How has your general socialization trips been going, outside of class?

Are you taking him out for meet/greets thru out the week? Has he met all your friends and neighbors? Been over to visit and play at all your friends homes? You been able to walk around down town with your pup yet?

Alot of training isn't about 'training' at all. Rather about the fact when you have a confident and happy pup in ALL new situations, then that same pup will learn fast and well and be attentive. So the socialization is hand in hand with training.

All our pups are wonderful in our homes, so obedient and loving! But take them out of their known environment and it's common for things to break down.

 

Our socialization has been tough going so far. I have taken him to town on different occasions (we live in the country, no neighbors to be seen) but being that it has been winter, we really haven't seen many folks out. We are also new to our location so we know few people here and family and friends are at least an hour away. When we do have guests he does very well. I am hopeful that with the weather breaking we can make some progress...........

 

Quote: When we do have guests he does very well. I am hopeful that with the weather breaking we can make some progress...........

I hate to say having company over to your house doesn't count, cause it is better than nothing...........but the issue is it's the same safe and secure environment.

I know when I have a puppy, I take out my calendar, and literally PLAN my week around socialization and training. And write it down ON the calendar. I make it just at important and part of my week as the dentist and grocery shopping.

Added to that, this is the perfect time of year to TAKE my puppy everywhere and I can still leave them in the car (they won't die of heat stroke!). So I go to the store, so does my pup. And before I shop I go near the front door with alot of treats in a baggie and a 'will you pet my dog' frame of mind.

I will call up my friends and ask to visit them WITH my new puppy on the weekends! I will look around when I'm out and about and see places that are perfect. Hey you seen this yet??

Puppy Socialization Experiences (click here)

 

Agreed with MRL, to help Shelby become a more confident, outgoing pup in new places and with new people, you just HAVE to make the effort to take him out and get him used to being out of his comfort zone.

I live in the coutry too, but I make put in the extra effort to take my pup into town and just walk around new places. We went to a ski hill and sat at the base of the hills and watched the kids on skis and snowboards lining up for the ski lift, (lol, I have to drive INTO town to get to a ski hill), lots of different strip malls where we up and down and up and down the strip, a horse club and met lots and lots of horses in paddocks and being walked around by owners, down-town and dealt with the hub-bub of traffic, audio walk signals, and crowds, and I just drive out to "normal" residential areas and walk on sidewalks with curbs (real novelty for my country dogs!).

Took him to work after hours, and had Falkor experience grated platforms, full-story stair, offices, hangars, helicopters, flag poles with flapping flags, etc, just to give you a few ideas of some things you can do.

Socializing doesn't mean he has to interact with people and other dogs, just be exposed to a lot of new situations.

Make a plan, and act on it! For Shelby's sake. And you want to know cold? Dark? Winter? See my location, so no excuses, young lady! And I have a minor disability, and it takes many times the effort from my part to go out and do stuff, but I do. Not to give you a hard time, but to inspire you, if I can do it, so can you! Now GO!!!

 

When my dogs have a change in behavior like this, I can usually track it back to something in my demenor. Perhaps you are a little anxious about class and how he is going to act?

I'd make a point of taking him to town at least once a week besides class. Work him at a mall entrance if you can.

 

I've got the same thing. Dharma is 4 months. We're in the country with little to no neighbor interaction. And we got the pup in the cold of winter.

My first attempt at Petco was a disaster. She threw a fit at every dog we saw.

All the above advice is great. But in the real world....there's no way my calander can go around Dharma. Both of us have jobs and two 4 year old boys and.......well.....yada yada yada.

We're trying as hard as we can, but am now worried. I didn't realize that this was soooo important with the breed. We've had other breeds that socializing was just second nature and we took it for granted.

Anyway, we're heading out to the park today. Hope to see some improvement.

 

Thank you everyone for the great advice......I know I have had a lot of reasons why socializing was not working and I am in the same boat as Tony123 when he said that he didn't realize how important socializing is for this breed. With my dogs in the past it wasn't even an issue and now I am seeing with Shelby this is a BIG issue, so........making plans now for this week. And yes, I am anxious at OB. It wouldn't phase me if he was being challenging in the commands we were learning, but his unfriendly behavior makes me nervous. Lots for me to work on but I am committed to this pup and to giving him the best I've got so, here we go!!!

 

Do what you can to relax about class. From my experience at trials, when I relaxed things went well. When I was the least bit tense (I tend to carry tension around like a prized possession) we wouldn't do well at all. It was only on the occassions that I said "What the heck, we're here, the situation's funky, paid my fees, may as well try it out" that we passed. Remember it is just class. You'll figure out what works in class.

Maybe moving away a bit, maybe just forging ahead, maybe taking the crate along and giving him breaks every once in a while. The Barker Sisters were very used to being traded off in class - first I would work one, then the other. Subsequently, they didn't do well in hour long classes with a lot of wait time. I think that shorter work times would work better for many dogs.

Then there's the obedience ring trick - pop a peppermint in your mouth. There's something about the smell that is supposed to take the worry out of your breath so far as the dog goes.

 

For people who live in the country, I am one, I as some one else posted make a big effort to get my pups out and about.

Here are some of the things I do:

Take them with me even if it is to the grocery store, I get them out of the vehicle and walk around the parking lot a bit.

I take them to the Vet's office for no reason other than to get them use to going there and I always have them get on the scale when we are there.

Takl to your training place about coming to class, but just hanging around, away from other dogs and people so your pups can see things.

Val

 

I don't know where you live but sport events for kids is great. Hang outside pools, rec centers, try arenas, ball fields, school yards, parks, anywhere a bunch of people may hang out and don't neglect places with teenagers. I made it a point to look for them and go where I knew they were hanging out. You may get strange looks, and they may look strange but few people won't pet a pup and that is what you want. Also work men, I searched road workers, house builders, any construction sites, I would walk by getting closer and then I would talk to someone saying I was socializing and they always stopped and pet. Also police, firemen, and if lucky news crews. I see or hear of something and away we go, we never get in the way but when people are done and leaving I approach and ask them to just pet.

Go to seniors homes, special needs centers, etc, stay outside but usually someone will walk out to see the pup, or call out to ask about him then go and show them. Everyone loves pups.

 

Since Shelby is fearful of new places/people, I don't want to overwhelm him or create negative associations. My plan is to start small and work up. I am checking the papers for upcoming outdoors events that we can hang out at. Thank you, everyone!

 

you've gotten wonderful advice & suggestions,,here's another I don't think I saw...ask your ob instructor if you can come to maybe other classes, and just hang out !!!! Sit on the sidelines and do nothing/expect nothing,,let him get comfortable with the place and the comings & goings on around him..

Good luck

 

Here's something I forgot to mention -- in most situations LEAVE while it is a success. Don't stay until your dog blows it.

 

Quote: I am in the same boat as Tony123 when he said that he didn't realize how important socializing is for this breed. With my dogs in the past it wasn't even an issue and now I am seeing with Shelby this is a BIG issue

Truthfully, I do believe that it is harder for many GSD's and we really do have to make much more of an effort than with other breeds. Seems like the same traits that make them good in protection and police work are also what we have to consider when we get the breed.

So their more natural ability to 'protect' or at least be suspicious when they are adults and MAY then have the ability to judge normal situations from not...........................seems to be connected to our puppy issues. I know with my Lab when she was a puppy, any human she's see, even far far away was instantly a reason to go into HAPPY overload and do her best to get to that person to say she loved them so much!!!!

My GSD puppies did NOT have this same instant crazy joy with strangers their entire first year. They would go thru stages of being suspicious, or a bit fearful and unsure of themselves. So I knew during this first year or so I had to expose them to anything and everything to prepare them for real life and to be there to SHOW them that though new stuff may be a bit scary, I'm here and look, it's ok after all!

Raising a happy and confident puppy this way, leads to a happy and confident adult dog, and that's what we all want.

Have to say, I also live in the middle of no where and it's over 30 minutes to do any of my meet and greets. As I said before though, it really helped to arrange all my shopping and visits to friends around also being able to take the puppy along.....

 

Jennaa, I don't want to hijack your thread, but I want to give you an encouraging story. I have a thread started about some of my experiences, and posted an in depth story of our socializing yesterday.

I would have bet my every dollar that Dharma was going to get us kicked out with my head hanging in embarassment. But something clicked for us yesterday and we had a wonderful visit to the dog park!

Maggie, thanks for your great posts. I find some comfort in your comments about the crazy joy of the labs. My experience was the same.

 

I am going through very similar socialization issues. 8month old, so i thought was doing great, goes crazy out of the house. Great inside, horrible outside. Weather is getting better so the kids are out playing and I didnt feel comfortable enough to take him around them yet, he is a loud mouth barker and whiner! i opened the window so he could smell them and hear them playing in the front yard. He barked paced whined...after a bit he was just watching. Then I leashed him and took him out. He allowed most of the kids to come to him and pet him. He began to get a bit overwhelmed so I brought him in. I agree that it has to go slow. I want to take him everywhere I go but I also don't want him to scare everyone and make the GSD fears even worse. We start OB school next thursday and I am terrified, but it has to be done and my hope is that he will soon love it and I can take him to different classes and everywhere I go without looking like a dangerous animal!

 

Hi Jenni......I am writing this on a bit of a puppy high because Shelby and I just had a really great Petco. experience. Well, he whined a lot but he also got a lot of loving from a bunch of really nice people and a new bone so, I could tell in his body language on the way out that he was thinking this was pretty good stuff.......

I have a little girl (2yrs old, human) whom Shelby adores and he definately gets more excited when they are both out together to play. How long have you had your puppy for? I have to really supervise the two of them together and I have been working with my human baby so that she understands what is ok to do with the puppy and what is not. I looked over the other day to see Shelby sitting very patiently while Ellee was trying to touch his eyeballs!

I wish you the very best with OB class. I am seeing how sensitive Shelby is to my emotional state, far more so than any dog I have lived with in the past. I am wondering if this has to do with how intelligent this breed is?