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07-31-2008, 09:34 PM | #1 |
Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Havre de Grace, MD USA
Posts: 102
| Advice please on socializing I have a 5 month old female puppy that I was doing really well with socializing. A few weeks ago I enrolled her in the puppy class at Petsmart mainly for that. She has a brother and sister bassett hound mix puppies in her class and that's all. These dogs are constantly barking, jumping around... and it totally flips her out. She has been around other dogs but never that crazy. The man brings a can with coins that he is always shaking to try to get the dogs to stop barking. Anyway at the end of the first class the woman asked me if her dog could meet mine. I said sure, my dog is fine with other dogs. As I said that both her and her husband let go of both the dog's leashes and they ran over to my baby and completely overwhelmed her and she went under the chair. I didn't think they would just let go of their leashes. She wasn't hurt and I picked her up right away after she got scared but ever since then she absolutely hates the classes. I don't know if I'm doing the right thing taking here there anymore. I want to socialize her but I think it's backfired on me. I need some advice please on what I should do. I thought this would be something fun for her and that she would enjoy but she hates all the chaos and yelling and is now terrified of the other two dogs. Any suggestions please? |
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08-01-2008, 12:10 AM | #2 |
No Longer a Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: CA
Posts: 459
| Some training facilities do puppy socialization sessions for an hour each week. They usually offer different groups for different personalities--the rambunctious pups and the shy pups. My boy was very reluctant of group settings involving dogs however 1 on 1 he was fine. We must have gone every week until he was 5 months old before he would finally play. Another suggestion is to go to meetup.com and check the Yorkie meetups in your area. Sometimes being around dogs of the same breed gets them to socialize earlier. Also, resist the urge to pick her up unless necessary for her safety--you dont want to convey the wrong message that she should be worried. As for the puppy class, I would ask for a refund or ask to terminate this session and go to the next (personally I would avoid PetsMart classes all together because I think they are a joke). The last thing you want to do is keep her in a situation where its not only uncomfortable for you both but seems to be a bit unruly. If there are persistent barkers in the class that are unable to be controlled by the owner and the trainer (and haven't been asked to leave) I question the aptitude of the trainer. Best of luck with your little girl! Just be patient and keep socializing. She will come around! Last edited by Bravo916; 08-01-2008 at 12:12 AM. |
08-14-2008, 11:31 AM | #3 |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2008 Location: Edmonton AB
Posts: 80
| The first mistake you made was picking up your dog. Let them be... dog's (expecially puppies) need to learn how to say hello to each other. Every dog has a different personality and doesn't make them good or bad... just different. Let your yorkie say hi and let her stand her own ground! Don't pick her up! She has to learn to tell dogs to back off... not rely on you as her crutch. The other parents in your group are doing the right thing. Let your dog off her leash too (as long as they are in an enclosed room). We took Winston to petsmart puppy classes too and every class for the first 15 mins we would all take our puppies off their leashes and let them say hello and none of use were aloud to step in, our dogs had to learn to say hello and what is a nice or mean way of saying hello.
__________________ Winston's (aka Bobble Head) mommy |
08-15-2008, 02:46 PM | #4 |
Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Havre de Grace, MD USA
Posts: 102
| I didn't pick her up until I had to but she would have gotten hurt if I didn't. I didn't want to pick her up but at that point it was for her safety. The trainer commented to me the next week that it's no wonder she is scared now after those two dogs charging her the way they did. These dogs are just completely out of control and haven't learned a thing yet. I have taken her back the past two weeks, with one week them not being there and this week when they were. This week she totally shut down and wouldn't do anything but I was upbeat with her to try to get her to understand that I would protect her and that she could trust me. I feel bad for the couple with the two dogs because they are trying but the dogs are completely out of control and don't know even the basic commands. I don't know what will happen next week but her safety is my first concern. I did this for her to have fun more than anything. Thanks for your replies, I so want to do the right things with her being so young. |
08-18-2008, 12:21 PM | #5 |
Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Brunswick, Georgia. On the beach!
Posts: 1,016
| I screwed up with my Bernie. He's over socialized. He loves all dogs, all people. I just took Bernie with me everywhere I went. He's been walking on a leash and harness since he was 8 weeks old. I brought him to work with me until he was old enough to stay home. I introduced him to my friends dogs, took him for play dates, had friends to bring their dogs over to my house. He even goes to the nursing home with me to visit the elderly. I never even considered taking him to a class. You probably can do this yourself! Best of luck to ya!
__________________ Bernie, Baxter, Bella and Blazer |
08-18-2008, 12:30 PM | #6 |
YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: North
Posts: 1,324
| You did not make a mistake picking up your dog when she was afraid. It is always ok to teach them you are there and able and willing to help if they are in trouble. Up, out and safe is right and always right. Fastest way to make a dog fearful is let it get slammed by a rude dog and those dogs have no manners and should not have been allowed to meet and greet in that manner. You absolutely did the right thing in picking her up. Now what find dog safe dogs. stable normal and able to speak dog well. even a shy dog class to work with her a little to allow her to adjust from the assault on her. which is what it was. If you would stop a human child from assaulting your human child it right to stop your dog from being assaulted. I would find a new teacher. To have allowed this to happen is not ok. Plus the teacher should not be using an interupotr to teach the dogs to be quite in a class of other dogs as it could cause fear in the dogs or the other members of classs. Plus they are stopping a behaviour without teaching the dog what else to do and it will come out in the dogs in another way which will be bad. JL Last edited by YorkieMother; 08-18-2008 at 12:32 PM. |
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