Hi all, new to the forum! I've been socialising my 9 week old lab puppy as thoroughly as possible. She used to be accepting of anything I exposed her to, including all kinds of people. She was always happy and excited when a stranger approached to pet her and she simply couldn't get enough of it. But recently she has started feeling somewhat reserved and usually barks and snaps when a stranger tries to pet her. This has only occurred when we're out and about and I'm holding her in my arms. If she's on the ground and free to run around (not very often due to her vaccination schedule), she has never failed to greet enthusiastically. How would you advise me to continue socialising her?
I'm in the same position as you, although my lab is 12 weeks tomorrow. She's very happy meeting strangers still but I have a stuffed kong I take with me, so when she reacts well or does anything positive (like not reacting to a barking dog) she gets to lick it. It's frozen as well so lasts much longer than any walk, maybe use one just before she is possibly about to react so she'll associate seeing people as a good thing because she gets some kong time?
Why does your puppy need to met strangers? All it does make your puppy excited, jump up etc. frankly none of the behaviors you want. You will likely not see these people ever again. And trust me, in a few months when the dog is double the size strangers will not find that behavior cute and you will be stressed. Introduce your dog to people you know and can instruct them how to behave in front of the dog. Labs are considered big dogs so you want to instill calm behavior early.
I did a little experiment today with a friend in my yard. As my friend approached, Inca (my puppy) ran towards her with excitement and was eager to meet her. However when I picked her up and asked my friend to pet her, she was not so keen. So she doesn’t have a negative association with strangers then. I feel our bond is already very strong, maybe that has something to do with it?
This sounds like wise advice. However, my priority for the time being is to insure that she is accepting of all types of people and is comfortable being approached. In the meantime, I can’t resist showing her off to you all...
Congratulations on your new puppy. She's beautiful! You are quite right in thinking that you need to expose your puppy to strangers. Lots of them But its important not to overwhelm her. Each experience should be a happy one. Food can really help you here. Take plenty of food with you when you take her out and instead of letting new people stroke her straight away, get them to stand near while you give your puppy a treat. Then give the other person a treat to offer her. The aim is to make the experience less scary and help her to associate strangers with happiness and food. Good luck and let us know how you get on! This is good! Food can really help her here. I recommend you use the technique above too.
Are you sure this is reactivity/fear based? It's just that a lot of puppies would tend to be very mouthy in a perhaps manic bitey way, if someone tried to stroke them whilst they were being held. It would be extremely concerning if an only 9 week old puppy were already barking and snapping in a reactive or fearful way - and very unusual - so I'd hope it is just a hyper/frustrated puppy.... which is a problem in itself, but no way near as worrying.
Thank all for your replies and helpful advice! That's the thing, knowing her, I doubt it is reactivity/fear. Even when she's getting her shots and is obviously uncomfortable, she shows no reactivity in the slightest. In fact, she never does. Thinking about it, it usually happens when she gets playful/nippy and the person quickly retreats their hand and laughs. My friends rarely do that, as they are mostly fellow dog owners. Strangers, however, usually don't expect it and therefore react in this manner. It's likely more to do with frustration, as she is generally always keen to meet people and other animals. By the way, I took her flying in a small plane yesterday and she took it like a champ! We didn't ascend more than a few hundred feet, as to not hurt her ears.
One of the reasons she will be more mouthy when you are holding her is because she can't back away from the person or explore them on her terms. When she is down she makes the decision to approach and for how long. She is absolutely adorable and so happy!
