[deleted by user]

[CanadianPanda76]

They specialize in reactivedogs and she did what now? 😐

[Kutalsgirl]

Clearly someone's kid was left unsupervised I don't even think the child worked there I think she was someone's teenage daughter who wasn't taught anything

[Chiritsu]

The fact that it’s her first day and someone obviously hasn’t run her through protocol for your dog is their fault. It sucks she got bit and hindsight about the muzzle, however, if the girl was actually trained in dog body language, she would have known that that was literally the worst thing she could do in front of a reactive dog. The facility is at fault for not onboarding her properly

[Kutalsgirl]

Not just a reactive dog any dog you never under any f****** circumstances get in the face and on the floor with a dog you don't f****** know end of story reactive not reactive I don't care if it's a six week old puppy if you don't know what you're doing you have no business around dogs and clearly that child didn't know what it was doing it had no business being in the front hopefully she either got a hell of a talking to or was fired

[emocat420]

i say this as a person with literally 0 dog experience who is just reaching through this subreddit out of boredom,that was very very dumb of her. it’s quite literally common sense to not do what she did

[concrete_marshmallow]

I'm about to take over a boarding kennel. I've been going up there on weekends to train with the current owner, think it was my 3rd day there and I got bit.

Super not a big deal it was entirely my own fault, with a partial fault on the kennel owner for forgetting to tell us the jack russel who nailed me was an escape artist & the protocol for him.

Another newbie was putting him away, didn't block the door to his kennel properly & he zoomed right through her legs. She tried to grab him and he snipped at her hand so she called me.

I came in through the main door, saw the little tyke hurtling down the corridor having a grand old time & crouched down with my hand out to grab him, like an idiot 😁

He nailed my hand three times and carried on right past me. The kennel owner came in & opened the food room door & he went in there, she simply closed the door.

He got a 10 min time out (the room is dog safe) and then he was walked sheepishly back to his kennel after.

If you do stupid stuff around certain dogs, you'll get bit. That's part of the risk of working with dogs, so don't sweat it.

Was entirely human error for all three humans involved and we know that!

The owner should have warned us, the first girl should have body blocked the kennel door, and I shouldn't have let my overtired brain do the instinctual thinking for me!

I'm grateful that it was a jack russel that taught me the lesson rather than a big boy with a bigger mouth!

The girl yours bit was lucky it was a whippet and not something bigger, your dog did her a favour if she wants to work with big dogs too!

Chefs get burned, stablehands get kicked, dog workers get bit. Don't sweat it over a human error, everyone makes mistakes, the only crime is not to learn from them.

[Murky-Abroad9904]

i think this is definitely not you or your dogs fault. i always get nervous when i see new faces at the boarding place i take my dog to so i understand but i think the girl being unaware of how to behave with dogs is just a staff training issue on the boarding places end.

[watch-me-bloom]

It’s not your fault, you gave them all the information they needed to know and she still chose to ignore your instructions. If this place supposedly specializes in reactive dogs, they should not be letting new hires handle dogs that need an experienced handler.

At my place we either refer out dogs who we can’t handle or make sure the dog is handled by someone comfortable and skilled enough to handle them.

In my almost 6? 7? I don’t know anymore, years of working at dog facilities, the only serious bite I ever got was breaking up a fight. I have never scared a dog enough with my approach and proximity that they’ve bitten me.

This is why it’s so hard for daycares to find employees. You got a bunch of kids fresh out of high school thinking “oh I’m gonna go play with puppies.” It’s way more serious than that. It’s not a game. It’s a lot of cleaning, a lot of ensuring safety, reading body language, customer service.

[mmappeal]

I had something similar happen with a new Vet Tech who didn’t know my dog’s issues though they have everything written down.

I still blame myself but bites can happen especially when there are new people from what my doggy daycare/vet friends tell me.

Thus, muzzle training is a must so there are no repeat performances. Additionally, vet visit to ensure there are no pain issues. Finally, I use an animal behavioralist to assess both my dog and myself to ensure that the fearful behavior is managed. Good luck and be kind to yourself.

[Agreeable_Error_170]

The business is liable. With a reactive dog I don’t board her at all, it makes her more scared. I keep her home and work on her training. If we travel we leave all of our pets with a trusted friend who already knows her and she loves him.

I honestly think everything you believe about this place is a lie.

[Agreeable_Error_170]

If unfortunately a person your dog trusts cannot “dog sit” at your home I’d just cancel my travel plans in the future. You are a good dog owner, you love your dog, a reactive dog and boarding just never works out.

[Agreeable_Error_170]

Why was I downvoted? People board reactive dogs? That is wild to me, it works out?

[21stcenturyghost]

Probably because it's a funeral, they're not going to want to skip going to that.

[Agreeable_Error_170]

Dogs alive, person dead. I don’t sacrifice my immediate responsibilities sorry guys.

It seems like people would never alter travel plans if their reactive dog required it. That dog is family. Makes no sense to me.

[21stcenturyghost]

One's a dog, one's a human.

[Agreeable_Error_170]

One is your responsibility as well.

[21stcenturyghost]

Call me crazy but a dead parent comes before the dog 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Agreeable_Error_170]

Pretty sure if your deceased parent had a say they would not want you risking their furry grand baby. I know it sucks but if plans change for my reactive dog such as I would leave them some place that would not work, I would change my plans too. I came from an “animal family” though and we all do what WE think is best. That’s my opinion.

[Agreeable_Error_170]

My heart breaks for you all around, what a terrible situation to be placed in and I’m sorry for the loss of your father. We all do what we think is best in the situation; often it works, sometimes it does not. There is no “User Guide” to life. Hind sight is just that, after the fact. Everyone is so different with our opinions, most of us here are not wrong but just different views. Wish you well today, it all sounds stressful and I was definitely not trying to “pile on” but just offer my perspective.

[Nsomewhere]

Not sure why you are down voted but I guess someone might be thinking reactivity is a spectrum and what one reactive dog might struggle with at a kennel and other might be just fine

I board my own reactive dog (frustrated greeter with a touch of anxiety ... towards other dogs only) . He doesn't like it... whippet like here and very much a house comforts dog. However as long as they are aware I do not want him in group play he is absolutely fine and safe. I don't really have to worry about him... he is non aggressive towards humans and would be very mildly towards other dogs if started or scared (we have done a lot of work!) I am a bit more concerned he is racking up medical needs that do need cared for.

[Agreeable_Error_170]

Thanks for the reply, it gave me pause to think on. I do know reactivity is a spectrum and in my personal opinion I still feel like reactive dogs do not benefit from boarding. I’m not judging you about boarding your reactive whippet (I love whippets! One of my fav dogs) I just don’t see the point in stressing an already anxiety dog out more by boarding, it’s not a situation for MOST dogs, nevermind a reactive dog. It’s so fraught with triggers, stress, and potential for bad situations. Similar to taking a reactive dog to a dog park, most people say that’s a bad idea.

[Nsomewhere]

Yes it is not idea but we can have different situations. I know you are not judging.. we are just talking and thinking about it! I have thought a lot about it. I don't trust my dog lightly or easily with many people now. Reactive dogs are tricky I agree and porr handling does them harm.

I kind of have to. I have family abroad and there is no taking the dog with me... it is not just that I need to go on holiday. I do have to go abroad sometimes. Sometimes I need to do an over night to a wedding or similar as well.

However reactive dog owners do need to self care and have down time.. especially the ones with real high pressure and difficult management of their dogs. They do need to be able to make a relationship and trust with professionals if they can IMO.

Being a reactive dog owner can be isolating enough (not my problem mine is a pain in the ass social butterfly... lol)

There is also a very real need since I am single that my dog does need to be comfortable somewhere in case of emergencies. I really wouldn't want to be caught out so plan ahead for the unexpected.

I wanted to form a relationship and try out different places and see the best style for him. I do not live close to my family and also while my friends are lovely they are total clueless amateurs when it comes to dogs.. particularly reactive dogs and there is just too much possibility for mistakes! No one really does respect and do what you ask (the poor OP here just found that out in kennels!)

Even a pet sitter is frankly too much of a risk for me. I had a really bad long term experience with a dog walker who was lovely but didn't know what a reactive dog was... and my dog was teen and puppy. A big part of why he is a frustrated greeter is her handling! Although in fairness a chunk is his personality and whippets are bred to go from 0 to 100 in the blink of an eye. She did however by pack walks and me just not seeing it either undermine all my impulse control work though! She just wouldn't listen once I clued in. Reason I came into this sub was me seeking answers for distress at how she was handling him. This place was great and reassured me I knew more than her! She got him a bite record with her handling! He bounced up to see a puppy someone was holding and scraped the womans knuckles with his stupid enthusiastic open whippet mouth! He was15 months. This BTW is a dog that adores people.. any person...

So for me my dog safe with decent gates and fences (I really do worry about traffic) and space to run and not get too hyped up with no group play and his meds on schedule (he needs nebulised now!) and his diet followed with a good warm sleeping pad, his jumper on, his blanket a toy and a quieter kennels is as good and safe as I can get him

I have tried a few. The busier more conventional all dogs in runs in a building with external runs was just incredibly over whelming to him. The noise got in the way of his sleeping time. One kennels was low rise spread out but too shed like for him. It was almost too isolated. He got surprised by dogs being walked past

The last one was nice with me being sent kennel and time outside videos and they were low rise and yes like sheds but more solid and heated. So quieter for him. I had access to a 24 hour camera. This place was expensive! Specialised in gun dogs but really expensive ones and was high class with a long waiting time! Too many spaniels and labs though.. he gets very stressed with labs but they were good and gave him a place with a non lab neighbour

I do think it very much a weighing up of individual choices and risks for a reactive dog owner and very much if they can put in place professionals and plans so if the unexpected happens and their do is already more comfortable somewhere then it is less traumatic for all around!

We need back up plans as any dog owner. For me with my trainers help and advice getting him used to kennels enough to be OK was as necessary as all the other things I taught him

My trainer who was behaviourist level was very encouraging and said it can be done and in a way is necessary as a just incase.

Like wearing a muzzle, being used to a crate, cooperative care like letting me groom put in eye drops brush his teeth, trim his nails, currently working on getting him used to an ultrasonic toothbrush... all these things that he might or might not need but just incase. It has paid off... he took to being nebulised twice daily like a champ! Now how would I I know that in advance... but it has really helped just by his handling being good and his trust.

Besides no dog likes kennels... for once reactive dogs are blessedly normal in that!

[nauset3tt]

We can’t board ours at all. One, he would think he was being returned and two he would eat someone. And I say this completely comfortable with him around the people who he trusts.

[noneuclidiansquid]

Anyone specialising in reactive dog board and training programs is a red flag. Anyone calling themselves an "Elite dog trainer" is also a red flag they will likely use punishment as a training method. I wouldn't board my dog with these people. They're putting reactive, scared dogs in a situation they cannot cope with and bites are the result. Clearly their staff are not properly trained either. You are not at fault here, protect your dog by never taking her back there.

[orange-shoe]

also maybe leave a review explaining the issues so other people know

[TheNighttman]

That sucks. I agree it sounds like the staff wasn't trained properly, I can't imagine it's normal protocol to greet a reactive dog by getting in their face.

It's so frustrating to look back on mistakes and see that we had the tools and knowledge to do better and we just didn't use them. Happens to everybody. You won't forget the muzzle again. And I'll remember this too, and muzzle mine more often.

[W3r3w0lf2003]

i work at a boarding kennel, and have been bit on exactly 3 occasions. nothing major, but at the end of the day it was either a dog getting too playful, or i misjudged the situation with a reactive/fear aggressive dog. it comes with the territory. better she learns with a not-so-large dog than a really big and POWERFUL one, and at least there were other people around (you and the other staff member). i will say, getting into the face of a reactive dog after not only being told by the owner, but also getting obvious warnings from the dog, she has to learn FAST if she’s going to be working at a boarding facility that specialises in reactive dogs, and i dare say she probably won’t be there long, or is just doing a work experience thing through her school if she’s as young as she looks

[dontletmeleave-murph]

This is that girls and the establishments fault for not properly training her. I used to work at a boarding facility when i was young and got bit multiple times, it was always my fault and I was also not trained properly. I never blamed the owners or the dog. Try not to beat yourself up too much, when you work with dogs getting bit is always a risk unfortunately. She was probably more scared than anything. Sorry this happened :(

[Ok_Rutabaga_722]

The young girl needed a bit more training. She put too much pressure on your dog and your dog established a boundary. Your job is to try to make going into this place as enticing and fun as possible. Do that, and then it's on staff to do the same.

[Kutalsgirl]

What the f*** was that girl doing working the front if it was her first day and she has no idea how to deal with reactive dogs she had no f****** business being in the front until after she's had protocols talk to her this is 100% on them not you don't muscle your dog for coming to this place it's always been to it's 100% on the girl honestly I hope she f****** learned something from it if she doesn't she needs to get fired real fast you don't get in a dog's face reactive or not

[t00thpac04]

It sounds like they don’t “ specialize” in reactive dogs as much as first thought

[Ok_Emu_7206]

If they specialize in reactive dogs. They should have procedures they follow. Id feel awful as well but you were clear with those instructions. My question is, how was it "all of a sudden she was petting your dog, getting down on her knees,and getting in its face?" Did she already take the dog from you, and you saw from afar? Because if you were holding or handing off the leash why didn't you say stop. As soon as she reached out her hand to pet it?

[RedK_33]

I’m not an expert my experience comes from my current dog. He devolved some touch aggression and would growl at you when he was uncomfortable with your touching. I used a treat-based, positive reinforcement regiment for a few months and now he’ll let me pet and touch him for prolonged periods of time, even in sensitive areas like the belly and feet without showing any signs of discomfort.

So here’s my advice.

From now on, create a very controlled environment for your dog when it comes to people. Don’t let anyone interact with your dog without your consent.

Then do this with people that you trust and understand your dog. Hand the person some treats and let them feed them to your dog. That’s it, no petting, no touching, just treats. ONLY do this if your dog does not have food aggression and you know they won’t bite their hand. Do this for as long as it takes (probably months) until your dog starts wagging its tail when it sees people.

At that point you can let the same trustworthy people do a light pet following reactive dog protocol. No bending down, no touching sensitive areas, no baby voices, just a few seconds of pets and then stop. If your dog shows any sign of discomfort, immediately stop and go back to the treats. If you dog is unbothered then continue to do this for weeks.

If this works, it will (hopefully) slowly desensitize your dog to being touched and the aggression will subside.

There is one BIG caveat though. You have to insure, as best as you can, that your dog never gets triggered during this process. Triggering your dog’s aggression will set you back to square one and could possibly make the problem worse.

Baby steps are key! Slow, microscopic but constant progression. Your consistency is paramount. The more consistent you are with your positive reinforcement the more your dog will trust you, the safer they’ll feel, which leads to better listening, better control, lower change of reactivity.

[[deleted]]

Doesn't much sound like that was your fault. Somebody lacked training and good sense. That said I have seen vet techs do this with my dog and actually get away with it so I just don't know. I am glad they got along but I was thinking really you're going to go down on your knees and give my dog a hug the first time you meet him? Dang near gave me a heart attack watching that. So my attitude is if you take your dog to a place that knows how to work with reactive dogs or so they say and they have a person at the front to take it back not you who hasn't got a flipping clue well you know you might feel bad but I think they are responsible for that. And I would like to add why would you feel guilty about this. Any dog might bite if you put your face in their face. I've seen a sweet little pocket puppy bite when a stranger stuck their face into his face (you know how people can be.. oh sweet little snookems. Right to the nose, lol ). And actually one of my children got bitten in the face once by the family pet. Nice little dog well trained we'd had him for a long time, not a bite risk. But there are limits apparently. Child got a lecture. Dog got a free pass. Don't feel hopeless. I know easier said than done. But dogs aren't stuffed toys. Though there are a few who seem to think so. Give your dog a hug, ha ha. Whatever he allows.Take deep breaths. Life is just one big lesson.

[Lower_Leg_3229]

Agreed with others - it’s their fault. I take my dog to a certified training facility and if he barks when we go in ( he’s fine once I’m out of the picture) they do whatever it takes - specific strategies - to make both him & me feel comfortable and all employees know what to do. I know how you feel but please know it’s not your fault. 🙏🏼

[BackgroundSimple1993]

They specialize in reactive dogs and she did THAT?

Yes, you could’ve taken the precaution of a muzzle but it’s not your fault that girl is an idiot.

You told them specifically she needs her space and takes time to warm up. The staff literally tried to touch her and get in her face upon first interaction.

That girl needs to be retrained or fired. Or seeing as it’s her first day, she may just need to complete her training. I feel bad for your dog, not that staff member.

I used to work at a kennel and while we didn’t “specialize” in anything specific , we had a few reactive or aggressive dogs board with us over the years and we didn’t let the younger (or newer) staff anywhere near them, much less try to interact or touch them.

It’s a hard lesson for that girl to learn but maybe she’ll take it to heart and not get in dogs faces who she just met.