Good Social Situations(for a puppy)

[mysteryman]

I don't own an EM yet, but I am very curious what some good social situations for the puppy would be(The only thing that comes to mind are dog parks and relatives' houses). Also, what are the proper courses of action somewhere like a dog park when the puppy will be off the leash? To be more specific, do I come out of the gates asserting dominance all over the place, or ease them into it?

I have owned three dogs before(when I was growing up) and had very good results will extremely limited professional training. However, I want to hone in my skills because from what I have gathered, an EM can be a bit... eccentric on how it reacts to certain tactics/tones. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Bentley]

What we tend to do with my st.bernard now and did with Ben, my BM(cross?), was when one of us went shopping, the other would wait outside with the puppy. People go by all the time and many stop to fuss the puppy, it's really good for accustoming them to people.

 

[AKBull]

Pet stores are a good and relatively safe place to bring them too. On lead of course. Junior's puppy class was at Petsmart and we trained him in the store. It's good for both social interaction with other people and their dogs, and then training with all the distractions.

EM's are strong willed, no doubt there. Your training needs to be more on the firmer side with lots of positive reinforcement and treats. (In my opinion) While you don't need to be King a-hole, you do need to consitently back up what you want them to learn. Give em an inch and next thing you know they're stealing your car keys and joy riding with some friends. They usually want to please you, so training isn't the end of the world. It can be trying though. LOL

 

[mysteryman]

I forgot about petsmart (even though I go with my girl and our blue-tick, lol) and never thought about the store. Thank you both very much! @AKBull, I am optimistic about the trying times because it will make the day the dog and I are on the same page that much sweeter

 

[sunbear]

We trained ours at home, but have numerous friends who trained their EM's at PetSmart in numerous states. They were all really happy with the results. We socialize with walks in the park. I am also starting to train them to be reading partners for kids. Nothing better for a kid who needs a reading partner than a great big cuddle partner they can lay with and read to.

 

[Danté Vivi & Bella's Mom]

Pet stores are a good and relatively safe place to bring them too. On lead of course. Junior's puppy class was at Petsmart and we trained him in the store. It's good for both social interaction with other people and their dogs, and then training with all the distractions.

EM's are strong willed, no doubt there. Your training needs to be more on the firmer side with lots of positive reinforcement and treats. (In my opinion) While you don't need to be King a-hole, you do need to consitently back up what you want them to learn. Give em an inch and next thing you know they're stealing your car keys and joy riding with some friends. They usually want to please you, so training isn't the end of the world. It can be trying though. LOL

Sorry, I have nothing to add. Just wanted AKBull to know how funny this was to me!

 

[STEVSH]

Yup we did the Petsmart thing and just walking around downtown (I live in a small city) to get her adjusted. And we started the dog park after we got the OK from the vet and go there almost every night. Topaz has become a people loving dog, big time. Our other dog Blue, is not a people dog. She is very standoffish with them, so it's kind of nice to see Topaz just happy as a clam with people.

 

[stephanieb]

After we got all the shots we did puppy obedience training and doggy day care one a week for socialization. We also do the dog park a couple times a week and wander around the neighbourhood (inner city so LOTS of distractions). He LOVES to see the vet (we go and get weighed once a week). Starbucks is always a treat for him, and so is the pet store where he goes and gets a cookie. He has also been to my office, my husbands, my aunts house, son's house, daughters boyfriends house, parkade's, elevators you name it. In short once we had the shots we have taken him pretty much any place dogs are allowed. At almost 5 months not much scares him, and he is very social. In fact my bigger problem is convincing him that not everyone wants to stop and see the puppy.

The Dog Park.... we started off at the quiet end of the park on a leash the first time or two. Once that worked well we moved to off leash at the quiet end. We are now at the busy end of the park and for the most part off leash. But we are very watchful. If he gets to far from us.... back on the leash. If we see a dog coming that is on a leash, he is either RIGHT beside us, or back on the leash. We are also working with him to teach him that he needs to lay down to play with small dogs and that not every dog wants to see him. My husband has been amazing with the process and the progress that has been made even in the last month is great. I don't know that it is about asserting dominance so much as it is consistancy. The dog has to know that the expectations are the same EVERY time. We have had the odd incident at the dog park where he thought he could play with another dog and ended up being put down by them, but he still loves to go and is doing a great job of learning what our rules of being off leash are, and that they do not change.

Hope this helps a little.

 

[mysteryman]

The dog park seems the right place to be, thanks @stephanieb for the recommendation on how to ease her into it. Everyone's posts are very helpful, and appreciated.

 

[Caleb]

We tried to take ours everywhere with us, and basic obedience and puppy kindegarden are always helpful too. I'm not big on dog parks....heard of too many bad things happening. You cant control who goes there and who lets their dog off the leash. My dog does not do well with other large dogs as a result of people always wanting to let their dog come over and meet him....they would always bite. But, each scenario and dog park are different, I imagine. As far as dominance, you shouldn't bully a puppy, but you always have to remain dominant. Consistance!