The Animal Writer

More importantly, I've been writing for even longer than I've been handling dogs, and naturally I've spent a lot of time specifically writing about dogs and their quirks, so I'm in a unique position to not only educate y'all on animal behavior and the why behind the actions, but also to give examples of how you could incorporate certain behaviors into your writing as foreshadowing for the most alert readers.

My Asks are forever and eternally open, but I'll also post unprompted tips and info~!

Finished a new piece: an Australian Shepherd in stack. I’ve been studying structure and balance more intentionally in my canine art, and this breed is such a rewarding subject — all lines, angles, and purpose wrapped up in a deceptively effortless stance.

LISTEN YOU GUYS I JUST REALLY FUCKING LOVE DOGS AND I LOVE PAINTING DOGS AND I JUST NEED YOU TO SHARE THIS SHIT SO I CAN GET TO PAINT EVEN MORE DOGS OKAY

Ran into a former client on the trail a while back, many years since I last saw him. He had a new dog I’d never met, with fresh stitches that were hard to miss. I didn't ask about it, but the explanation came up organically. His dog had been at daycare and things had happened. This was not the first daycare injury among his dogs.

The “explanation” he got? Fiction :). And he believed it, because it was sold to him as something natural and unavoidable.

This is a man I once would’ve bet knew better. But it’s been a long time since I started in this industry, and the pet care world has shifted. He told me about the daycare, and from his outsider perspective I could already see the red flags waving like parade banners. The kicker? He didn’t even know they were red flags.

So, friends, gather ‘round. Let’s talk about my favorite subject: dog daycare red flags — and how to spot them before your dog comes home with mystery stitches.

🚩 Red Flag A: Staff-to-dog ratio

This is the big one. The gold standard in the industry is 5–10 loose dogs per staff member actively on the floor. And when I say “on the floor,” I mean actually in the playroom, eyes on the dogs — not one person trapped with 40 dogs while everyone else is off folding laundry.

Some daycares rotate dogs in and out for breaks, which is my absolute favorite setup — smaller groups, less stress. But here in NL, most facilities are small and don’t have the space or extra runs to do that properly. And guess what? There’s zero regulation here or in most places, so the only thing keeping your dog safe is whether the owners choose to follow best practices.

🚩 Red Flag B: Cleanliness

WOOD. Let me be clear: if you see wood in a play area, that’s a no from me. Wood soaks up pee like a sponge, can’t be fully disinfected, and starts smelling like a medieval outhouse in no time. Yes, you can “treat” it — but these are dogs. They chew that S&*t right off.

A clean daycare smells… fine. Not flowery, not perfume-y — just faintly clean. You might even think, “Huh, that’s nice.” What it shouldn’t smell like: raw sewage, ammonia so strong it stings your eyes, or dollar-store detergent. And if your dog smells noticeably worse when you pick them up? That’s not “dogs being dogs.” That’s “dogs marinating in filth.”

🚩 Red Flag C: Staff competency

Let’s be real: dog daycare doesn’t pay enough to keep long-term, fully trained staff. Turnover happens. That’s fine — if there’s a solid training program. New hires should start handling small, manageable groups of dogs, then gradually increase as they learn.

What you never, ever want to hear? A staff member proudly talking about being bitten. This is not a badge of honor — it’s a billboard for bad handling. Good handling means you don’t get bitten.

🚩 Red Flag D: “Come one, come all!”

A good daycare will turn dogs away. Yes, I know, that sounds ass backwards. But hear me out: if they’re following safe staff-to-dog ratios and enforcing zero-aggression policies, there’s simply no room for every single dog in town. The inn is full, baby!

No dog in daycare should be known to be a jerk. If a dog is consistently picking fights, that’s not a “quirky personality” — that’s a dog who doesn’t want to be there. A responsible facility will either work with the owner to find other options or say “sorry, not a fit.”

Now, there is one exception: some daycares have the staff, space, and skill to run separate groups and carefully manage dogs with more challenging personalities. These unicorn facilities are rare - like 1% rare - but you can bet about 60% will still act like they’re one of them. Spoiler: they’re not.

If any of this sounds familiar to you, that doesn't mean a facility is inherently bad... but it does mean you should start looking a little closer and keeping receipts, if you know what i'm sayin. There could be a very reasonable explanation for most things - the issue is if this all sounds very consistently familiar.

So I'm going to talk about puppies specifically here, but know that there's a whole other set of issues that come up when you adopt an adult dog as well.

The Most Common Mistake:

Getting puppy from the airport/breeder and immediately taking them on a tour de force of your besties houses, and the pet store, etc. This can be really damaging to their little baby mental health, because it's incredibly stressful to subject a puppy (or adult dog) to that kind of socialization so soon after what was probably quite a traumatic experience for your puppy, who has no idea who you are or that they're not going to see their mother again.

Bringing puppy around strange or unvaccinated dogs before they've received all their vaccinations! That's how you get Parvo, friend!

Yes, even your mom's dog shouldn't be around puppy if it ain't seen a vaccine since it was 12 weeks old.

Allowing puppy to walk, sniff, and play in areas that unvaccinated dogs frequent.

Never letting puppy be by themself to figure out how to self soothe. If you want a dog who is not an anxious wreck without you, you need to start leaving them home while you run errands. They will be upset, yes, and then they will learn the same lesson that human toddlers learn in the same damn way: Sometimes you just have to sit down and wait.

what you should do instead:

Take puppy directly from the airport/breeder to your house. Before you go get them, you should already have the puppy's safe spaces set up and ready to go, including a crate that's sized appropriately and always accessible, a variety of toys. Your objective is to set your puppy up for success, knowing that they really need your teamwork to make the dream work, so make sure you are twelve steps ahead before that little demon even crosses the threshold.

You should give any puppy at least three to five days to settle into your house before you start pushing them with regards to training, socialization, exposure, etc. Those 3-5 days should be as quiet and low-key as possible so that your puppy can actually fully settle from their scary experience and get used to their new house.

Start exposing puppy to new treats gradually, using about 75% whatever the breeder used and 25% new stuff. Every three days or so you can add another 25% of new until your puppy is fully transitioned.

UNLESS YOU LOVE PARVO YOU WILL VACCINATE YOUR DANG PUPPIES. YOU WILL VACCINATE THEM EVERY 4 WEEKS FROM 8 WEEKS TO 16 WEEKS OLD. YOUR PUPPY WILL THEN RECEIVE A BOOSTER ONE YEAR LATER.

what the heck was that anyway your puppy needs at least their first two vaccines prior to being exposed to other dogs. Even then, it is strongly discouraged to allow them to mingle with strange dogs until they're fully vaccinated at 16 weeks.

Leave puppy alone. Yes. Yes, I know he's so cute. I know he has a little face that could melt actual butter. Put him down, shut the crate, and let him learn to keep himself company. Human moms have to do this shit too and it sucks. No baby likes to learn how to be alone.

First of all, notice that I did not specify breeds in the title. There's a reason for this, friends, and that is because going into breed details is going to get overwhelming rapidly. If you need help with a specific breed, go ahead and ask so I can give you the deets.

Working Dogs

Dogs who have been purpose-bred for utility. They have been genetically selected for generations to create a dog who knows what their job is from the time they open their eyes and meet the world.

Let's start with our

herding friends

These are the collies, the shepherds, the corgis, etc. who all have similar behavioral patterns regardless of their upbringing.

The Basics:

These guys may have what we in the dog world call drive. They have a deeply-rooted need to perform their job and to do it well and if you have an extremely driven working dog, there are no such things as days off. These are the shepherds you see in videos of extreme obedience trails, etc. etc. It's what some professional trainers want in a dog, but it's generally way outside the realm of your average pet owner.

A well-bred dog meant as a companion/pet may have some drive while still managing an 'off switch' where they can exist inside a house without going insane. This is with multiple hours of exercise a day.

Yes, there are working dogs who would never be able to manage this feat.

Things to keep in mind when writing:

A herding dog has a light, fleeting sort of prance to their steps. They're made for quick, tight movements and it shows in the way their body flows with their steps.

Your average working dog can't thrive on two thirty minute walks a day and otherwise being left to their own devices. Make sure your character actually can realistically navigate owning that kind of animal - if they can't, incorporate that into the dog's character ('bad', destructive, 'psycho'. Think Kypto)

Herding breeds are quick to nip, and it circles back to their original herding purpose. Cattle dogs are especially prone to this, as biting is part of how they herd cattle.

They love to nip at ankles and feet, especially when kids run around.

Certain herding dogs are aloof with strangers, as many were bred to serve multiple purposes, meaning they have also been bred to be suspicious of outsiders.

Herding breeds need room to run

A herder who ain't herding and ain't getting the right enrichment will literally develop OCD. It's a thing.

Always assume they're smarter than you because they probably are.

They will break your stuff for fun and just to watch you suffer.

Skipped their walk? Oops there goes the couch, bitch.

Are very cute as puppies but it's actually to mask the fact that they are demons. Nothing is safe. Not you. Not your chairs. Not your cats.

OK so let's now look at another type of working dog

Livestock / Guardian Dogs

The Basics

I'm lumping human guard dogs in with livestock guardian dogs because there's a decent overlap in their behaviors. I'll refer to Livestock Guardian Dogs specifically as LGD to spare my sanity.

LGD are typically very large and very powerful. These are your breeds such as the Anatolian Shepherd, or the Kangal, or the Central Asian Shepherd. You also get your Maremmas and your Great Pyrenees. If you have a rural character who farms, these are all breeds you could consider.

These are generally very no-nonsense dogs. If the herders gave you any slack at all, the LGD will not. They are not designed for urban life and can, in the wrong hands, be extremely dangerous. They are regularly banned from grooming facilities and dog boarding, and require extra precautions during vet visits.

With a responsible owner and the right environment, these guys are worth their own weight in gold for a farmer. They will fight to the death to protect their flock, and that's what makes them so dangerous to own willy-nilly.

Things to keep in mind when writing:

Guard dogs are loud as all get out, y'all. Their job is not to bite people or to fight scary animals in the dark - it's simply to keep their flock and their people safe. They mainly do this by staying up all night long barking at anything that moves or threatens to move.

LGD in particular love to sleep outside and will be so excited about camping bc omg human is also outside???

As long as they know you, guardian dogs are very mellow and usually quite pleasant-tempered. They have to be able to coexist with lambs and babies, after all, if they're going to protect them.

If you win over a guardian dog, you have a pal for life, but if you approach their flock/family the wrong way, that friendship is old news.

Will usually prefer goats to people and that's okay.

Sheds like a maniac. It's disgusting.

They smell weird.

They always have poop crusties somewhere.

A frightened animal is, in the veterinary world, the most dangerous kind of animal we work with. They are unpredictable, and once you set them off, they can be nearly impossible to contain. Fear often masquerades as rage in our canine friends.

What does a frightened dog look like?

Their tail will be tucked beneath their rump - the tighter the tail is pressed up to the stomach, the more fearful. A nervous dog may tuck their tail and wag it when approached by something intimidating.

They may be piloerect, meaning they have their hackles up.

Their eyes are wide and you can see the whites.

They go completely still..... until they see their opportunity to bolt. If they're already moving, they'll speed up.

Heavy panting is a common sign of fear.

They will try to flee and if their escape route is blocked, there's a good chance of being bitten if you aren't generous with your space.

A cornered dog will bite without warning. They will bite harder than a lot of aggressive dogs.

A cornered dog is not a dog you should be working with in any capacity. Imagine trying to learn a lesson when you're in the middle of a panic attack. Just leave them alone and back away, leave them somewhere secure and come back later.

What does a timid dog look like?

They can appear very quiet initially and don't want to be noticed, especially by someone new to them.

They may flinch away from a hand over their head. This doesn't mean they have been hurt in the past - it's a flinch response because of their anxiety.

They can escalate rapidly if something scares them, and once they flee they usually stop listening to even their closest human friends. (This is why traps are necessary sometimes)

They will be loosey goosey with their family, but tense up as soon as strangers arrive, or the situation becomes unfamiliar.

Simple premise: A dog who is aggressive.

And it can usually stay that simple. We don't always know what wire is crossing at what time in a dog's head, so let's focus on the visuals first.

What does aggression look like?

An aggressive dog may not immediately attack. Sometimes they will wag their tail in very slow, stiff movements while standing quite still or slowly approaching. If they have short/medium fur, you'll see the beginnings of piloerection - when the fur on the back of an animal stands upright. These are the hackles, and they are a red flag for a dog who is very distressed.

A very long coated breed (Newfoundland) won't have the same visible 'hackles' as a short coated dog, but they'll usually look fluffier around the head and the neck fur may still be able to stand upright.

Their ears may be very erect initially, but will usually flatten or 'pin' themselves as they approach / are approached.

A human character might be able to interpret bad intentions through the dog's expression - an aggressive dog who isn't reacting out of fear usually has a very empty cast to their eyes, as cliche as it may sound. They don't look like a dog in that moment - they just look like a predator.

A dog of this nature may attack without any warning or hesitation, but it's very uncommon to see any old dog with that level of intensity. In these extreme cases, one tell will be in the eyes, which harden (the minute muscles tense on all sides to pull back those lips to expose chompers), as well as in the dog's body language, which will get tenser and tenser and tenser until everything happens all at once.

If you are approaching a door and there is a very angry bark behind it, you should have it in your head already that the dog inside may be legitimately aggressive. Doors are a huge trigger for a lot of domestic dogs, because that marks the threshold of the house. That's their fight vs flight line right there.

Without the correct tools and training, someone walking into that house would likely be bitten badly. Multiple dogs could also pile on as a pack (a huge risk when handling groups of dogs) if the stress gets high enough.

IMPORTANT WRITING THINGS ABOUT AGGRO DOGS

No, unless your character has a bonafide magical ability to tame beasts or is a professional canine handler, it is not possible or recommended to bring a legitimately aggressive dog back down to a 0 from 120 while an active situation is still unfolding. As long as the scene is not stable, a reactive dog is simply incapable of truly relaxing or focusing elsewhere.

Not every aggressive dog will bark. If we opened the theoretical door with the theoretical rage machine behind it, that dog likely wouldn't bother barking. It would just lunge and save the effort. These are the most dangerous dogs to deal with.

There is a very specific sort of rolling growl that a fractious dog will do. It's low, and deep, and it's about as mean-sounding as any animal can get, especially in a large-chested breed.

Aggressive dogs will sometimes lose interest and wander a short distance away, but return to continue the attack if they see or hear movement.

BEHAVIORS OF NOTE

Tail up, stiff, and wagging without ever loosening.

Hackles up! Gotta look big and mean!

Claws may dig into the dirt for leverage, especially when doing those big ol' woofs.

Ears pinned, eyes wide w/ the whites visible. May crouch slightly, or try to creep closer.

A trained dog will go for your upper arms if they're available. Your average aggressive dog is going to snap at the backs of your legs in particular.

Note that nothing I say is going to be the be all end all of writing animals. Obviously, it is entirely up to the individual writer to write what they feel is needed for their story - I'm just here to help anyone who wants to specifically write a very realistic, true-to-form canine companion.