My 7 month old GSD has been going to the same daycare for 2 months now once a week for socialization purposes (besides last week when we skipped because there was a bad snow storm). It's a very small daycare and has the same 5 dogs each time he goes. He usually loves going and gets along great with the other dogs.
Yesterday he returned and the owner said he was not acting like himself. Was very shy and hiding away from the other dogs. Even the dogs that he gets along with very well he was scared of. He ran inside as often as he could to hide in a cage. When I picked him up he couldn't wait to leave which is unusual behavior for him. He was not aggressive in any way, just acted a bit skittish and scared.
This behavior perplexed both of us because he has done so well there. The owner suspects he is going through another fear period and suggested we push through it and keep him on his regular schedule. She said it's normal for GSD to go through phases. He's sort of been a nervous nelly since I brought him home but it seemed like he was coming out of his shell all for it to go backwards within 1 days.
I have him coming to daycare for 1. socialization purposes and 2. plan to board next April when I go out of the country for 10 days. I wanted him to get used to the environment and acclimated. It seemed like he was doing very well and enjoyed going but his behavior yesterday is throwing question marks for me. I socialized him very well (places/people/noises/dogs) as a young puppy… but I'm wondering if I need to do it again?
I'm unsure how to proceed, and if there are any other steps I should be doing to mitigate this? I wonder if it's because he skipped a week…? Is this something he just needs exposure to again to get over?
submitted by /u/Weekly-Quantity6435
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