# Shaking in car as we approach daycare?



## finch (Sep 19, 2011)

This morning (and a few times in the past couple months), Finch started shaking when we drove up to her daycare. When I went to get her out of the car from the back seat, she jumped to the front and stood there shaking. She walked slowly to the door of the daycare, but once she was inside, she acted just fine. She was wiggling and went right in with the owner with no problems. 


I am trying to figure out this behavior since I want to make sure she enjoys the daycare and isn't scared of going there. I don't have any reason to think she should be scared... I know the 2 women who run it are firm in that they don't let her pull on the leash and they correct her if need be, but I think that is a good thing. Two days a week, I bring her to the office with me and one day I bring her to daycare, so sometimes I think maybe she is shaking b/c she'd rather stay with me?


I don't want to overthink this... but I am wondering, if your dog were to do this, would you take it as a sign she was trying to communicate something, or ignore it knowing she is going to be fine?


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## flynnandlunasmom (May 28, 2012)

As long as she was wiggling and happy when she went in, I wouldn't be too worried. See if she does the same thing next week when you take her.


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

I read that Vs like to stay by their owner's side all the time. They will prefer to curl up and sleep in the corner as long as they are in the same room/work room/cubicle... etc.
Is it possible to take her along with you to work?


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## SerCopper (Nov 1, 2011)

My V often shakes out of excitement...in anticipation of a treat or when we approach the off leash dog park. You might be misinterpreting the shaking!


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## finch (Sep 19, 2011)

@SerCooper - interesting, I never thought that she was shaking out of excitement, but that might be it. since she moved away from the door, it seemed like she wanted to stay in the car and not leave. I'll have to observe more closely next time.

@datacan - she does come with me to the office most days, but on the days when I have a lot of meetings or we have donors visiting, I bring her to daycare. Even though she loves to be with me, the office can be a pretty boring place!


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

I suppose every dog is different, and just like humans, they have their own personalities. But I know that if Willie is shaking, it is definitely a sign of fear. Determining the actual cause of the fear might be a little trickier, but I can usually nail it down with Willie.


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## finch (Sep 19, 2011)

I've only seen Finch really shake one other time and that was when she heard a pack of coyotes howling on a walk this summer. I've never noticed her to do it out of excitement. But I just wish I knew what she would be fearful of at daycare...  Sometimes I wish she could talk!


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## Oquirrh the V (Jun 24, 2011)

Oquirrh will also shake out of excitement. He will sometimes shake if he is intently pointing something, like he wants to break the point. I always watch his tail to see what the shaking is about. I figure if his tail isn't tucked, he's not scared. I may be interpreting this wrong, but the tail tucked is a sure sign that he's nervous. Sometimes his little nose is sniffing so fast that he will shake also. By Finch jumping into the front seat does seem like she was scared. Not sure. Watch her body language more next time. Good luck.


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## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

I 2nd what Oquirrh says - watch the tail to see what happens when the shaking starts. A tucked tail is a definite sign of fear or anxiety. Riley only ever shivers when she is cold.


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## finch (Sep 19, 2011)

Thanks for all the comments... I will watch her tail next time if she starts shaking. Since she seems fine once she gets inside, I am not overly concerned, but at the same time, I feel like she communicates well with me and her behavior is usually predictable, so I don't want to completely ignore it either. If it does appear she is shaking out of fear, what do you all suggest I do?


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Pull her out of that daycare facility and either find another one or make some other arrangements. IF (and that's a big IF) she is afraid, then something's going on in there. She can't talk, but she could be trying to tell you something. Maybe it's just not the right match. 

I'm not one to make a big fuss over things. I just let my money talk for me.


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## adrino (Mar 31, 2012)

Just to drop it in, can you go to the daycare from a different direction? If you can and she does the same you may need to investigate what could have happened or as mswhipple said pull her out from there. 

I'm sure you would see the difference between an anxious or an excited shake...


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

mswhipple said:


> Pull her out of that daycare facility and either find another one or make some other arrangements. IF (and that's a big IF) she is afraid, then something's going on in there. She can't talk, but she could be trying to tell you something. Maybe it's just not the right match.
> 
> I'm not one to make a big fuss over things. I just let my money talk for me.


I agree, Finch is far too precious and not to mention rare dog. I wouldn't experiment too much.

On our walks and we walk a lot... there is only one house Sam fears. Two out of control Golden Retrievers live there. Sam walks (I have to drag him along) with tail tucked in very weary. 
Also, I do quite a bit of driving with Sam, as we also deliver our work to clients, I noticed he always knows when we reach the rest areas, even though he's napping and not looking out the windows.


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## finch (Sep 19, 2011)

It has been a couple weeks since I started this thread, so I thought I'd post an update. I decided to try dropping her at daycare last Thursday, the first time since this discussion. Once I turned onto the road the daycare is on (which is about 3 min in) she got up and started pacing from the front seat to the back. I watched her tail and it was down the whole time... Not tucked in, but not up and wagging. As soon as I put the blinker on for the driveway she whined and slinked to the back seat and laid down in her bed. She began shaking uncontrollably. I drove really slowly since it is a long driveway and she kept shaking. So I stopped, turned around and told her we didn't have to go. After we left the driveway, she jumped up to the front, kissed me a bunch of times, stopped shaking and laid down in the front seat again. She was content the whole way to my work and was a good officemate all day! I don't think I'll be taking her back there... 

On Saturday, I had to run some errands in another town and decided to try bringing her to the daycare there. She visibly got excited when she figured out where we were driving, she jumped right out of the car when we arrived and went in with no problems. 

Thank you all for encouraging me to trust my instinct and listen to Finch.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

I think you did the right thing.


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## hotmischief (Mar 11, 2012)

Finch you did absolutely the right thing - poor Puppy, she was doing her best to tell you something was not right there. What a smart dog


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## SkyyMax (Apr 5, 2012)

Smart dog - don't you wish they could speak!


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