Help with Puppy's socialization

[Guest Anonymous]

I just picked up a new puppy Sat. She was 8 weeks old on Friday. She was raised mostly in a big enclosure (not part of a backyard) behind the owner's house with his other dogs. FYI, this is a working dog -- parents are used for hog hunting.

She has been somewhat unsocialized & never saw a toy before. Since I got her Sat. I have spent MUCH time already playing with her & she is learning 'tug' & 'fetch' games. (She WON'T be used for hog hunting!) She is somewhat hesitant about following people (me!) around in the yard although we coax her. Sometimes she runs back to the garage & her bed where she feels 'safe'. IF she decides to follow you, she is right underfoot. She loves to be picked up & held but she won't be that small forever! Also loud/sudden noises startle her & she will momentarily shrink/cower back.

What can I do that will enable her to overcome her fears the best way possible? And I also need to socialize her to other people/sounds, etc. What's a good way to do that?

[mouseatthebusstop]

IT'S SAD SHE HAS NOT HAD TOYS UNTILL NOW, CARRY ON HANDLEING HER TRY TO LET OTHER PEOLE SEE HER TAKE IT SLOWLY - AT ONLY 8 WEEKS YOU WILL BEABLE TO CHANGE HER

[courtnek]

She'll be ok. she's young enough to come out of this. Play tug with her, teach her to fetch, have someone make some of the nosies she is afraid of while she is playing with you, and then when she doesnt seem afraid anymore praise and treat her. Just do your best to make her feel comfortable, and she'll get over this. Take her places where there are other people and let her socialize with them and other dogs....

what kind of dog is she? that might help for suggestions too...

[Guest Anonymous]

The only thing I have to add is..When she acts afraid of something, do not force her to face it nor comfort her for being afraid. Don't be like "It's ok" that can translate as praise and will make her think it's ok to be afraid. And if you force her it can back fire.

Some articles that might help...

Most Timidity Is Preventable

When it comes to raising a confident well-adjusted puppy, an ounce of prevention is certainly worth a pound of cure. By socializing one's puppy early on with a variety of new and unfamiliar people (including calm and gentle children), on a regular and ongoing basis (for at least the first two years of the dog's life), you can help prevent serious behavioral problems such as shyness, timidity, and aggression from developing as the puppy matures. Once a puppy has all of his puppy shots (usually by 16 weeks of age), he should also be socialized with other friendly dogs, and acclimated to new environments beyond the owner's home and property, by being taken for regular daily walks on a leash.

Puppies raised in country and suburban environments should be gradually acclimated to city noises such as traffic noise, crowds of people and other everyday life scenerios early on. A weekly visit into town (beginning when the puppy is around 8 to 10 weeks of age) can be very helpful in preventing environmental phobias. In order to prevent exposure to disease, puppies with fewer than 3 or 4 series of vaccinations, should avoid contact with unfamiliar dogs, and be carried (in a Sherpa Bag, Snuggly or crate) to avoid contact with the sidewalk (or any other public areas where other dogs may frequent).


What To Do If Timidity Has Already Taken Hold

While preventive steps are best, should your puppy or adolescent dog already show signs of timidity, he should be gradually introduced to many new and unfamiliar people, until your puppy develops more confidence and trust. The following tips may be useful as a general guideline:

Visitors and passersby should avoid suddenly reaching out to pet your puppy, as allowing a stranger to approach a timid puppy right away is likely to increase the puppy's fear as well as his inclination to react defensively. In fact, when a timid puppy is first introduced to someone unfamiliar to him, the person should remain relatively still and quiet, avoid eye contact with the puppy, offer non-confrontational body language, and allow the puppy to approach the person and initiate contact. The puppy should never be forced or dragged over to meet someone he is fearful of.

Asking the visitor to crouch down near the floor, with their body facing at an angle AWAY from the puppy, and their hand slightly extended to the side while holding a small puppy treat, may help the puppy to gain enough confidence to approach. The puppy should be allowed to sniff the person, and to take the treat from their hand, without the person talking to or reaching towards the puppy. Even if the puppy continues to show fearfulness, the owner should remain upbeat, and resist the temptation to coddle or "poor baby" the puppy.

Once the puppy appears to feel a bit more secure, the visitor should slowly begin petting the puppy under the chin, and continue offering him small treats. These steps should be repeated with as many new people as possible, in as many new environments as possible, until the puppy develops sufficient confidence around new people.


Timidity Around Other Dogs

Fully immunized puppies who are timid around other dogs, should be socialized with other friendly, easy-going puppies (and dogs), begining with small to medium-sized puppies, then very gradually introduced to larger, more active ones, over a period of a few weeks. Observe both puppies' body language as the meet, interact, and get to know eachother. For especially timid or sensitive puppies, one-on-one puppy play sessions are usually best.

Supervised puppy play groups and puppy kindergarden classes may also be helpful, provided that bigger, more dominant puppies are not allowed to bully or intimidate the more timid ones. Puppies should be properly matched by size, age, dominance, activity level and temperament. Unsupervised group "free-for-alls" can in fact be very counter-productive.

Ideally, an experienced dog trainer or behaviorial consultant should supervise all play activity and be present to prevent any overly aggressive interactions between puppies.

http://www.bcrescue.org/socializing.html

The Fearful Dog
Copyright 2000. Dumb Friends League. All rights reserved.

Dogs may display a variety of behaviors when they

[Guest Anonymous]

Your pup is still so young, socializing your pup during the critical period of socialization is very important...most dogs have this social period close at around 16 weeks. As well as the advice poutypit gave I would also join a puppy obedience class...most Vet clinics offer them for their clients with young pups, by 8 weeks you probably have had your second set of boosters done so it would be safe to take your pup...ask your Vet what they offer. These classes are aimed at play time for the pups and social time away from "home".
As for your pup not coming to you...start playing the game hide and seek...this has always worked for me...when your pup starts looking at some thing else hide on him...of course hide some where where you can still see him and I have always found my dogs and pups (been years since I had a pup! :wink: ) have always come looking for me...when he finds you give him lots of praise and have a treat ready...I have also found this works good for keeping a dogs attention on you...it doesnt matter where I go...all of my 5 dogs keep close and don't let me out of their site.
Another game you can play is "come chase with me" so your pup will associate "come" with chase me and play...get excited call your pup and run a short distance away. Let him catch up to you while you are still facing away from him, then turn side ways, kneel down (don't bend over him) praise him, feed him a treat or play with a tug or fetch toy and pet him...even when your pup grows up you can still play this with him. Instead of approaching your puppy when you want him to come to you, when you directly go after your pup this in dog language is assertive, even aggressive, and dogs naturally move away from it.

[imported_Kat]

Plenty of good advice given previously.

As soon as she has completed her course of vaccinations get her out and about to busy places where you she can see people and be subjected to a range of noises. At this point now she is still getting used to being in a big strange world without her Mum and littermates. Reassure her but don't over-exaggerate the "there there its ok" as this will worry her. Be neutral and don't react at all, just continue on as if nothing has happened. Get her used to different noises in the house by letting her explore, ie. vacuum cleaner, washing machine, even dropping objects near her that make a noise. Stay neutral and only reassure her if she really needs it.

Good luck with your new girlie :fadein:

[Guest Anonymous]

....For all the good advice. Even today I can see improvement over yesterday. She's trying to play with my cats (all of which are used to dogs/puppies & a few even LIKE to play with dogs!).

I met both parents when I picked her up & they were neither shy, fearful, or aggressive. More like "OK our folks let you in -- sniff, sniff -- you must be all right -- we're on about our business now".

BTW, she's a Texas Blue Lacy. I had gotten one the first week in Sept. & Chula was 4 months old. Then someone took her out of my backyard (or she escaped & THEN they took her). I'm still looking for Chula, but meanwhile I HAD to have another puppy.....