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07-18-2006, 07:56 AM | #1 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 5
| Need help socializing! Angus is a great puppy, extremely well behaved. He has become a mommas boy and I am having trouble socializing him. Any suggestions on how to get him to go to other people? Let people pet him? Etc. thx |
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07-18-2006, 09:53 AM | #2 |
YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: American in London
Posts: 1,739
| I'm not sure what you mean by "I am having trouble socializing him". Can you tell us more? Also, how old is Angus? (cute name, BTW)
__________________ FirstYorkie We Love Clicker-Training! |
07-18-2006, 10:12 AM | #3 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 5
| angus is 13 weeks and has a great personality. i just find it hard introducing him to new people, he doesnt seem to like meeting new people. i want him to be able to be friendly with anyone and other dogs as well. he hasnt been around a lot of dogs yet, but so far doesnt bark or nip at them. i was just looking for any pointers on how to get him not to be such a 'mommas boy' and able to be around others as well, let them pet him, hold him and so on. he comes to work with me everyday and i want him to continue coming as long as he doesnt always have to be by my side or sitting on my lap. it can be quite frustrating. thanks! |
07-18-2006, 01:06 PM | #4 |
Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Chicago Suburbs
Posts: 3,306
| Sign up for puppy training classes
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07-18-2006, 02:26 PM | #5 |
YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: American in London
Posts: 1,739
| Okay, MomtoAngus, thanks. That makes it clearer. Erin's suggestion of puppy classes is excellent. They are well worth the time and money! The other thing that I'd do is this: I'd take treats to work and ask lots and lots of people to offer treats to Angus. If he won't go to them to get his treat at first, let them toss it to him. You want him to decide "good things come from strange people". As he becomes more comfortable, he will probably start running to newcomers to get his treat. Also, be careful that you aren't inadvertently rewarding him for acting shy. It's easy to reach down and pet your dog when he comes seeking reassurance. Doing so reinforces shy behavior. Try to ignore that behavior and instead reinforce any brave behavior on his part. You can also do this at parks and places like Petsmart. Dogowners and employees of dog-places are especially receptive to being asked to give the dog a treat. Joey wasn't especially shy but I made a point of doing this with people in uniforms, strange hats, wheelchairs, bikes and other things that he shyed away from. Good luck!
__________________ FirstYorkie We Love Clicker-Training! |
07-18-2006, 08:47 PM | #6 |
YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: USA
Posts: 2,992
| It seems likely that having your dog with you all the time - on your lap, taking him to work, being with him at home, etc. all the time - will just continue to make him more dependent on you. It would probably be great if you could arrange for your puppy to have some time away from you with others - whom he is comfortable with.. an hour here, and hour there, etc. It's time for your little guy to go to school (without his mother).... there is a wonderful world out there - and he needs to discover it. Carol Jean |
07-19-2006, 06:23 AM | #7 | |
YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: American in London
Posts: 1,739
| Quote:
__________________ FirstYorkie We Love Clicker-Training! | |
07-19-2006, 06:46 AM | #8 |
Donating YT 10K Club Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Alabama
Posts: 17,674
| Once Angus has had all of his puppy shots and it is "safe", take him out in public to as many different places as you can. Let him see new sights and sniff new smells. |
07-19-2006, 07:55 AM | #9 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 5
| thanks so much everyone! i appreciate all the advice. |
07-19-2006, 08:59 AM | #10 | |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Chesapeake, VA
Posts: 833
| Quote:
__________________ Remmy&ChanceMOM | |
07-20-2006, 06:53 AM | #11 |
Love my handsome boys Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Windham, NH
Posts: 1,821
| Puppy classes are a great start. Angus will get to meet other dogs plus it's fun for both of you! Also if you have a chance to put him in day care - even for just a few hours. I did that with Jaxon so he'd get to play with other dogs. Check if there's a Yorkie meet up group near you - these are great for meet other yorkies (www.meetup.com).
__________________ Andrea , Jaxon & Andrew |
07-20-2006, 01:15 PM | #12 |
Donating Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Colorado Springs
Posts: 54
| I also had the same problem with my puppy and looked to a Petsmart trainer who told me that when strangers come around, they shouldn't give him eye contact when reaching down to pet him (apparently according to Rockie my 7 month old--if you give him eye contact he'll have to fight you for status I guess). In any case it is working and after awhile he is much friendlier and that same person can actually look at him after a period of warming up. I also noticed that he is much less aggressive when I am not with him and especially if I am not holding him. I never hold him with other people around because he always acts aggressive if a hand or a person comes near me. I am planning to enroll him in the next training class they offer to try to field the ever present "he won't come to me" yorkie quirk.--we'll see if they can figure that out. Good luck and if you find something else (I've tried the treat thing but unless it's people food-which I try not to give him) he's not interested in dog treats (his taste changes week to week-ugh!) |
07-20-2006, 07:07 PM | #13 | |
YT Addict Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: London
Posts: 284
| Quote:
It worked perhaps a little too well in some ways, because now he thinks everyone in the whole world knows who he is and that he should say hello to them. Walking can be a bit of a pain Also make sure people greet him properly too. Surprisingly, alot of people still don't know how to say 'hello' to a dog properly (putting their hands out for him to sniff etc.) and this could also add to a sense of nervousness of other people that you want to deal with now before it becomes a problem | |
07-21-2006, 06:51 AM | #14 | |
YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: American in London
Posts: 1,739
| Quote:
Staring (ie prolonged eye contact) is seen as a threat in doggie language; it is an act of aggression. A shy puppy will be even more intimidated by such rude behavior. Blinking, turning your head, anything to break the eye contact will tell the puppy that you mean him no harm. You can take it a step further and yawn. These are all behaviors - called Calming Signals - that dogs use to say to each other "I mean you no harm". Turid Rugrass is a researcher who has written several books on using Calming Signals with dogs, if you're interested.
__________________ FirstYorkie We Love Clicker-Training! | |
07-21-2006, 06:58 AM | #15 |
Donating Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Colorado Springs
Posts: 54
| Wow--thanks for the info. I will try that as well. |
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