Hey Norman, while socialising Andy I had everyone that would, pet him and go over him. So he fit into the " he thinks everyone is a petting machine" category. When we started getting ready for our BH I quit letting anyone pet him but never quit taking him around people and I actually got a certain amount of indifference out of him. That indifference is something I really wanted. How would you work on that? Or would you bother with it? Thanks.

I'll let people pet my puppy if they seem normal, what the dog truly is is going to come out in the end whether somebody pets them at a few months old or not.

I have to admit that I'm a little frustrated with the varied responses. I've read Ed's articles and watched his tape and he stresses that he doesn't let anyone pet his puppies. Now this is our second week with our puppy and he gets tons of petting from all of us. Our next door neighbor has 4 kids and I was playing with Enoch outside and they came over and I allowed them to calmly pet him. A man was gardening a neighbor's yard and he came over trying to sell us GSD puppies. Go figure. Well my brother and I didn't feel comfortable with him petting Enoch so my brother just picked him up while the man was talking to us.

Now we've become friendly with our breeder and she has welcomed us to come to her house anytime for her to see Enoch and for him to see the dam and sire. I feel comfortable with him interacting with those dogs and people. But should I allow other people to pet him? Strangers? Some of you may say yes but what do you think about Ed's point of view. I just want to make sure I'm socializing him properly.

What are your plans for the puppy?

I would not let total strangers interact with my dog or puppy no matter what the dog's job was going to be, but that's just me.

You are talking about all people you know and trust.

Do you plan to have a therapy dog, or a SchH dog, or companion dog?

Do you already have a good trust bond with your puppy?

BTW, Ed's recommendations about folks petting your working dog puppy are pretty much this, the way I read it:

Family members and friends greet your dog with a pat but not with gushing or extended playtime, and others don't command or train him or take food or bones away; the significant playing and the training happens with the handler.

Ed doesn't want his working dog to see other humans as "petting machines."

When I adopt a pre-owned dog, this is pretty much what I do too. I want the dog to bond with me, and I want my say-so to be what decides who pets or plays with my dog.

I'm thinking about eventually doing agility with Enoch but besides that there are no other plans. He has really bonded to me and my family in just two weeks and we have started marker training which he enjoys. I just want to make sure he's a stable dog we can take anywhere because we want him with us as much as possible. But we don't want him to gravitate towards strangers. We just want him to be neutral.

 Quote: maisha butler

I'm thinking about eventually doing agility with Enoch but besides that there are no other plans. He has really bonded to me and my family in just two weeks and we have started marker training which he enjoys. I just want to make sure he's a stable dog we can take anywhere because we want him with us as much as possible. But we don't want him to gravitate towards strangers. We just want him to be neutral.

That is exactly what I want. Neutral. For me, I find that most easily obtained when I limit interaction with strangers .... not at all in a fear-inducing way or nervously, but just not setting up such situations.

Personally, I generally tell strangers who ask that I would rather they not pet my dogs, and I say it in a short calm way ("I'd rather not, because he's in training, but thank you for asking!") that isn't an opening for a debate, with a smile.

But I do indeed like to take my dogs (one a a time, generally, except on walks) all over to see and hear lots of stuff with me.

Marker training will be great for your agility plans, IMO, because your dog is learning how great it is (and how much fun!) to do commands with you, his handler.

No matter what else you decide about strangers petting your dog, I would add unequivocally that others are never ever allowed to command my dogs.

I believe that Al is right about the dog's character. For me, though, I would just rather that my dogs focus on me.

Still, I have one who will always be a hussy for a rub, and there's nothing I can do about that. He came like that, and it's just the way he is. And I have one who is calm and aloof and who doesn't care for being touched. He will sit and tolerate it, but he doesn't like it, and I don't make him do it.

I also prefer dogs that are neutral. Some dogs are just naturally very social and seek people out. Some are not. Some pups are more reserved and shy for various reasons. Pups that are uncomfortable around strangers I will create possitive associations with them and will allow controlled contact with strangers to do so.

Pups that are more outgoing, either don't care or are attracted to strangers IMO don't need to be petted and messed with. They don't need to be shown that people are ok.

I don't keep pups totally isolated from everyone but family or close friends for their lifetime. I take pups everywhere I can to get them used to environmental stimuli and a variety of people, places, things. I wait until they are 4-5 months to start allowing strangers I deem are ok to pet and maybe play a little to reaffirm that people are not something to fear and continue to build and maintain confidence.

Maisha,

I spent a lot of time socializing my 4 yo GSD when he was a pup because I also have an older dog who appears never to have been socialized. She has a lot of issues with strangers, and I didn't want to repeat that problem with my new dog. In my limited experience, many dogs, certainly GSDs, bond extremely strongly with their owners and being touched by another person does not change that. I would never let someone else walk away with my dog, except a vet in some circumstances, but gentle touching by strangers was allowed. I do not let others feed him treats (outside family).

My dog is purely a companion animal. He is comfortable with others, unless he thinks there is something wrong with them (very very rarely). When he was a pup, I took him to a local playground every morning, and sat outside so that children could touch him gently. I also took him every morning to walk my 11 yo daughter to school, so that he would meet middle school-aged children. I had a specific agenda in mind, one which I did not think would interfere with my plans for the dog. Obviously, he is not a working dog, nor a very high drive dog. His basic personality is somewhat aloof, certainly not gushy, but calm and accepting of some attention.