Would it be possible to check in with the rescue and ask them to describe his dog experience there in more detail? How exactly did he pass other dogs? Did he have many play opportunities while he was there? If so, was it with familiar playmates or in groups of unknown dogs?
I think that for most dogs, dog parks and daycare are much too stimulating. It could even look like the dog is enjoying it, when in reality he is too aroused and uncomfortable. They sometimes use high intensity play as a coping strategy, and humans interpret that as fun, but it’s actually a bit tense and a stress release thing. One sign of this can be if a dog becomes increasingly reactive on normal walks. Does this sound like it could be true for your dog?
I suspect your dog might benefit from a default mindset/behavior of “dogs are no big deal, we just walk past and no need to interact”, and if he needs dog-dog interaction (he might not), to find calmer ways to do that - calm sniffing walks together with compatible calm, confident, friendly dogs, maaaaaybe play with just one appropriate friend at a time etc.
I think that for most dogs, dog parks and daycare are much too stimulating. It could even look like the dog is enjoying it, when in reality he is too aroused and uncomfortable. They sometimes use high intensity play as a coping strategy, and humans interpret that as fun, but it’s actually a bit tense and a stress release thing. One sign of this can be if a dog becomes increasingly reactive on normal walks. Does this sound like it could be true for your dog?
I suspect your dog might benefit from a default mindset/behavior of “dogs are no big deal, we just walk past and no need to interact”, and if he needs dog-dog interaction (he might not), to find calmer ways to do that - calm sniffing walks together with compatible calm, confident, friendly dogs, maaaaaybe play with just one appropriate friend at a time etc.
