Hi all,
My Summer is about 5 months old now. She has had some socialization with close friends and family, but I'm sort of an introvert myself, so I tend to take her to less populated places - the levee or nature trails. She's only had a little socialization with other dogs, because 1) not many of my friends have dogs and 2) the one that does has an overly-energetic, sort of aggressive dog that focuses more on dominating Summer than playing with her
I'm soliciting tips for better socializing her both with people and dogs because I've noticed that as she gets older, she's starting to act a bit more protective of me (which is good), but I don't want her to be TOO protective. Also, when we're out walking, she sometimes seems skittish of some people, but not with others. Today, she sort of backed away from a mom walking with her little girl who was maybe 5 years old. Usually when she does this, I tell her it's ok, and she wags her tail and is fine, but today, she barked and frightened the little girl. I felt AWFUL. So I'd like to prevent that from happening again. So any advice for boosting her confidence around strangers?
Thanks!
P.S. If any of you happen to live in the New Orleans area and have a dog my girl could play with, let's meet up!
My Summer is about 5 months old now. She has had some socialization with close friends and family, but I'm sort of an introvert myself, so I tend to take her to less populated places - the levee or nature trails. She's only had a little socialization with other dogs, because 1) not many of my friends have dogs and 2) the one that does has an overly-energetic, sort of aggressive dog that focuses more on dominating Summer than playing with her
I'm soliciting tips for better socializing her both with people and dogs because I've noticed that as she gets older, she's starting to act a bit more protective of me (which is good), but I don't want her to be TOO protective. Also, when we're out walking, she sometimes seems skittish of some people, but not with others. Today, she sort of backed away from a mom walking with her little girl who was maybe 5 years old. Usually when she does this, I tell her it's ok, and she wags her tail and is fine, but today, she barked and frightened the little girl. I felt AWFUL. So I'd like to prevent that from happening again. So any advice for boosting her confidence around strangers?
Thanks!
P.S. If any of you happen to live in the New Orleans area and have a dog my girl could play with, let's meet up!