Hi everyone,

My large, mixed breed puppy is 18 weeks old (just turned 4 months). He is definitely undersocialized. I have had him since he was born (I volunteer with a rescue and took in a pregnant dog). My puppy's littermates did not get adopted until they were between 15 and 18 weeks old. So I just did not have the time to spend with the pups individually though I did the best I could - we did a few short car trips to the pet store each, where they met strange people and got used to the car. They did well. Each dog in the litter did not leave my house/yard more than once a week.

When the puppies were under 8 weeks old, I did all the different surfaces/sounds/environments with them but after 8 weeks it was too much for me to manage individual trips outside of the yard.

I took my puppy to the pet store last week to buy a harness and he didn't do that great - he shied away from some of the people and was shaking when I first brought him in (had to carry him). His mother has good nerves and is not shy. (Don't know anything about dad though).

I live in the city, it is cold where I live (below freezing) so we can't spend toooo much time outside all at once, and other than the pet stores, I can't think of any place that allows dogs. (He is too big to carry, 40+ pounds).

Working in rescue I often deal with undersocialized adults and I *DO NOT* want my puppy to turn out like these dogs.

So.. after that long discourse my question is, what are some places I can take my puppy for socializing, how often and what should it entail (give strangers treats to give him, don't let strangers pet him.. etc). He is not a working dog but I hope to compete with him in either obedience or agility some day.

Thank you!!!

Edited by Angela Burrell (01/04/2008 12:05 PM)
Edit reason: typo

I have been thinking on this same issue with COdy. He is a very active dog and even when I take him out, he jumps up and down like tigger. I have thought of going to a play ground when there aren't a lot of people, kids and dogs and getting him used to sand, slide etc. Maybe that might help you too.
I have started taking Cody on walks at our shopping center and getting him used to noises and moving vehicles, and moving people. IT was quite an adventure. Maybe you could do the same. I am hoping to glean from the responses you get, I want to have some new ideas.
God bless you. what a big pup, what type of mix? My Cody is only 11 lbs so it is easier for me to grab him up.

For people, airport terminals.
Play grounds are cool.
Down towns are okay, not rush hour.
Auto parts stores.
In short any place that will let my dog in.
I personally don't like pet stores for my dog.
Randy

Hey Angela! I'm from Hamilton!
Take your pup to a local mall. Walk him around differnt entrances/exits. Grocery store, same thing. Just stand around the entrance/exit for around 5 to 10 min, then walk away. Garden centre. Even in the winter a garden centre should let you and your dog in. Popular walking trail, sit on a bench and watch people. Feed store, local library, Blockbuster video, etc. You don't have to stand around long (not in that weather anyways!). You can do this any day/evening of the week. Because it's cold take him on errands with you and at each stop take him out for 5-10 mins and walk him around the parking lot, etc.

Melissa,
Great ideas! We tried the same thing with standing outside the entrances to the grocery store, home improvement stores, etc. Some people would come up and talk to us, some would just smile and go on their way. The noise of the doors opening and closing, the sounds and sights of the grocery carts passing by - all are great experiences for a young pup. Ours is now 15 months old and nothing fazes him!

The grocery store is especially good because the puppy gets to see and hear the buggies go back and forth. It's easy to do all this when the weather is nice, but when it's -10 or -15, not so nice!
Oh, BTW, I just thought of bus shelters. Hang out for a couple of stops at a bus stop. People + the bus noises.

I just wanted to add the post office as a good place for dogs to meet people. And I know that it's cold, but actually I think that's okay. Since you want to keep it short and not overwhelm him, you getting too cold would be a good signal to end the session. You can gradually stay longer on warmer days.

Also, I'd keep him moving if he's really, really shy. Give his mind something to do besides worry. Walk him around and motivate him with whatever he likes...treats/ball/toys/your voice...that way the people just become background instead of the only thing he has available to focus on, AND it becomes a rewarding experience.

If it were me, I would avoid letting people interact with him just yet. I would do that a little further down the road. First, just a few short sessions AROUND people, and then you can decide if he's ready to deal with strangers. Keeping him walking will discourage strangers from just walking up to you as they would if you were just sitting on the steps, too. He doesn't need to ever be thrilled to see people, IMO, but we don't want the poor guy to be so scared, either.

Good luck!

PS- And if he's shaking-scared, I would suggest going some place that's moderately busy, not REALLY busy or too incredibly stimulating. I think gradually is the way to go here.

Another good suggestion that I read on the board somewhere was the perimeter of a fenced dog park. (outside the park itself)

I firstly want to thank everyone for the great advice, as always! I myself do not like public places much so this is not intuitive to me! There are many ideas here that I have not thought of.

Last night, I brought the puppy to the local mall about 1/2 hour before closing. It was not that busy, and no one talked to us. It was a good starting trip and the dog was fairly hesitantly confident - except when someone came out the doors and walked in our general direction he would shrink back against my legs.

So now I have even more questions!

1. Should i be talking to the puppy in an upbeat, happy voice the entire time? (I did this time but made me question if I should). Or, should I not talk to the dog and just try to be a "calm, confident pack leader" and just walk and have the puppy follow me? Like should I encourage him to try exploring or just follow me.

2. I was giving the puppy treats whenever I saw he was acting confident. Is this OK?

3. What if someone wants to pet the puppy? He is generally friendly (Though this shy thing is new). Would it be a good thing or a bad thing for socializing (I know Ed doesn't let people pet his working pups, but mine is a pet).

4. Should I try and do a little trip (no more than 15-20 minutes) every day, or every other day? How much is too much or too little?

Thank you very much! You guys are great.

we have a shy pup and are taking short trips everyday, we also are walking to go pick up my son from school. I only allow a few of the mothers that i know well to touch him.
all of the kids are allowed to let him sniff their hands and talk to him in quiet nice voice.
this is probably considered flooding but at 13 weeks i think its a good time to push it a little bit. He is doing a whole lot better than he was