Obedience class

[dodgercrazy]

So i found out that my 5 month old boy is not dog social yet. Thats what i get for listening to my vet because she told me to wait until he had ALL of his shots until i took him anywhere, which wasnt until 2 weeks ago, so he has had NO socialization yet with other dogs. My question is, what is a good age to take them to class? Im not trying to discredit my vet, but she recommended purina or IAMS for my dog , she had never even heard of taste of the wild. Any help would be great thanks!!

 

[Jan]

If you can still get him into a puppy class do it as soon as possible. It would be best for socialization. Otherwise a regular obedience class would be good. Get him out and about. so that he sees as many new sights and sounds as possible. Try and find a nice friendly dog for him to play with.

Good luck!

 

[BostonGeorge]

I second what Jan said. If he's too old for the puppy class they always have beginner classes. Try and take him on walks at a park or where you might encounter other dogs, kids, anything that would be new to him. Trips to your local pet store might be a good thing too. If you have any friends or family with a friendly dog, try setting up a play date.

There are lots of easy ways to socialize a dog and it should be fun for both you and the dog!

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

Well in your vet's defense they didn't say not to socialize your dog, they simply said don't take the dog places before all shots were given.

I did not take my dog places until after all shots were given either, but I have friends with dogs so they came over and the dogs played with mine, I have a small child so his friends would cover over and they obviously made lots of loud noises and such (my son was 6 when we got our puppy) so he was around lots of kids, my husband is our HOA President and held meetings at our house so he was around people (all kinds) coming over. I simply chose to keep his meetings at our home and picking and choosing who he saw, played with, etc since I knew them, knew their dogs, if they were ill, nice, not nice, etc.

So you don't necessarily have to go out and about and expose to possible dangerous situations in order to get proper socializing. Now at 3 1/2 my pup has never met a dog he didn't get along with, or a person, he's extremely friendly, social, and has no issues at all with people, dogs, cats, leash walking, etc.

 

[rrboxer]

@ Dodgercrazy, we were kinda in same boat with Lacy as we moved to new state and then we got her and we didn't know anyone. Vet told us as well not to allow her to meet other dogs until vaccinated. We went puppyclass route and she made some friends where we met up early before class & allowed our pups to play 2gether or we would stay after class and allow them to play. We also take Lacy to dog day care for 1/2 days 3 times a wk to play & socialize (all the dogs there have to have shots and by 6 mos be neutered or spayed) plus they have supervision while they play. I think training class is probably your best bet & you can make friends there & set up doggy play time.

 

[jackoman]

I am torn between the best age to socialize a pup. We were told by our vet not to socialize our boxer until he had all his shots, but that it would be okay to take him out after his 2nd shots. Jacko ended up having quite a few health issues after his 2nd shots. He got ecoli from going outside running around and a bladder infection a few months later. We kept him away from socializing with random dogs, and he played with family and friends dogs. We had no problem with his socialization skills until about 2 months ago. Jacko is 10 months old and he does not know how to control his energy and goes wild. Jacko becomes to much for some dogs which causes him to become "aggressive." This occurs randomly and not all the time. I feel that if we did socialize him more outside the home, he would be able to better channel his energy. He gets plenty of exercise between obedience classes, empty fields, doggy daycare ( 2 times a week for 1/2 days), dog parks, mental stimulation and lots of on leash runs. There is a minimum of 4 hours a day that Jacko gets exercise. We have been told mixed things, between it being his age and the fact that he is a boxer, but others say he will not grow out of this.

Making sure your pup is only socialized with dogs that have had their shots is very important before all the shots. I agree with meeting up with dog friends from dog classes, as well as dog daycare to help socialize. We took Jacko to daycare after we saw the aggression come out, so we are now trying to reverse his behavior towards some dogs. Daycare is helping drastically with this, but it is a slow process.

 

[dodgercrazy]

@bxrMommieNAZ, our vet actually told us no new dogs either, she didnt want us to risk anything(which i totally understand). Ill probably enroll him in the beginner class and see how that goes thanks guys.

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

@bxrMommieNAZ, our vet actually told us no new dogs either, she didnt want us to risk anything(which i totally understand). Ill probably enroll him in the beginner class and see how that goes thanks guys.

Okay well that's just plain ridiculous and dangerous developmentally because you can easily end up with a non socialized dog. There is absoultely no problem with you having a friend's dog (who you know is healthy) come over and have playdates, go places where dogs don't frequent (walks around the neighborhood), having friends over, kids, adults, etc to get them used to other people and hustle and bustle. I would agree no strange dogs (ie dog parks or pet stores), but dogs of family members and friends who you know take care of them is just fine. That's like saying you're going to lock your human child up in the house and never let anyone see them until their vaccinations are done...it's just not realistic nor is it healthy developmentally.

Good luck with your class. Very glad you're doing that and make sure it's a group class so that he gets LOTS of socializing with other dogs and people too. Hope it goes well!

 

[dodgercrazy]

Okay well that's just plain ridiculous and dangerous developmentally because you can easily end up with a non socialized dog. There is absoultely no problem with you having a friend's dog (who you know is healthy) come over and have playdates, go places where dogs don't frequent (walks around the neighborhood), having friends over, kids, adults, etc to get them used to other people and hustle and bustle. I would agree no strange dogs (ie dog parks or pet stores), but dogs of family members and friends who you know take care of them is just fine. That's like saying you're going to lock your human child up in the house and never let anyone see them until their vaccinations are done...it's just not realistic nor is it healthy developmentally.

Good luck with your class. Very glad you're doing that and make sure it's a group class so that he gets LOTS of socializing with other dogs and people too. Hope it goes well!

Thanks. I agree with you. When we get the new puppy on the 11th we will be doing things a little different. Cash(my current 5 month old) is doing a lot better. We have taken him to a walking path where he encounters different dogs. Some owners have allowed him to socialize with theirs, but some just kind of keep walking. But regardless he is doing better.

 

[TwoDogs]

For those interested, the following is a link to the AVSAB (American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior) position on puppy socialization.

http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonline/images/stories/Position_Statements/puppy socialization.pdf

And an article by Dr. Nicholas Dodman, board certified veterinary behaviorist, on puppy socialization.
The Importance of Socializing Pups

And a roundtable discussion among many veterinary professionals about the subject of puppy socialization.
Early puppy socialization classes: risks vs. benefits - Veterinary Medicine