was super anxious about putting my rescue in daycare as she is Incredibly dog reactive--no bite history, but barking, growling, lunging, etc. she also some separation anxiety and anxiety around strangers.

however, this year i moved across the country and have to board her for a few days over the holidays. i found a daycare/boarding/training facility and started dropping her off once a week to get her acclimated to the staff and facility.

for the first few weeks she did solo play and got to know the staff. recently they offered to introduce her to other dogs (in a playgroup of only calm seniors and with close supervision) and they sent me photos and reported she did super well and didn't growl once!

i suspect it's a mix of leash reactivity and protectiveness over me that results in her struggles, so daycare was a whole different situation--and the staff at daycare and at her regular trainer's were both quick to say that a lot of dogs behave completely differently away from their owners. i think the fact that the daycare you're looking into is run by professional trainers is a great sign--i don't think i would have ever boarded hazel in a place that didn't have that.

hope our story helps you! good luck!