I think you deserve a huge round of applause and I want to tell you how smart you are to want to take your dog to training and be involved. Most dog owners don't have this level of dedication or responsibility. You are an exceptional puppy owner!! Your mom should be very proud of you and encourage your desire to do something this remarkable.
Your mom couldn't be MORE wrong. I say this nicely but a little worried because it is the key to your puppy's happiness and confidence throughout his life. And I really want you and your puppy to live happily ever after. :dogrolleyes: Lack of socialization is the single BIGGEST reason most dogs are given to shelters and euthanized in the US. Somewhere they get to be a big enough bother that people give up. Socializing is probably second to food in importance for your dog's happiness and yours. This is like taking a child and locking him in a closet. He wouldn't even know how to stand or speak if you never let him interact with other children. They wouldn't like or play with him and he wouldn't even know how.
Most breeders, in fact all of the breeders I got puppies from insisted (in my buyer's contract) I attend training classes not only to socialize but to give me the tools to train my dog. It's actually a huge disservice to a small dog not to train them. They are no different from big dogs. Socializing them is the most crucial part of their lives and you have a short window when they are a puppy in which to most successfully do it. Patricia McConnell (certified applied animal behaviorist that has a tv&radio show, and many books) discusses in her book Puppy Primer that it is a weighted risk but strongly recommends carefully socializing puppies before they are fully vaccinated in that crucial window between 6-16 weeks. It's so important that she says it is worth the risk if you are very careful. No dog parks, no on the floor at the vet, or places unknown dogs have been. Safe places like training class where all the dogs are vaccinated and play and training is supervised couldn't be more perfect.
What your puppy learns when he is young will make him able to not only communicate confidently and happily with other dogs but will allow him to politely and properly make friends and have a social life. If he's never exposed to other dogs he won't learn how to do this. We've all seen the out of control dogs pulling and lunging on leashes barking and just freaking out. They are unsocialized and untrained dogs. Little dogs launching, screaming, barking, biting, get awww how cute from a lot of people. That's not cute, that dog isn't happy. The only thing keeping this from being dangerous is that the human just jerks the dog along and can easily out power it.
If I had a dollar for every little dog I saw that was rude, misbehaving, and starting fights at the dog park I'd be rich. Are these little dogs dangerous? YES! What if they attack a German Shepherd and the Shepherd bites them? They are dangerous to themselves. On a small dog that would be a life threatening wound. If a Pit Bull behaved that way everyone would get angry and scared and ask the owner and dog to leave. The animal could be deemed dangerous, confiscated, and euthanized. There is no difference in my mind if an animal behaves in a rude, aggressive, out of control way if it weighs 3 pounds or 103 pounds.
Little dogs are no less capable of learning than big dogs. Why would you want an untrained unsocialized dog whether little or big? Little dogs are quite intelligent and because of that they can be hard to train if you don't start early because they figure out how to do things the way they want quickly. If you don't train them or any dog from puppy hood many dogs become difficult to live with or teach things later in life. Is Luke a doxie? Doxie's are historically hard to train. All Doxie breeders suggest you start from a puppyhood exposing him to training and other dogs and all will be easier in the long run.
What happens when you go out of town, puppy will have to go to the kennel, maybe stay at the vet overnight when he's neutered. If he's never seen any other dogs or been around other buildings and people imagine how scary this will be. Your mom took you out when you were a baby and child to see all kinds of stuff so you could learn and grow into a confident happy adult. The same should go for this puppy. Experiences that are positive in puppyhood allow him to be self-confident, social, and able to handle things calmly.
Google your "breed state club" and find the nearest local or national breed club. There will be a wealth of information on when and how to train and they will ALL suggest early training and socialization. You can email and talk to breed club people and breeders and find out the facts from people that love and are devoted to the breed of dog you have.
I urge you to let your mom read this post. Go to the breed sites and clubs and talk to your vet and local trainers. I don't think a single one of those people would ever say that a training class is a bad idea. Ever. I only wish someone told me this at your age before I got a dog and didn't socialize it. I forever had to watch her and could rarely take her out because she tried to attack all dogs and kids. That was 22 years ago and every dog I've had since then I've taken to classes and socialized. Take it from someone that made the mistake. You're right. Best of luck and hugs to your puppy from mine.