plans to address that and profusely apologizes because she always want her dogs and customers to be happy. She ended up agreeing with me that it wasn't Titan's place. Especially after hearing in much much more detail.. why the tail chasing is a problem and again what it means and how it is in no way related to a laser pointer.. :banghead: but instead anxiety.

Did make for a very awkward exit as I left right as the girls who lied to me were walking in. I'm sure they were talked to.

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#34 ·
Actually, it sounds like the owner is honest, ethical and has a good head on her shoulders. Glad that the talk went well and a resolution was acheived.

I've sometimes struggled with how to approach clients whose dogs aren't a good "fit" at my grooming salon. I don't want to make it sound like I'm complaining, or blaming the owner for the problem, or trying to kick them out, but sometimes I want to suggest they try a mobile groomer, or possibly a groomer that works with a veterinarian, if the behavior issues are severe. It sounds like the owner of the doggie daycare did a good job with it. It can be really hard to tell a client that their dog is behaving badly, or experiencing undue stress, to the point where it's in everyone's best interest to try another option. As animal lovers, we tend to have the dog's best interest at heart, even if it means losing business.
 
#36 ·
Actually, it sounds like the owner is honest, ethical and has a good head on her shoulders. Glad that the talk went well and a resolution was acheived.

I've sometimes struggled with how to approach clients whose dogs aren't a good "fit" at my grooming salon. I don't want to make it sound like I'm complaining, or blaming the owner for the problem, or trying to kick them out, but sometimes I want to suggest they try a mobile groomer, or possibly a groomer that works with a veterinarian, if the behavior issues are severe. It sounds like the owner of the doggie daycare did a good job with it. It can be really hard to tell a client that their dog is behaving badly, or experiencing undue stress, to the point where it's in everyone's best interest to try another option. As animal lovers, we tend to have the dog's best interest at heart, even if it means losing business.
Yeah I agree. While I am honest with my friends about their dogs when I watch them.. I do stress about telling them their dog was misbehaving or something. I can see that. I just wish they would have been honest with me because that was a huge concern for me from the beginning. I don't think they would have ever told me if I didn't bring it to light.

sounds like the owner did the right thing. For doggie-daycare prices it would be unreasonable to expect them to have the time to deal with the dog's issues, but they should have been honest about it.

What does surprise me is that you made no mention of any sort of cameras. Webcams are very cheap nowadays and I am very surprised there wasn't an option for you to monitor the goings-on from home. Granted, a couple of cameras leaves a lot of areas uncovered, but just the idea that there are cameras out there and clients could be watching tends to make for more truthful interactions.
They do not have cameras, but gosh I wish they did. I would have loved to watch him and see what he was doing, and probably would have caught it sooner too. I didn't really know that doggy daycares actually had those.. interesting to think about if I ever (not likely) decide to search again.
 
#35 ·
sounds like the owner did the right thing. For doggie-daycare prices it would be unreasonable to expect them to have the time to deal with the dog's issues, but they should have been honest about it.

What does surprise me is that you made no mention of any sort of cameras. Webcams are very cheap nowadays and I am very surprised there wasn't an option for you to monitor the goings-on from home. Granted, a couple of cameras leaves a lot of areas uncovered, but just the idea that there are cameras out there and clients could be watching tends to make for more truthful interactions.
 
#37 ·
Another late reading..but I understand your frustration I went through 2 doggie daycares until I found the right 2 that I am happy with. One is a family owned one, they dont allow doggie interactions but they do play with the dogs individually and another is Pet smart. I know alot of bad ones out there, but Im lucky my son knows a few people there so Dex gets extra attention. (they know im a helicopter mom..lol. because my son warned them) I do enjoy that they have cameras so I can check on him and see how hes doing. if you could find a day care with cameras hopefully that could work for you both. Im glad the daycare manager was able to work it out with you. I wish they could more effort into playing with your dog so that he would not chase his tail, but it sounds like they are not or not able to. :(
 
#38 ·
Thank you :) I am going to hold off on finding another daycare for now. I have to get us back on track with a few things OB wise and he seems to have some health issues going on. Being that that particular daycare was a vet, and aware of his issues, I was comfortable with letting him stay there.

I think in the future it's going to have to be something like a small business where they play with the dogs individually as well as together. Lucky you that you found good ones.. I'm also learnign that TItan may just not be a goo doggy day care dog. :eek:
 
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