The reason we trial your pup, and why it matters

Since starting King's over 5 years ago, Charlie and I have looked after well over a thousand dogs. And after meeting and getting to know that many pups you start to see certain patterns emerge.

The Well-Rounded Dog

A lot, maybe even most dogs you meet are well rounded from the outset and have naturally learned how to approach dogs and people with good manners and respect. This is usually a sign that they are over a year old and that they have had many positive experiences with creatures great and small and that they have developed a sense of independence and confidence in their ability to predict their environment. This is what we are aiming for.

Every Dog Is a Little Different

Some dogs ooze confidence and wag their way around a room of humans, actively seeking out attention and seeming like the most well rounded dog imaginable… until another dog enters, and suddenly they feel threatened — even if the other dog is initially amicable and unchallenging. This reaction, in extreme cases, can trigger the "fight or flight" response and if not handled well can escalate rapidly. This is very common behaviour in city dogs, particularly after COVID, and can be tremendously difficult to manage, particularly as the owners of such dogs will understandably go to great lengths to avoid situations where arguments may take place, often inadvertently making the problem far worse through avoidance.

To illustrate just what a lack of social interaction can do to a dog, it may surprise you to discover that The Royal Veterinary College's "Pandemic Puppies" project followed nearly a thousand dogs bought during 2020 and found that by 21 months of age, 97% of owners reported at least one problem behaviour, with separation-related behaviours in almost a third of them (Brand et al., 2024). Pretty much a whole generation of dogs missed out on critical behavioural milestones, and we are all still living with the consequences of it.

Some Dogs Take a Little Longer to Build Trust

On the other end of the spectrum to reactive types, there are of course shy dogs, usually submissive and very sweet in nature. These are dogs who usually attach themselves very strongly to just a couple of humans and are extremely cautious around anyone they are not familiar with. Sometimes a shy dog is very social with other dogs but not so much around strangers, and sometimes they are just shy around everyone and everything. This is a much less risky temperament due to the gentle nature of the dog but can be equally difficult to deal with — and on a side note, these dogs can quietly be the most likely to develop a "dark side", as they lack the communication skills to negotiate with other dogs properly and can become quite grumpy when they get older.

Because dogs with this temperament are so attached to just one or two people, they are often overly attached and suffer from separation anxiety more so than others. Going on holiday and trying to find boarding options can be more difficult due to the length of time needed to build trust in a sitter, and worse, if they are shy around dogs too, this can mean that they never learn to play properly — which is so important for a dog to feel truly happy and mentally fulfilled in the long run.

Photo: Nick Tudor-Pole

Where Daycare Comes In

I'm hesitant to claim that daycare and socialisation solve all temperament problems in all dogs, as that is simply not quite true. I am also aware that this blog post could very easily sound like an advert for our services, which I admit ruefully… in a way it is.

I will, however, say that when we started King's we didn't know an awful lot about the benefits of socialisation for young dogs, and that it's been a delightful revelation that our primary service — daycare, offered initially for convenience to our clients above anything else — turns out to be one of the most beneficial things for a young dog and their mental development.

And this is well evidenced. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (2008) describes the first three months of a puppy's life as the key window for adapting to new people, animals and experiences — the period, as they put it, in which "sociability outweighs fear". A puppy who misses out during those weeks, they warn, is at meaningfully greater risk of growing into a fearful or aggressive adult.

Daycare Socialisation and What You Can Expect

We usually take new dogs on after this initial window, typically when dogs are around 14-16 weeks old. This is still an incredibly important period and where a daycare really earns its keep.

When a dog first starts regular daycare and is regularly around other, similar sized and well mannered dogs, you might notice that without any outside help from a trainer, owner or daycare supervisor they will go through a series of behavioural changes. Sometimes this happens slowly, over the course of weeks or months, but more often it is after just a few visits.

Imagine a puppy coming to daycare for the first time, perhaps for their daycare trial at King's. They are almost certainly going to experience a wide variety of emotions. Our job as daycare supervisors is to try to steer the experience to be as positive as possible, whilst still allowing nature to take its course and letting the puppy find their place for themselves. Usually the pattern is something like as follows:

1. The Introduction

When they are first brought in, there is usually an initial rush of excitement — the dog will walk around every inch of daycare, sniffing every toy, every corner and every bed. The other dogs in daycare, once they have got their welcome sniff in, will usually leave the newcomer alone during this period.

Photo: Nick Tudor-Pole

Very little inter-dog interaction happens during this settling-in period, and the pup will likely express appeasing behaviour such as tail between legs, and might read playful invitations from others as threats. They might not even trust the daycare supervisor yet, so it's totally normal for them to try to find their own space whilst they take the new environment in.

2. The Boomerang Phase

Usually after a few minutes the daycare supervisor (DS) will have built some trust and the dog will see them as a protective safe space. What we like to see at this point is the willingness and curiosity for the dog to venture into the room on a whim and then run back to the DS if it all gets too intense, before building the courage for another explore a few minutes later.

Curiosity is the strongest sign that a dog is happy and mentally well balanced. In fact, one of the reasons why socialisation is so important for dogs whilst they are young is that they have this incredibly strong, innate sense of curiosity which gets them interacting with the environment. Once an unsocialised dog is even a little older, that curiosity tends to subside, replaced by a need to control the situation before it can go wrong. A dog who never learned that other dogs are safe and readable will start managing them instead — stiffening, posturing, getting in first. It can be viewed as dominance in a way but truthfully it's simply a dog without the social vocabulary to manage the situation in a healthier way. (A deep subject for another blog.)

3. The Play Phase

We are lucky that we always have a mix of dogs in daycare. Usually there are a few young puppies, at least a few adult dogs and a few of everything in between.

This means there are usually a couple of dogs secure enough in themselves to extend a playful invitation to a newcomer (More on how dogs read each other in an upcoming blog.) If the first two phases have gone well and the puppy has said hello to everyone, explored the daycare and is feeling relatively comfortable, it is not uncommon for them to start playing spontaneously. This is usually best when another dog play bows to them and they respond, but that depends very much on the dogs attending that day.

4. The Push It Too Far Phase

This is another essential phase that is extremely important, and in fact where the DS is wisest to be most alert whilst also being the most restrained. Too much intervention during this stage can actually delay successful socialisation. This is often where new dog parents will understandably step in too soon, preventing valuable lessons being learned.

I have seen it many, many times. The new puppy starts playing and is just the cutest little thing in the world. "Wow, that was quick, he/she is fully socialised and we can all pat ourselves on the back and congratulate ourselves on what an excellent job we've all done"… if only that were true!

What usually follows play is one of two things. Either the young lad/lass gets mentally tired, skips a step and goes straight to step 5, or they get way, way too excited, zoom around from dog to dog assuming everyone wants to play (teaser… they don't!) and end up pushing the limits of the other dogs' patience until one of them growls or snaps, leading the puppy inescapably to:

5. Cry For Mummy Phase

It's almost as if they were in an exalted trance and suddenly they snap out of it and find themselves in a strange place, filled with big scary Chihuahuas (read: tiny and super chill).

Photo: Nick Tudor-Pole

The pup will call out for their mum or dad to no avail and will be inconsolable for at least a few minutes. This often leads to waves of massive over-dependency on the DS, followed by "throwing toys out of the pram" crying and howling at the gate. So fun!

This phase is important, but the only true way to resolve it is for the pup to go home and have a nap. No amount of treats or consolation helps, and the longer it goes on for, the more they will object the next time they are dropped off at daycare. This is why we are so adamant that new pups are strictly limited to an hour or two at daycare for the first few visits. The overwhelming emotion from the visit needs to be positive, or we're working against ourselves.

Photo: Nick Tudor-Pole

6. True Socialisation

True socialisation is a wonderful thing and you know it when you see it. To be honest, and kind of counterintuitively, the most obvious symptom of a well socialised dog is that he or she doesn't always need to be social. Well socialised dogs will have developed a deep respect for other dogs and the manners to invite interaction without demanding it.

That being said, they will always be overjoyed to see their friends, and we at King's are lucky to witness on a daily basis the joy of dogs dragging their owners into our daycare facility in Chelsea with tails a-wagging. Make no bones about it, this can take a while to achieve — but for many dogs the answer to most behavioural problems really is as simple as socialisation, and it is difficult to replicate this kind of frequency, variety and consistency anywhere else besides a secure and well supervised daycare environment.

If you have a puppy

You don't need to bring your puppy in every day for any of this to matter. Even a day or two a week, consistently, through those formative months does an enormous amount of quiet work.

If you have a puppy, or are thinking about getting one, do get in touch and we'll book you in for a trial session — it's just an hour and you'll get an honest read from us on how your pup found it and what we'd suggest next for his or her development.

Thanks for reading,

Yours waggingly,

Nick Tudor-Pole
Founder of King's Dog Daycare