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Behaving in Public

1K views 10 replies 4 participants last post by  Dotbat215 
#1 ·
Alright Finn finally finished all of his shots and got the green light from the vet to start takin him out and about. He's 16 weeks today.
He is a social butterfly.. Lol he loves people. He's met a lot of people in our own home. He gets along good with our older girl. Met my parents dog liked her. He's only been to few places though.. Because of the shots I didn't wana risk anything. Those few times he did well. BUT if we go anywhere together with the older one he will freak out and want to play/pull towards her. She ignores him but he will squeal and pull towards. The only time they walked nice together was when we were in a very busy area and seemed to mimic her behavior in that setting (nice and calm) but we had to walk him in front of her or else he'd want to play and grab at her. And in calmer settings if a person gets too close he gets extremely excited and wants to go meet them. Luckily those people will walk right past and ignore him instead of trying to pet him or something. Which if they ignore as they walk by he tends to calm down and will sit. But if they come up to talk to me he won't sit still. I know he's a puppy and still very playful and I'm glad he reacts good to people (happy not fearful) but I need to teach manners lol any tips? My other girl was very neutral towards people (even as a puppy, didn't care much for strangers) always so this is new to me
 
#2 ·
However I will say that if I'm working with him outside our apartment and I have food with me for treats his focus is great! Very good food drive. I've practiced getting his attention back on me when he looks away at moving objects (people,birds) that are from a distance and he does well. It's always the times when I don't have any treats on me when I just take him quickly out to go potty is when we're not prepared for those instances
 
#3 ·
I would work very hard teaching sit/stay and down/stay in multiple settings.It will be hard for such a happy,sociable puppy.But he needs to learn he can only greet when he's calm.Keep walking him in front of the other dog for now until he learns some self control.Don't let him make the decision where his position should be during a walk.Be calm and firm.

I'm also assuming he's getting some off leash time daily to run around and burn off some of that puppy energy:)
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the response, yes we will continue working on sit/stay down/stay in different environments. He does it very well in the apartment even with the other dog in the same room (given if I have his food reward) but I've progressively working him outside to get him used to doing it in different settings.

I do try and get him to run outside and play.. Put long lead on go to secluded area (not many fenced in places with low traffic) and try and get him to play I bring toys and what not. But sometimes he'll just sit there after a few moments of tug or tossing a ball for him. I know he's not tired but he just doesn't want to be outside, he wants to go back in and wrestle with older one lol so I try make playing with ME as fun as possible
 
#5 ·
That does happen sometimes that the dogs bond closely and have more fun with each other.In my case I don't mind.My dogs can race around and play roughly with each other and much more gently with me.Think about taking a class with Finn.It can really help with teaching better manners when you're in a controlled environment with other people and dogs.The first couple of classes could be rough,but then you'll begin to see improvement.Look for a class that takes a balanced approach if you decide to do that.
 
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#6 ·
Yeah I've noticed they have bonded well together which is nice too I don't mind either. My boyfriend and I have found a trainer but Finn can't do his programs until he's 5 months old. This guy has MWD training background, experience as kennel master. His programs are quite expensive though. So we're on the fence about it, we want to make sure we like the guy. I've searched for other puppy classes but haven't been able to find a more balanced trainer, most have been positive only places... I've done research on the other guy and he has good reviews and testimonials but we just want to make sure it's worth our while. The only thing we found skeptical was that he had all 5 star reviews which just didn't seem realistic
 
#7 ·
Yeah,that would make me a bit skeptical too.Glad you're being cautious!Another thought is to start another thread asking for trainer recommendations in your area.Best of luck to you:)
 
#10 ·
I've actually done a thread like that before few months back but only got mentioned of an IPO club here in San Antonio (where I live) which before posting the thread I had already came across the club on the Internet. But they didn't have much information or I guess enough to show me they'd be a good fit. I might actually go see them first because I can get a free session with them to see if Finn would be a good fit for their club.

I might just remake that same thread and hope to get some responses lol ah it's just so hard to believe everything they put on the Internet (as far as reviews/testimonials) I'm willing to spend the money just don't want to end up screwed over.

My personal goal is to become a better dog handler and I've done mass amounts Internet searches readings online and of across scrolling through here, but I'd love to find someone that can show me new or old things in person.
 
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