Socializing Major

[MariaM]

Hey everbody. I know it is really important to socialize puppies when they are still young, but what exactly does that mean?

I know walking them is good and all (not just for excersise, socializing is what I mean) but when I went with Major once he barked at a couple people because he couldn't reach them. I know I can't let that continue, so what should I do?

I am currently trying to train Major to use a Halti. But my main concern is socializing.

P.S. There are no puppy or socializing classes around here so that option is ruled out. No obedience classes either.What all should I do?

[Glacier]

Take him as many places as you can, expose him to all kinds of different things--traffic, gravel, grass, pavement, people, kids, other dogs, everything you can think of.

Do you have friends with dogs? Arrange playdates--your own personal puppy class!

If he acts scared of something safe, DO NOT reassure him. You continue to act like everything is fine and he'll follow your lead. It's really hard not to cuddle them and tell them it's ok, but that only reinforces the fear. The more things you can expose him to now as a puppy, the better adjusted he'll be as an adult.

I have several dogs here who received no socialization as puppies. Socializing an adult dog is extremely difficult and the results are limited. Do it now and do as much as you can. There is no such thing as an oversocialized dog!

[MariaM]

Ok, I will do my very best to do that. Thanks! SO...if he barks at people, should I just keep walking?

Do you have friends with dogs? Arrange playdates--your own personal puppy class!

I missed that part. I have 3 friends with other dogs but they live 20 minutes away, 30 minutes away, and one in Alabama. So it is pretty hard to arrange that. However, Major has already met Hucky, Darlene's dog. My friend Tamara might be getting a dog though, and she lives in town.

[Glacier]

Originally posted by MariaM
Ok, I will do my very best to do that. Thanks! SO...if he barks at people, should I just keep walking?

I would give him a quick "NO" when he barks at them at the wrong time--you want him to bark at some people(like ones breaking into your house!). Then keep moving. The Halti should help you keep him going the direction you want. I used one on Bandit for awhile. It was pretty effective.

[MariaM]

Ok, thanks!

[Kfamr]

Dog parks are always good for socializing, as long as he has all of his shots and ID tags.

[guster girl]

What I've done with Finn is teach him to talk on command, and, then teach him to stop talking on command. It's worked pretty well so far. I mean, if he's out at the dog park, playing, he's going to bark. But, inside, I just tell him "Shh" and put my finger to my lips.

[MariaM]

Major has had his shots, but we haven't gotten him a tag yet that sais "Major" with our address and stuff. But there aren't any dog parks around here anyway There is basically nothing.

guster girl: (SORRY I keep forgetting your real name!) Sounds like a good idea, but I still want to get some of the basics down first. He still isn't getting Down, and I have no idea why.

[heinz57_79]

Have you thought about putting him in an obedience class? Those are great for socialisation and training. Arthur is going to be put in school as soon as he's done with his shots. (He's a little behind because of the anti-biotics he was on.) PetsMart and Petco are good places to socialise too. With Charlie (and eventually with Arthur too) I found that if he started barking at someone I gave him a stern NO and made him sit. We didn't start walking again until he calmed down. Also, if at PetsMart or something keep a little bag of treats n stuff and if someone wants to pet him, have them give him a treat first.

I'd call your Parks and Recreation offices (or whatever they're called where you're at) and talk to them about starting a dog park. They're great to have around!

[Aspen and Misty]

One thing I use is "The Pop". I taught Breeze to bark on command. And to stop barking on command to the word "Quite". So when we are out walking I normall have breeze on my left and will have the leash cross my body to my right hand with My left hand loosly holding the leash. I will say "Quite" ONCE when she begins to bark, then if she doens't stop I pull up with my right hand so the collar will gerk on her neck. The pull should only last for a second and should not hurt the dog, just let them know you mean what you are saying.. It's just a "Pop" you should be able to say "Pop" and the pull should be over.

I hope that helps and you understand, it can be confusing! If you have any questions feel free to ask!

Ash

[binka_nugget]

I do the same thing that Ashley mentioned for barking.

I have two under-socialized dogs. And let me tell you, it is NOT fun trying to socialize them as an adult. Kai was our first dog so what I assumed was enough socialization wasn't even close to enough. I didn't expose him enough to cars, crowds of people, water, and a whole bunch of other stuff. So now, it makes walking extremely difficult. I'm convinced Kaedyn wasn't socialized enough towards (mainly) people and also dogs. He has a dominancy problem and doesn't trust people at all. Anyways, just try doing as much socializing as you can. It makes everything SO much better when they're adults. Take him everywhere you can. Around busy areas, crowds of people (I took Kai to parades and dog get togethers for that), around buses, bikes, skateboarders... everywhere you can get to!

[Holly's mom]

Socializing is VERY VERY important for your puppy. All the advice given in this thread is excellent. I made a lot of mistakes with my first Springer Spaniel (whom I still dearly loved, she is now at the RB, we had her for 12 wonderful years), and one of them is that I didn't socialize her enough. She had a lot of issues, the barking when anyone walked by, separation anxiety, going for walks was an ordeal, etc. When we got Holly, I did of lot of research, read a lot of books, (two excellent ones are "Don't Shoot the Dog" by Karen Pryor, and "Culture Clash" by Jean Donaldson. She has also been in several different obedience classes and agility classes which have been great for socialization. We don't have dog parks around where we live, so that wasn't an option. But Holly is a much more well adjusted dog than my RB Freckles was. Good luck with your puppy, and remember every day, every minute is a learning experience for you and your puppy.

[MariaM]

Heinz: We don't have any obedience classes here, and we don't have a Petsmart or Petco. The only thing close to that is Petland but it is 2 and a half hours away. I like your idea of making him sit though! Also, I always have some small treats in my pocket. I'm want Major to come to me when I call him so I always give him a treat when I saw "Major Come" and he does. He gets a little distracted though sometimes

Ash: I might try that, if I have problems. We'll see what the Halti does, but he is still getting used to that!

Thanks everyone!

[binka_nugget]

Originally posted by MariaM
Ash: I might try that, if I have problems. We'll see what the Halti does, but he is still getting used to that!

If you do decide to give him a pop, make sure it isn't on the halti. It could do some serious damage.

[MariaM]

I understand that, don't worry! Thanks!