Puppy Pre-school

[Scarlett Dog]

I'm happy to say we have a very social (almost) 7 month old BT.

Don't take it for granted that he'll stay that way. As RSG says, many bull breeds grow less tolerant of other dogs as they mature.

we have no intention of reducing the amount we socialise her. We are aware it's an ongoing thing. We have met a number of adult dogs who aren't tolerant of younger dogs

Edited February 14, 2011 by Scarlett Dog

[Red Fox]

I don't bring my Staffords up in a social free for all. They socialise with known adults and the odd pup. You are better off with an SBT that chooses to largely ignore other dogs and one with a recall.

Puppy pre-school is ok for them but they need to go very early on at 8 weeks, as they are generally the class clown, the class bully and the rough one's.

I'd focus more on the obedience , than running around trying to meet a whole lot of other pups.

Agree 100%. I don't buy into the fact that puppies need to meet other puppies. What they need is to learn how to interact appropriately around/be able to read other dogs. Something best learned from calm, stable, well mannered adult dogs.

And as RSG has said, you are far better off with a dog that is able to ignore other dogs, ie has a neutral value for them, neither OTT positive nor negative. (The same applies to many other things in the dogs environment; kids, strangers, stairs, traffic, etc.)

Do go to the puppy class this weekend but go on your own. Make sure you are 100% comfortable with the way things are run. If at any stage anything happens during your classes that you are NOT comfortable with, whether it be play with another puppy, or the way another owner (or even the instructor) is interacting with your pup, step in and stop it immediately. Don't be afraid to speak up. Early experiences -both good and bad- will affect your dog for the rest of his life.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing

[poodlefan]

I'm happy to say we have a very social (almost) 7 month old BT.

Don't take it for granted that he'll stay that way. As RSG says, many bull breeds grow less tolerant of other dogs as they mature.

we have no intention of reducing the amount we socialise her. We are aware it's an ongoing thing. We have met a number of adult dogs who aren't tolerant of younger dogs

I hope you understand that intolerant adult dogs aren't necessarily the product of lack of socialisation - sometimes its quite the opposite.

Your girl's "puppy license" is about to expire. Watch for signs of intolerance of her and by her.

[Starkehre]

It is way more about the quality of the meetings with dogs, rather than quantity.

I would prefer to spend quality time arranging a meeting with a known dog and set up a guaranteed positive situation and outcome, rather than trying to clock up 100 meetings with whomever. Set yourself up for a win. One negative meeting CAN ruin a pup. Not worth risking IMO, particular more so with some breeds, mine included.

I did do puppy pre-school with my most recent pup. I chose to do this to provide me and my puppy with a controlled environment to assist in socialisation and neutralisation, which can be challenging to find.

I spend a lot of time on the phone with the girl that ran the class and told her what my requirements were. She also came highly recommended. I was thrilled with everything she told me before I signed up. I have since recommended others to the same class.

I was thrilled with the class and the instructor did not make me do what I did not want to do with my pup. I taught my pup to call off from all the pups there and the older dogs that were also there for greetings. I used the time to practise getting my puppy focused on me when all the others were trying to wrestle and bark at one another. As my pup already knew quite a few commands, I took the opportunity to proof these in this new environment. It worked very well and I would do it again in a flash. I started the first class when my puppy was 9 weeks of age.

I did allow my pup to have short meetings with the other pups on a one on one basis and then called her back every time before play started. She was highly rewarded and it has resulted in me having an awesome dog that is not focused on other dogs but for the most part neutralised to other dogs, which is precisely what I want. She does have the skill to play well with our dogs and close friends' dogs when I allow it, but this is not something I want to do on a daily basis anyway. she is not at all reactive towards dogs and is a pleasurable pup to have.

I wish you all the best with your SBT pup.

Edited February 15, 2011 by dyzney