I think I need some help on this topic.

After reading the excellent article posted on another thread:

http://www.nesr.info/images-english-shepherd/He-just-wants-to-say-hi.pdf

I'm wondering what to do with my 4.5 mo. old min pin pup. I have been avoiding letting her play or socialize with other dogs because I don't really know anyone with small dogs that I would feel comfortable letting my pup run loose with. Also, I am kind of reclusive myself and just don't feel like trying to organize meetings or "playdates" with other people and their dogs.

My goal for her is to be completely aloof to other dogs (I will be showing her in conformation), and I figured I would just teach Mitzi to be so right off the bat.

But now I realize that she has the potential to be one of those very rude puppies mentioned in the article. When we are walking on leash in public she strains towards every dog and if I let her get close she wants to frantically paw and play. My response has been to pull her away and try to redirect her attention (which doesn't work very well, even w/ a high value treat).

The article's advice at the end is making me think it might be very important to let her interact with other puppies and tolerant adults so she can learn how to behave around them.

Is it? Or is there a way to just avoid that step and go right to ignoring other dogs . . . god, this puppy stuff is hard to figure out sometimes!

(IMO) Min-pins, like Boston Terriers, have the strength/speed/toughness to play with big dogs.

My late GSD's favorite playmates were Boston Terriers and she had some little MinPin girlfriends too.

Thanks for that, Ross.

Let me rephrase my question, though. I don't care if my pup ever has any dog "friends", and in fact I don't want any - I want her to ignore other dogs and get all her play experience with just me.
But is it being detrimental to the puppy to never let her socialize with other dogs? If so, then I will make the effort.
If not, then what is the best way to deal with a situation where there are other dogs around that she wants to play with, to get her to ignore them?

Hi Cindy, check out this article

http://leerburg.com/socializepuppies.htm about socializing puppies.

 Quote: cindy shepard

... I don't care if my pup ever has any dog "friends", and in fact I don't want any - I want her to ignore other dogs and get all her play experience with just me. ... But is it being detrimental to the puppy to never let her socialize with other dogs? If so, then I will make the effort. ... If not, then what is the best way to deal with a situation where there are other dogs around that she wants to play with, to get her to ignore them?

There are a couple of threads active right now about this topic.

Here's one: http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/294579/page/0/fpart/2

My dogs happen to have a couple of canine friends. Again, I add (as I always add), I wouldn't care at all if they didn't. And I've owned many who didn't.

But anyway, you say that you want the dog to ignore strange dogs, and that's something I use desensitizing for. Have you seen any of the desensitizing threads here?

Thanks, Connie - that is the thread I was following and where I read the article "He Just Wants To Say Hi"

I also had read about socializing puppies on Leerburg - and am trying to desensitize and work on engagement. I am also trying to have her be hungry when we are out in public so she is more food oriented, but it doesn't always work out that way.

It's just that the article seems to put some importance on proper social behavior with dogs around other dogs and it is making me feel like I might be in the wrong to not let her ever play with or learn how to act without rudeness around dogs.

 Quote: cindy shepard

Thanks for that, Ross.

Let me rephrase my question, though. I don't care if my pup ever has any dog "friends", and in fact I don't want any - I want her to ignore other dogs and get all her play experience with just me.

I think you're in the right place for this--most people here do not want their dogs to be involved in any way with humans or animals outside their own homes.

I'm not one of those people. Having seen my GSD's sheer happiness at getting to chase those Bostons around for 20-30 minutes at a time, then gratefully appreciating how exhausted she was afterward, I would never dream of forbidding a dog from playing with other dogs. I'll be choosier with those playmates after reading some of the dog park horror stories on here, but cutting them off from positive, exhausting doggie play seems...well, unnecessarily mean and rigid.

This is an unpopular view here, but IMO unless you are a world-class athlete it is hard for you to truly challenge your dog physically in an unstructured way. You can't outrun them; they can't mouth you or swipe at you.

 Quote: ross rapoport

.... I think you're in the right place for this--most people here do not want their dogs to be involved in any way with humans or animals outside their own homes.

I'm not one of those people. Having seen my GSD's sheer happiness at getting to chase those Bostons around for 20-30 minutes at a time, then gratefully appreciating how exhausted she was afterward, I would never dream of forbidding a dog from playing with other dogs. I'll be choosier with those playmates after reading some of the dog park horror stories on here, but cutting them off from positive, exhausting doggie play seems...well, unnecessarily mean and rigid.

I'm not sure that "do not want their dogs to be involved in any way with humans or animals outside their own homes" really describes my own preference that my dogs be indifferent to strange dogs.



eta
And many of the folks here with working dogs would find the whole topic kind of odd.

 Quote: cindy shepard

.... I also had read about socializing puppies on Leerburg - and am trying to desensitize and work on engagement. I am also trying to have her be hungry when we are out in public so she is more food oriented, but it doesn't always work out that way.

It's just that the article seems to put some importance on proper social behavior with dogs around other dogs and it is making me feel like I might be in the wrong to not let her ever play with or learn how to act without rudeness around dogs.

Have you seen this? http://leerburg.com/socializepuppies.htm

Whether you eventually discover dog buddies or playmates for your own dog, I gather that what you want for strange dogs is that your dog not be reactive to them. (That's certainly what I want.)

Having her be "more food-oriented out in public" kind of suggests that you might be working on desensitizing starting at Step 3 or 4.

"When we are walking on leash in public she strains towards every dog and if I let her get close she wants to frantically paw and play" would suggest to me that I'd like to dial that back. Whether my dog had a ton or very little dog-dog playing and other interaction, I wouldn't want that reaction to strange dogs we see.

At home, with no distractions, is where I start with focus work.

"My response has been to pull her away and try to redirect her attention (which doesn't work very well, even w/ a high value treat)" seems to start a step late in the situation.

Is it on walks? Is it the dog across the street and the one coming toward you and every dog you see, or is it the dog being walked by someone you know and stop to talk to?

Thanks for your considerate responses.

Connie, the Leerburg article seems to focus most on dealing with strangers and the section on strange dogs is more about protecting your dog from them by being a pack leader.
I need some direction in dealing with strange dogs that are on leash, just walking by. Sometimes I will stop and chat, as many people want to ask questions about her etc.... which I don't mind, but in the meantime I am trying to control Mitzi, who is desperately trying to "get to" the other dog.
Many times I just pick her up - but that is a short term solution.
I know that, in the best of all possible worlds, I should not have brought her out until she was solid on focusing only on me at home and then gradually add distractions, but my situation is such that I needed to be able to walk in public places with her as soon as I got her (a month ago). Also I'd like to start showing her at 6 months or soon thereafter if she's ready, so I would like her to be used to a lot of other dogs around that she can't play with.

So, with that said, do I need to go back a few steps with focus work? Or what would your advice be for me at this point?

(and thanks again, everybody, for your input, I am very grateful to have knowledgeable people to discuss my issues with :blush

Cheers,
Ci