Hello From A First Puppy Owner!

[TresBelle]

Hi!

Three days ago, after much research and googling, 12 week old Sammy joined our family.

He's a very sweet cockapoo who I hope will be a great companion for my 3 year old daughter.

We're crate training, which is going really well, house breaking, which is hit and miss, and socializing, which is so far a huge bust.

Sammy is a VERY timid pup...more so at night, after the sun goes down, but even during the day he's a fearful dog.

I know the controversy with walks and vaccinations, and Sam has only had his first set of shots, but I have been walking him around the neighborhood twice a day because I'm so worried his fear will turn to aggression.

Sammy is afraid of my boyfriend when he comes home after work, loud noises (mostly after dark), people that walk by on the street, cars that drive by us, other dogs that may bark at us from yards...Pretty much everything but me and my daughter!

He has his first vet check (with us) and his first grooming appointment next week, I plan to start a puppy class as soon as he's vaccinated enough to take part. With that and our walks, I REALLY hope it's enough to get him over his fears!

Wow, this turned from an introduction to a novel, didn't it?

So, hello! We're looking forward to all the help and advice I'm sure we'll find here!

 

[Dodge]

awwww,a very warm welcome to you,Sammie looks like a right little cutie pie
There s so much you can do to help your little guy before you can take him out properly
With your boyfriend,tell him to totally ignore Sammie when he comes home,load him up with treats and tell him to drop one at a time for Sammie,without looking at him and not even thinking to get involved with him,Sammie will make his own mind up that your boyfriend is nothing to worry about within very little time
Have you got a spot outside your home where you can just sit with your pup,preferably where other dog walkers wouldnt be walking there dogs untill he s fully vaccinated, and you can just let him watch the world go by and get used to all sorts of noises,sights and smells? There are some fab videos on this site (I m to daft to post them from one thread to another) which will help you loads with those issues
Anyway,writing a novel back here,lol, have a fab time training your pup and enjoy the forum talk to you soon,x

 

[abby_someone]

I like the novels!!! Dodge gave some GREAT advice.

I hope to see a lot of you here. Welcome the the DTA!

 

[abby_someone]

Oops (I forgot!)! Cute puppy .

 

[GeorgiPeorgi]

Welcome, what a gorgeous little puppy xx

 

[TresBelle]

Thanks, everyone!

And thank YOU, Dodge! I'm going to try the treat thing with my boyfriend as soon as he gets home tonight.

Unfortunately, I don't have anywhere outside my home where dogs haven't been. I seem to live in a very dog-friendly complex.
Maybe I should take him to sit outside a grocery store or mall?
I worry I'm pushing him too hard or too fast....Is that possible?

 

[Dodge]

Maybe I should take him to sit outside a grocery store or mall?
I worry I'm pushing him too hard or too fast....Is that possible?

bless,I love your outlook on "puppy pushing" I tell you what I did with Dodge . . . I sat with him outside our busy road(had a grassy spot high up,in kinda like a culdasac{sp}overlooking the main road) and just let him watch and watch and listen and observe and observe more some noises would worry him at times,but I didnt let on that I would freak out with him,he sussed out that all those freaky things out there are ok after a while,cause I did not freak out with him(hope this makes sense) keep lots of treats on you to praise the hell out of everything you think might possibly scare him,if you know about clicker training already,FAB, try to help him by telling him all those weird and wonderfull things out there are ok with the clicker . . . . . . . . any spot you can sit with him for him to observe this big and scary world and of course would be safe for him,is fab,even if you sit in a car boot with him (ok,now this may be a bit difficult with a 3 yr old,giggle,can you ask maybe the grandparents to help you out on this one)
Another thought for the grooming next week,start at home with having a treat in your hand(let him sniff and lick without acctually having it) and brush him for a couple of times,let him have the treat,repeat with treat and brushing so he will associate the grooming with the most fabtastic things and wont be afraid of the grooming

 

[sara]

First, Welcome to the DTA!

Second, shy dogs are a bit of work, trust me, I have 2. I find the best thing to do is never force them to accept something they're scared of. use lots of very yummy treats (taken out of his daily rations, you DONT want a fat dog!) and reward constantly... not fear mind you but calm acceptance. Dont force him to let people pet him, just tell people who want to fuss him to give him a treat or 2, or 10, depending on how long they want to spend with you. Have strangers that come into your home drop treats near him, drop a treat everytime they get up, or do something scary. HE'll begin to see people as a good thing... you can let people pet him if HE asks to be pet.

My Oliver is fear aggressive, yet it doesn't take him long to decide a person is good, as long as he's not on a leash, and he's in an environment he's not nervous in. He is such a sweet sucky dog, but if he's nervous, he's seriously aggressive. Oliver met a totally new person last weekend, at my Mom's house. We warned her to completely ignore him until he came to her, and even then to not look at his face... He was in her lap in minutes (he's a touch large to be a lap dog at 40 lbs, but hey, he thinks he is! LOL)

Zoe my other fearful dog has not an aggressive bone in her body, but was absolutely terrified of EVERYTHING when we adopted her. It's taken 7 years but she is now almost normal. She is calm around strangers (except kids) and knows that everything is her choice... so she's cool with most things. She used to have panic attacks at the slightest noise, but now rarely even startles... we never forced her to do anything... it's all on her terms.

Once your puppy has his second set of shots, take him around dogs, let him learn what other dogs do, and let him learn to be a dog... sometimes being around confident dogs will really help a dog gain confidence.

Well, I'm off to work, so I gotta cut this short, but Good Luck!

 

[Jukes]

Welcome to the forum, I hope you find it useful
(I posted some advice on your other thread)
Very cute puppy by the way