Lump on dog's neck- bite?

[ElenaO]

Hi, just wanting some advice...my dog is just over one year old- he's a fab, friendly and energetic pup but obviously with lockdown we have been trying our best to look at new avenues to socialise him / get him used to not always being with us so we signed him up for doggy day care. His first day we were told he had barked a lot but this wasn't unusual for the first time and he was probably nervous. Went back today and when he jumped out of the car he was okay but when he saw the daycare owner he raced back to the car, jumped inside and wouldn't come out. This is not like him at all, he's very friendly and despite lockdown he interacts really well with people and loves the company of other dogs so I found this strange.

When we picked him up today we were told he had barked all day non stop and it wasn't going to work out because of this. We were surprised as he is not a vocal dog at all and we do leave him alone in the house for a couple of hours at a time and we never hear anything when we come home? Anyway didn't think too much into it until we came home and he has a large, soft lump on his neck that feels like it's filled with fluid and it only appeared this evening. My question is - could this be from a nip/ bite? It would explain his fear and behaviour today when we dropped him off and the story the owner told us didn't completely add up so I'm starting to wonder did something happen and is this lump connected to it.

 

[CorvusCorax]

It might just be stress if he was flooded with loads of strange dogs and he's made a negative association. One of the reasons I have a massive NOPE about free-for-all type daycare.
Even friendly/outgoing dogs who play nicely with others can find those sorts of situations overwhelming. You don't know how a dog deals with stress until they're actually under stress.

Did you not do an induction/meet and greet first, to see if it would suit him/match him with suitable playmates/build it up slowly?

It could be a bite but you won't know for sure unless it's shaved down by a vet, you could make an appointment to be on the safe side. It might just be a fatty lump. Or he could have knocked himself if he was tear-arsing around with other dogs (and again, that where the negative link might have been made).
My pup nearly wrecked herself a couple of weeks ago by running into a tree while chasing my older dog ? I can't imagine what she'd do to herself running in a big gang.

 

[LAMaus]

Is you're dog also being a bit quieter then normal is it sore? Something similar happened to my dog when we moved in to our new home there was lots to explore. First we noticed the lump then a day later he started to just want to lay around 2 days went by he got worse sleeping and the lump became painful. Took him to the vet and it happened to be a abscess,a small seed from a plant in our new house got stuck in his eye and some how travelled down in to his face alongside his nose and under eye. One op, a cuppel drainage tube, a few stitches and a head cone later it was out. And very stressful situations for me and him. If you're dog is in a new investment could be something similar. Wishing you're fuzzy baby a fast recovery. ?

 

[misst]

I am not a fan of the big everyone playing together day care. My youngest is super friendly and very confident but I would never put her in this situation. It is a recipe for disaster I think. There is one round here and I honestly think mine would rather be alone a home for a few hours than be in such a stressful situation. I used a dog walker when I worked long hours and my OH had to work as well. Two walks in a day would probably not cost more than whole day care.
The lump - get a vet check for peace of mind.
Hope he is ok

 

[Moobli]

You might be better employing a dog walker who your dog can get to know and who may have a small group of the same dogs each day, or pay extra for a one to one walk ... or alternatively just get your dog used to spending a few hours alone at home. My dogs would definitely not be candidates for dog day care and running around in a big pack and so it isn't something I would entertain but if you could find a reliable, experienced dog walker, word of mouth recommendation is usually best, then that might suit him better.