Nervous little guy!

[seashel]

Unfortunatly I've heard the same story too many times about these 'socialisation' classes that teach puppies nothing about how to behave around other dogs. Puppies can no more learn appropriate behviour from each other than toddlers can. They are usually run by veterinary nurses who have no training/background in dog behaviour other than a brief mention in their studies. Some are properly run and very good but a lot, sadly are not.

If I were you I'd forget the socialisation class and book Hugo in for puppy training, which is entirely different (and all puppies should be on lead). You get the interaction in under controlled conditions and often thare are older dogs coming in for later classes too.

You might find this link useful:
http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/2611

If you haven't done it before, Puppy Foundation is a really good grounding for skills and worth doing.

[Meldor]

Originally Posted by 3Stars

This is a myth, kind of like "tugging causes aggression".

Oh I was not aware of that. I would love more info as Kyara is very shy and in situations where there are too many new people, she sometimes tries to jump up on my lap but I always try to avoid this and give her a safe spot somewhere else. She is also a big sheltie at 18.5 in and 32 pounds which is a bit overwhelming to have on your lap .

Originally Posted by Chinchi

Any tips in what to look out for in a good puppy socialisation class?

I agree with the others, this format is not the best therefore good idea to look somewhere else.

Seashel offered good advice about selecting a class. Don't hesitate to visit a facility and sit in on one of their classes. All training facilities around here allow for someone interested to sit in to decide if this is suitable for them and their pup before registering.

[Chinchi]

Originally Posted by seashel

If I were you I'd forget the socialisation class and book Hugo in for puppy training, which is entirely different (and all puppies should be on lead). You get the interaction in under controlled conditions and often thare are older dogs coming in for later classes too.

Thanks, I think I will do just that!

[Tagg]

The thundershirt works on the premise of swaddling and I found that if I snuggle Rhi when there is a storm brewing it helps to settle her. Picking your puppy up is kinda the same thing but don't be cooing to her, act like all is well.
We go to a Shy Dog Social with Tinsel and it has helped him immensely with other people. There are 4 - 6 dogs, most are afraid of larger dogs - Tin is the largest and his problem isn't dogs, it's people. For the first couple of weeks we just sat either on the floor or in a chair, our choice, and when a dog comes over we gave them a really small treat. The Thailand rescue wears a Thundershirt to class. Last class we introduced a baby stroller and 2 different balance apparatus to add stressors to the class. Tin jumped on both apparatus and "walked the baby" with no problems. He also was climbing onto laps. The Chi cross, terrified of everything, was right there with him. In exchanging info about what we are seeing in the dogs since we started, every dog in class is coming out of their shell and no longer having strong reactions to the stimulus that frightened them. We are now working on acceptance of touch. It's really interesting to watch the calming signals that Tin and the other dogs display. I suggest you watch the DVD by Turid Rugass entitled, "Calming Signals: What Your Dog Tells You" and then watch your puppy.

[seashel]

I had another thought and that is to give ringcraft a try. Even if you are not going to show, it is such a good place to take puppies as they get used to being handled (good for vets etc) and learn some basic skills like walking nicely on a lead. The other big advantage is that generally speaking, owners at ringcraft classes are experienced and won't let their puppies bounce around and startle yours which can sometimes happen with novice owners with excitable puppies.

After Epic was attacked, the only places I would take him to begin with were my own training club and ringcraft. At ringcraft to begin with he just sat under the chair and I chatted and drunk tea while he realised that even the big dogs trotting past were no threat to him and he sat on the table and was stroked, nothing more (even though he had been shown I didn't want any pressure). By the end of the evening he was noticably more relaxed and that really helped.

It might be a good starting point from a socialisation point of view as ringcraft is usually very low key and undemanding (so you're not worrying about getting him to sit, come etc) and you can focus on getting him to relax around all sorts of other dogs.

http://www.the-kennel-club.org.uk/se...lt.aspx?id=NO4

[seashel]

Originally Posted by Tagg

The thundershirt works on the premise of swaddling and I found that if I snuggle Rhi when there is a storm brewing it helps to settle her. Picking your puppy up is kinda the same thing but don't be cooing to her, act like all is well.
We go to a Shy Dog Social with Tinsel and it has helped him immensely with other people. There are 4 - 6 dogs, most are afraid of larger dogs - Tin is the largest and his problem isn't dogs, it's people. For the first couple of weeks we just sat either on the floor or in a chair, our choice, and when a dog comes over we gave them a really small treat. The Thailand rescue wears a Thundershirt to class. Last class we introduced a baby stroller and 2 different balance apparatus to add stressors to the class. Tin jumped on both apparatus and "walked the baby" with no problems. He also was climbing onto laps. The Chi cross, terrified of everything, was right there with him. In exchanging info about what we are seeing in the dogs since we started, every dog in class is coming out of their shell and no longer having strong reactions to the stimulus that frightened them. We are now working on acceptance of touch. It's really interesting to watch the calming signals that Tin and the other dogs display. I suggest you watch the DVD by Turid Rugass entitled, "Calming Signals: What Your Dog Tells You" and then watch your puppy.

What a brilliant idea! I wish there was something like that around here. Epic wears his Thundershirt to the other dog club I'm taking him to and it is helping, he's calm enough to lay down and almost nod off sometimes! He does look a bit odd though - like a furry Christmas cracker!

[SheepOfBlue]

The weekend starts in 7 hours......