How to properly social our shelties

S

Snwong

Forums Regular
Hello everyone~~

I just got my lovely 3 months boy a week ago. He is scared of stranger walking by, cars and dogs around my apartment.

I want him to be able to enjoy outdoor fun without all this fear, how can I social him to make him more comfortable around this stuff?

I'm planning to take him to puppy kindergarden, do u guys think it will be too overwhelm for him??
 
Puppy classes are a great way to socialize him. You may find that he's scared at first but he should calm down after a while.

To make it easier on him, you may want to take him a half hour early to the class so he can get used to his surroundings. If you're going somewhere like Petsmart for the class, you may want to take him a few times for short visits to get him used to all of the sounds and smells there.
 
I agree that puppy classes are a great way to build confidence. Keep in mind that your pup may be too scared at first to perform the things that the teacher is talking about, but it is just as good for him to learn that he is in a safe environment. So for the first few classes, don't make him come out of his shell and try to sit, or heel or anything like that. Let him find his own comfort zone.

Also, it helps if you can find really high value treats that he can't resist. Some people use chicken, or even home cooked liver.
 
and just remember when they are scared of something dont feed into it, ingore them and dont make a big deal out of it! If you make a big deal of it, it just re-enforces their fear.
 
Puppy Kindergarten will be a great way to build confidence in your pup. He will probably scared and uneasy the first few sessions, but as the weeks go on, he'll open up more and more.
My Bailey was a completely different from the first day of class and the last day. She did a complete 360. On the first day of class, she was scared and uncomfortable, but by the last class, she walked into the room like she owned the place.
 
I agree with eveything the others have said. There was a puppy in Bella's class that was also very afraid and the trainer had mommy just allow her to hide and watch the others and let her come out on her own and once she saw how much fun the other puppies were having it didn't take long.

Also you might get some of your neighbors adults and children to give your pup treats.

Bella went through a tiny phase of similar behavior about sounds and I would just say in a matter of fact voice "oh its just a silly ......." if they see your confidence they will feel safe..like someone else said to not give in and don't mommy it...don't coddle and say oh baby its ok don't be scared"

You are going to have so much fun with your new baby. show us some pics when you can.
 
Puppy school will be great for you too. They usually give you ideas for helping socialise and desensitise your pup, as well as general maintenance issues. I remember getting a list at puppy school that contained all the situations to take your pup and people to introduce them to - like shopping places and near schools, pet stores, and old people, people in wheelchairs, walking sticks, people in beards, with hats or umbrellas. It doesnt sound like much but to live in our world a dog really needs to be introduced to as many different people and circumstances as you can - always with some really high value treats.

Are you able to find him another playmate - possibly a small dog or an older, calm dog. They learn alot from spending time with other dogs and it helps build their confidence, as long as the other dog isnt too over the top. You may meet some at puppy school you can arrange play dates with, or perhaps go to your local oval or park and see if other dog owners congregate - often at these places you will find a lot of other people with puppies or dogs that are well socialised.
 
Thank you for everyone's advise~~

Since everyone had great experience with their sheltie on puppy kindergarden, I will for sure give a shot~:biggrin2:

Carlo: Yes, I am gonna invite my friend and her full-shot friendly miniature poodle to my house tonite, hope he will enjoy the time!

and I'm going to take all my Cesar Millan books out one to review, hope as I'm being more confident he will calm down too. :biggrin2:
 
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