Wworm

I'm a little worried about Worm....

He loves all people and all dogs and wants to play with everyone. But I noticed not all dogs like him or want to play with him. But I don't think Worm gets it, and he keeps at it with them, which they don't appreciate. He is an adolescent and is 8 months now.

He does see a lot of dogs regularly. A lot of dogs live here, so he sees at least 3-5 different dogs daily, when i take him out for potty. When i see that the other dog and their owner doesn't like it, I pull him away, so i'm not as concerned there.

I'm more concerned about daycare, which he does once/week. it's a terrific opportunity for him to play with a lot of dogs all morning and afternoon. One place he goes to has 12-15 dogs. The other place has 40-60 dogs, separated into 2 rooms (small vs large dogs). For now, he gets to be in the small dog room, which i think is good?

both places are terrific and have great reviews on yelp.com. they really love dogs and treat them well and are very committed. yet I know they aren't able to supervise every single interaction. the place with 40-60 dogs, someone wrote that their dog was asked to leave because it had fought with another dog and had apparently "won" the fight. yikes, don't want to find out what that means. the people who work there turned their backs for just a moment and it happened.

so yeah, i worry that Worm will come back with his ear torn or something one day : (

he really doesn't seem to get it when other dogs are backing off, when they don't like him, or even when they are growling at him to get away. he is just an eager beaver and i can see how this might get him into trouble. is there anything I can do to help him develop this sense of other dogs better....????
i just want him to be safe.

Soundtrack

I personally DON'T think it's a good idea to have 20-30 dogs together in a room with just a few supervisors. It's just a recipe for disaster in my books. A "fight" between two dogs can easily turn into a riot, and as you say they can't possibly supervise every interaction. Even with 12-15 I'd want several supervisors who are "dog savvy" - which most of these people are not.

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Mikey T

see Puppy license and adult behavior–STOP SEPARATING PLAY.

Putting aside Mirriam concerns which are ligitamate the best way for a dog to learn doggie social skill is from other dogs. Fischer my harrier which I got when he was two enjoyed the company of many hounds but only hounds. Hound tend to need less personal space than sone other breed so I have to be careful with him because he can get himself into trouble by being rude see He Just Wants To Say "Hi!"

What you need is a couple of adult dogs that rather intollerant of rude behavior by puppies but inforce doggie rules in a non-harmful manner. This is a lot easier if you run in dog training circles or confirmation as most know there dogs really well and willing to help out so to speak. For those outside those circles it is not so easy. But having him learn a few lessons from the appropriate adult dogs can go along way to prevent it from becoming a life long concern.

SophieB

Awww poor Worm... without meaning to be disrespectful towards where he goes for daycare, I think any more than six to ten dogs are far too many for him to be looked after properly and as for 30 dogs or more.... I dread to think what might go on there!! How can anyone control that amount of dogs and look after them properly? Or am I being quite wrong in saying this? I think if they were all Bassets, it wouldn't be so bad as they would all have a similar character and hounds get on great with hounds!!

Mikey T

Becvause there are thirty dogs does not mean all of them are in the same playgroup. If done right it is structure so there is a limited number of dogs together at one time but there can be far more dogs in total than the numbe of dgs in free play at any one time. That is not to say there are not daycares out there with way to many dogs for each handler but you can not simply make that assumption based on the number of dogs.

Corky

try this link to see 120 at feeding time, Now this guy is a hound handler!!!

L.O.L

roscolaylamommy

It took Rosco a long time to figure out that not every dog wants to be his friend. We still have times were he thinks he needs to befriend every dog he meets. I think having a second hound helps on some levels to establish some boundaries. We also let him play with my mom's dogs (which are of different breeds) and that's made a difference as well. We have yet to get through his head that not everyone loves basset hounds. But I can't blame him for this ignorance since he surrounded by people who love him (including the neighbors and their kids).

Soundtrack

The original post said 40-60 dogs divided into two rooms, hence my assumption of 20-30 dogs together in one room.

I actually started to suggest this, but then I removed it because I'm not sure how easy it is for an average pet owner to find this kind of dog. It's easy for me because I have a pack - the older ones teach the younger ones proper dog manners. But if the owner can find dogs like this, I do think it's the best solution (combined with obedience training to help the pup learn some self-control). However, I don't think the day-care setting would be appropriate for that, especially if the staff are not able to recognize the difference between "discipline" and "aggression".

__________________
Rosie-Ch Soundtrack Cracklin' Rose CGN AGN RA Am RN TT
Melody-Ch Soundtrack Unchained Melody TT
Sailor-Ch Soundtrack Expedition Sailor RN TT
Chili-Ch Soundtrack Spice Up Your Life
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Pepper-Ch Pennieslogon Living La Vida Loca CGN
Vina-Ch Soundtrack Grand Illusion
Leila-Ch Soundtrack Almost Paradise
Deela-Ch Soundtrack Wink Of An Eye
Hermione - Soundtrack Spellbound
Eowyn - Soundtrack Rain Dance

mldunn62

/ my basset Stuey is the same way. sometimes at the vet or groomer, dogs will snap at him and he is oblivious to the threat. i often tell people that his philosopy to life is" strangers have the best candy".
his inability to learn often troubles me. much like your beloved Worm, for some reason other dogs want absolutely nothing to do with him.

Esther

" strangers have the best candy".

i like this. can i use it sometime? heehee?