# GSD Pup and other dogs....



## Tilly Smith (May 6, 2009)

MY 13/14 week old GSD goes nuts when he sees other dogs. While I don't want him seeing other dogs as play toys ... I want him to be a lot calmer around them.

Against my better judgement I decided to take him to puppy pre-school. I did a lot of hunting around and finally found a place that didn't have the usually puppy free-for-all and allows me to not participate in some areas (such as other people taking control of my pup)

Well ... he had his first class on Saturday and he was extremely vocal. He was sooking and barking almost constantly thoughout the entire hour class.

How do I go about correcting the barking and sooking without him seeing the others dogs as the course for the correction (if that makes sense).

I want him to be able to interact (as in be around) with other dogs without being over the top.


----------



## vincent demaio (May 6, 2009)

Tilly Smith said:


> MY 13/14 week old GSD goes nuts when he sees other dogs. While I don't want him seeing other dogs as play toys ... I want him to be a lot calmer around them.
> 
> Against my better judgement I decided to take him to puppy pre-school. I did a lot of hunting around and finally found a place that didn't have the usually puppy free-for-all and allows me to not participate in some areas (such as other people taking control of my pup)
> 
> ...


my pup was the same way when she was around 9 -10 weeks old..so i just stopped taking her around other dogs for the past two months..know when she sees pups or other dogs she doesnt really care to bother with them,i try and keep her focus on me, by doing some commands with food..worked out well


----------



## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

Puppy classes are good, bad or indifferent.

At the worst, the confident pup becomes more dominant, the shy pup becomes shyer, etc. etc.

At the best, the organisers gain $$$$$$

If you don't want your pup to bark at other pups / dogs, then stop it. Use whatever methods that work.

You don't have to strangle it but use whatever physical or verbal methods you need.

What is sooking??


----------



## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Gillian Schuler said:


> ... If you don't want your pup to bark at other pups / dogs, then stop it. Use whatever methods that work.
> 
> You don't have to strangle it but use whatever physical or verbal methods you need.


At three months, what would those methods be?

With older dogs, my own method is desensitizing and focus on me, which would preclude a sink-or-swim thing like a room full of puppies for a vocal, excited pup. Vincent explained it pretty well.

What IS sooking? :lol:


----------



## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

Connie, I guess that wasn't overly clever advice but I was thinking (?) of the pup on the leash barking at another pup/dog on the street. Here, "no", tug on line, and if he turns to look at you reward, as softly or strongly as need be.

I re-read the post.

I guess the pup's on the leash when you don't participate but the distraction of the other pups is probably so high that the pup won't want to listen to you. Maybe there is a chance for you to practice this with just one pup first?

What does he do when he's off leash with all the other pups?

I "victimised" my husband's pup and took them to a "puppy course" as I wanted to see how it was run and especially watch how my husband fared!! The person running it let all the pups run around together, large, small but same age more or less. When one started to bully, bark, tease another, she squirted water at it. One minute Staffie raced around the others barking like mad the first lesson but became much calmer afterwards.

In between there were recall exercises, find the owner (hidden under a blanket) teaching the pup to lie on its back on your lap, etc. etc. Questions were answered at the end with all pups on the leash.

Maybe you can meet one or two of the participants outside the class where you can practice similar things. 

What did the course instructor advise?


----------



## Tilly Smith (May 6, 2009)

Sooking is whining and crying...

The pup is on a leash the whole time - all the pups are (6 in a class). I have been correcting him strongly but he isn't focusing on me at all. Even the instructors can't get him to stop. I have been moving away from the group - about 4 to 5 metres and can get him to focus with a tug ... but as soon as one of the pups is moved (ie taken out onto the grass to toilet) - even if it is in the opposite direction - his focus goes back on the pup.

I am thinking of continuing for the remaining 2 classes (with him at a distance) and by then he should be full vaccinated so I will start taking him out and doing obedience in a quiet part of the park and start to build up the distractions.

I had a bit of a discussion with the instructor about him being over-stimulated by everyone/everything going on around him ... and that normally I would work obedience at home, and then move out to a quiet public place and build up the distractions over time. Apparently they don't view puppy pre-school as a distraction ...


----------



## Courtney Guthrie (Oct 30, 2007)

Ummm...He is a baby....give him time. From this thread and your other thread, I get the feeling that you want this puppy to be more laid back and have more focus, if that's the case, take the puppy back to the breeder and get an older dog. 

IDK. He IS a working dog right??? 

Courtney


----------



## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

Tilly, is this really a "puppy" class in the true sense of the word? Sounds like a young dog course. 

There is no obedience (as a rule) in puppy classes. For me, the puppy class is a possibility for inexperienced dog owners to avail themselves of information on how to bring up their pup; for the pups to carry out exercises such as recall, individually, and in a group. To run around with each other in between (off-leash). I must say this is a controversial matter. If not competently run, the shyer gets shyer, the tougher gets tougher.

The pup is taught, suitably apart from the others, to sit, maybe by holding a cookie over its head - it will automatically sit, you say "sit" and then give him the cookie, or kibble.

What you are doing is tantamount to your sooking to your husband whilst a porno film is running.

If you want to introduce him to obedience, by all means do but *without* distraction. When the pup / dog has learned to do it 100%, then distraction (porno film!!) can be introduced.

I have the feeling you doing it the wrong way round and would suggest: first teach him what you want him to do and then add distraction.


----------

