Adjusting to the social life

At 7am, Neko arrives for her first daycare visit. She eagerly greets the staff and runs through the door to check out this new exciting place. As other dogs enter the playroom, she playfully pounces and urges them to chase her. She had no idea she could have this much fun. More dogs keep coming, which means more friends for Neko!

That same morning in the playgroup across the hall, Roxy has also arrived for her first day of school. She seems unsure, and is pacing, looking for her mom or dad. An employee sits with her, trying to slowly earn her trust. Roxy makes herself small in the corner, or clings to her new human friend, wondering what this place is and why she’s there. She’s never been left at a strange place with strange people and dogs before. 

After some time in the group, Roxy starts to relax, but doesn’t know why these other dogs keep sniffing her. They seemingly want to play, but Roxy isn’t sure how yet or if she even wants to right now. Still wondering where mom is and why she left her with strangers, she musters up a tail wag and maybe even sniffs her new so called friends, just to be polite. 

In the meantime, Neko has made roughly 10 new best friends. They wrestle, they run, and they wrestle some more. This is the best day ever! 

By noon, Neko and Roxy are both laying down in their respective groups. Neko has played so hard, she is ready to curl up with a friend to take a nap. This is a successful day of fun and socializing. 

Roxy on the other hand, is feeling a bit more at ease but is exhausted from the morning introductions. She met so many new dogs, several new people, and had so many new smells to take in. This is also a successful day of socializing. 

On Roxy’s second visit, she is happy to see a familiar face. She knows she’ll be safe and mom and dad will pick her up later. She opens up a bit, and even plays for a few minutes! These moments are the highlight of our days at PPDD. 

By day 3, Roxy is zooming in the door to greet her new friends for a day of fun. She no longer wonders where mom is each morning; she has things to do and people to see!

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Every dog acclimates to social environments at their own pace. And truth be told, some never adjust. Some dogs simply prefer the comfort of their own home with their family, smaller groups, or enjoy just a simple play date with a known friend. Even alone time is refreshing for some. And that’s okay. Not every dog has to be social. 

But some dogs, like Roxy, if given the chance- Might just become a social butterfly. As much as we love to see new dogs like Neko immediately make friends, we’re always rooting for the ones who spend their first day looking for mom or dad.