Adjusting to the Social Life- Two Dogs' Perspectives

At 7am, Neko arrives for her first daycare visit. She eagerly greets the staff and bolts through the door with confidence to check out this new exciting place. As other dogs enter the playroom, Neko playfully bows 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 next door, Bailey has also arrived for her first day of daycare. She seems unsure and is pacing, looking for her mom. An employee sits with her to slowly earn her trust. Bailey makes herself small, avoiding interaction with the other dogs. For a while, she 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 being leashed and calmly walked around the room, Bailey starts to relax, but doesn't know why these other dogs keep sniffing her. They keep inviting her to play, but Bailey isn't sure how yet or if she even wants to play right now. Still wondering where mom is and why she left her with strangers, she musters up a tail wag and maybe even sniffs a couple of her new potential friends.

In the meantime, Neko has made roughly 10 new best friends. They wrestle, they run, and they wrestle some more. Neko is having the time of her life! 

By noon, Neko and Bailey are both napping in their respective groups. Neko has been running and playing with friends all morning, so she needs to recharge before she gets her second wind. This has been a successful day of fun and socializing. Bailey on the other hand, is feeling a bit more comfortable than earlier, but is exhausted from the morning introductions. She was introduced to new dogs, new people, and had new smells to take in. This is also a successful day of socializing. 

On Bailey's second visit, she hesitates for a moment, but she seems relieved to see a familiar face. She knows she'll be safe and her family will pick her up. She greets her new friends, and even plays for a few minutes. 

After a few more visits, Bailey races in the door and doesn't look back. She has things to do and people to see! 
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Every dog acclimates to social environments at their own pace. Just like with humans, dogs also have different tolerance levels for social situations depending on their prior experiences away from home, history with other dogs, and their confidence level. And truth be told, some dogs never adjust to group play. Some dogs find the activity overwhelming and simply prefer the comfort of their own home with family, or might enjoy an occasional play date with a known friend. Some dogs even prefer time alone instead, and that's okay. Not every dog has to be social.

But some dogs, like Bailey, if given the chance, might just become a social butterfly. As much as we love to see new dogs like Neko make friends right away, we're always rooting for the ones who spend their first day looking for mom.
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Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for more!