I've just read this bit of the site on puppy socialisation: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/?p=894 And in particular these quotes in the comments: "I currently have a show puppy that I have been taking to shows, he is getting a lot of socialisation but never gets to play with dogs that are not in his extended family. He is so much calmer than dogs allowed to run and “play ” in dog parks." "Our parks, beaches and other areas where dogs are let off lead in the name of “socialisation” by their owners, are hazardous places for owners wishing to gain control of their dogs, particularly puppies." Argghhhh - have I been doing everything wrong? I have encouraged Charlie to meet as many other puppies and grown up dogs (and their owners) as possible and have allowed and encouraged him to play with other puppies and dogs on the beach and park (and so we can learn to wait before saying hello until the other owner says it's ok, coming away when I don't want us to say hello, and moving on when it's time to go). But now I find out I should never have let Charlie off the lead it seems!
Re: completely confused now... In my opinion, you are doing the right thing Julie , the sooner pups are allowed off lead, the less likely they are to play at " Cant catch me " . Young pups in particular will have a tendancy to want to stick to us like velcro and this desire can be built upon to teach a good reliable recall , so you carry on with him off lead, as long as the area is safe and you dont let him go too far away from you . The socialising with other dogs, pups and people is so very important , it helps to build confidence
Re: completely confused now... Phew! Thank goodness. Let alone keeping him on the lead all the time when he is still learning to behave on it is very boring (we stop EVERY time he pulls...). He never goes far from me at all, and I always choose super safe places far away from roads etc.
Re: completely confused now... Bear in mind Julie, that when people leave their own comments , thats all they are , just their own views and no necessarily what you should be doing
Re: completely confused now... You are definitely doing the right thing, Julie!! That person who says they have the calm puppy - well, no doubt they do have a calm puppy, but my guess is that it's because of that pup's natural temperament, not due to being kept away from exciting doggie environments. It is very important to give our dogs a lot of exposure to other dogs - that's how they learn good doggie social skills. Besides, most dogs just love to meet and play with other dogs
Re: completely confused now... Julie, you are definitely right. Your pup needs to learn how to interact with other dogs; to learn the doggie 'does and dont's' while he is still a baby.
Re: completely confused now... Thanks, your replies are really very much appreciated and make complete sense. It's so helpful to be able to ask! Yes, I'll keep doing what I am. If anything, the more I let him off the lead and allow him to play the more control I seem to have, not less control. The first time he was allowed to romp around with other puppies on the beach, I couldn't have called him back even if I had been made of roast chicken (I didn't try to call him, I just collected him when he sat down because he was a bit puffed out). Now though, it's both not such a big deal for him and we've had lots of practice.
Re: completely confused now... I used to show my last dog and at training nights and competitions the dogs arent really allowed to play. Obviously they need to be stacked and show themselves off and stand still in lines so have to learn to sit quiet and leave other dogs alone in close proximity to many dogs. However out of this situation i didnt know anyone who didnt let their dog play normally with other dogs...thats just sad.
