A trial day is a judgment, not a formality. Daycare staff are deciding whether your dog can relax, play safely, and be handled comfortably in their groups, and the file you hand them should help them judge her honestly rather than selling her as an easy dog.
The Temperament Core of the File
Lead with temperament and triggers as one complete set: reactivity and what sets her off, fears, sociability with dogs and with people, handling sensitivities, resource guarding, escape history, and what settles her.
Be specific inside each item. Reactivity means naming what actually starts her: dogs lunging at a fence line, large males approaching head-on, scooters passing, or strangers reaching over her head. Fears should name the sound, place, or situation and what she does with it, whether she freezes, hides, barks, or tries to leave. Sociability should separate dogs from people, because a dog who loves every person and tolerates few dogs will be placed very differently from the reverse.
Handling sensitivities matter for a staff team that will leash her, towel her, check her paws, and move her between groups. Say where she dislikes being touched, whether she mouths during play, and how she behaves for a collar grab. Resource guarding should cover food, toys, chews, and resting spots, with the early signs she gives rather than only the worst moment. Escape history should be blunt: doors she tests, fences she has cleared, and the situations that made her bolt.
Finish the set with what settles her. A quiet corner, a familiar cue, a sniffing break, a particular style of calm voice, or being left alone for a few minutes all help staff turn a rising moment back down before it becomes an incident.
The Basics That Sit Alongside It
After temperament, add the practical basics: feeding amounts and timing if she will eat there, health notes including anything staff might see during the day, allergies, and contacts for you and your veterinarian. Keep these accurate and brief, because staff will read the temperament pages first and return to the basics as needed.
Note any recent changes that could color the trial: a house move, a new dog at home, a recent scare, or a break from social play. Staff judging one day will read her more fairly if they know the day was not a typical one, and they may suggest a shorter first session or a quieter group based on that context.
Writing It Honestly
Write for the staff judging fit, honest over flattering. Minimizing a known trigger does not protect her; it removes the warning that would have kept her out of the exact situation that overwhelms her. A daycare that hears the hard parts and still welcomes her is a safer match than one that discovers them mid-play with no plan.
Update the file after the trial with what staff observed. Their notes on which dogs she chose, where she rested, what startled her, and what settled her in that setting become part of her history for the next visit, the next facility, or a boarding stay. Over time that shared record stops each new team from starting at zero with a dog whose triggers are already well known at home.
Bring a printed copy for the facility to keep and keep your own copy unchanged, so later updates start from what the first team actually received rather than a version edited from memory afterward. KinsLe's Pet Passport record carries settling strategies and known triggers forward, helping each new facility start with knowledge instead of guesses.