Hello!,
I am a new czech gsd puppy owner. My pup is 11 weeks old and I havent socialized it with other canines and so I took it to a friend who has an adult GSD which is unfortunately not very well trained (mistake!). When the dogs met, the adult dog started to bark and rush towards my pup. The big dog was not really aggressive but wasnt friendly either. I would characterise it as a dog bully. The owner was desperately trying to pullback his dog. All this time my pup either stood his ground or retreated. When the large dog came very near him, my puppy had its tail between his legs and was retreating. I immediately picked up the pup and withdrew since the introduction was not going on as expected.
Have I permanently traumatized my pup ?, how should I do canine socialization ?. I have read some of Ed Frawleys write ups. Many thanks in advance.

Positive socialization is very important in a pup's development. What and who you expose the pup to will mold the pup's ultimate personality at maturity. You must take the responsibility to know what you are exposing your "baby" to before hand and not after the fact.
If you have other friends who have MELLOW dogs and the mellow dogs like pups..then arrange a meeting for a walk and get to know you time in a neutral turf setting.
If you are limited as to mellow dog access; then seek out a puppy play obedience class for socialization purposes.

czechgsd ,
Don't worry, my pup has had a few "experiences" with bully dogs when he was just 2 and 3 months old... it did not seem to effect him in a bad way.. he has not been turned into a dog fighter or anything like that... in fact he is the only one who does not bark like mad in the back of the truck at club meetings at other dogs...and he is very good with meeting strange dogs... we can't help it.. they are everywhere around here.

I would however follow the advise of only letting your puppy meet FOR SURE calm nice dogs.... I am lucky to have 2 friends who's dogs love puppies and I only let my pup play whith these two dogs until about now 7 months...

So I don't think your mistake "like mine" should have long lasting effects, BUT it could... your just going to have to wait and see.

Find yourself a wide range of dogs that you know very well. Friends, relatives, club members, etc.

I like to start with the most submissive one first and get a nice little game going with lots of treats for both dogs.

Then I go on to the next dog, who may be more "normal" but friendly and calm.

So on and so forth. I stay away from skittish dogs, aggressive dogs, dogs that are hunters (like my JRT). I will make sure that the dog has contact with more dominate dogs and less dominate dogs to round out the social experiences.

I find that two starving dogs will be much more interested in eating roasted chicken (or similar good smelling treats) than messing with each other. It helps break the ice, just don't create a competition thing for the food, have plenty to go around.

Also make sure that the first time dogs meet they are in familiar surroundings that helps too.

NEVER let your dog mess around with dogs that you don't know well. Bad idea. . . NEVER let your young pup meet dogs in a situation that you can't control either. Bad idea. . . NEVER just lead both dogs up on leash to meet each other either. Bad idea. . . Never have two dogs meet if they seem stressed out. Stress is a bad idea. . .keep it calm and mellow.

Think about what you are going to do and be mindful of the situations that can arise. Have a plan to make it go smooth. Same goes for human socialization.

I am learning something vicariously about socialization right now, we have a 13 month old rottie in our club that has rarely seen the "light of day" so to speak and is having some pronounced troubles being in an environment with other dogs and people. Take your dog to as many new and different places with new and different experiences as you can do safely. I am reluctant to let my new dogs / puppies come in actual physical contact with dogs other than those from my own household.

Raising/training a pup/dog can be summed up in one word - positive. EVERYTHING leads to a positive ending. From every person or dog he meets to everything he does on the field. As a puppy the positive experiences are scripted to come on there own with little to no input/work from the dog. As a pup gets older stress is introduced in a slow and calculated manner that the dog learns to overcome by going into drive or showing aggression and again ends positively. In a perfect world just the right amount of stress would be applied ever time that would never lead to avoidance and always end positively.

Now once I figure out how this is done Ed will be releasing "Building Drive, Focus and Grip with Vince P." LOL.

Better yet Vince "Building The Young Dog Through Positive Motivation and Calculated Stress" With Vince P. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Or how about "Puppy Training Through Trial and Error" With Lonny B. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Vince,
Positive seems to be used lately as a "canned" answer. Can you please give a little more detail in what you might consider, "positive".
Possibly inreference to the sit or the down or nipping. (and yes I've read Ed's material)

'POSITIVE' 1. a. indicating affirmation, approval, or acceptance. b. Constructive : helpful.
2. Expressed unequivocally. 3. Incapable of being doubted or disproved. 4. Absolutely certain : very confident.

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Excelent DOBE! I would say that sums up Positive in a big way! hahaha