lovemesideways Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 Hey everyone, my new baby is home His name's Riddick and hes wonderful. Hes been home for 2 days, so obviously he needs to settle in still, but just wanted some advice on here to make sure I start heading in the right direction. And of course the depth of knowledge that is DOL can help me He hasn't had much exposure to different kinds of people. So what would you all suggest as different ways to get him used to people? I'm going to be taking him everywhere I go, walking, outside the shopping centre, manly corso (areas where dogs are allowed) oval, everywhere! Maybe get random people to give him some delicious treats? Not reward the fear or reinforce it at all. Be calm and confident with him. Will it help him if I have Rover along, hes is a exceptionally confident (and beautiful ) 2 year old labrador boy who adores people, and dogs, and everything in life basically. (Hes so cute, hes never seen a TV screen before so he lies there watching TV with rapt attention ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 At 16 weeks, Riddick appears to have missed out on a lot of experiences during his first critical socialisation period. I would follow the advice here and start adding visits to the program once he's confident meeting new folk and dogs at home. Keep him away from public offlead areas. You simply cannot control the kinds of dogs he's going to meet in them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addicted to Dogs Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 (edited) I second the advice above - check out http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/socia...ion-with-people and http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/teach...-respect-people. If you prefer to watch and listen rather than read check out http://www.dogstardaily.com/videos/training/106 and http://www.dogstardaily.com/videos/training/163. Getting every possible person to give treats (of really high value) can help or you can give the treats each time they see a new person. Any fear or uncertainty about people and particularly new ones needs to be addressed as a priority. You seem to indicate that it isn't at this level and he's very new in the environment and to you so is undoubtedly feeling a little uncertain. If the issue grows, continues or doesn't improve rapidly (within days) of starting an intensive program as above then get professional help ASAP. Let us know how you go. Edited April 15, 2010 by Addicted to Dogs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemesideways Posted April 15, 2010 Author Share Posted April 15, 2010 Keep him away from public offlead areas. You simply cannot control the kinds of dogs he's going to meet in them. By oval I meant a sports oval, lots of kids and people come and play sports there so I'm going to be walking him around the outside, on lead. Thanks for the advice!! I will read through and definitely let you know how he gets on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stitch Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 As well as getting your pup out into the world, definitely enrol in a good puppy preschool class ASAP. It really does work wonders for pups that are unsure of themselves - I have seen it time and time again, even with dogs that are really timid. I have found that puppy preschools that are run by CCCQ dog obedience clubs to be better than most vet run ones however I am sure that there are exceptions to this. And after that continue on with dog training classes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemesideways Posted April 16, 2010 Author Share Posted April 16, 2010 As well as getting your pup out into the world, definitely enrol in a good puppy preschool class ASAP.It really does work wonders for pups that are unsure of themselves - I have seen it time and time again, even with dogs that are really timid. I have found that puppy preschools that are run by CCCQ dog obedience clubs to be better than most vet run ones however I am sure that there are exceptions to this. And after that continue on with dog training classes. Definitely going to be doing dog training classes. :D Is 16 weeks too old for puppy school?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 Definitely going to be doing dog training classes. Is 16 weeks too old for puppy school?? It is at a lot of places. Only way to know for sure though is to ask. He's old enough to enrol on obedience training at most clubs I know. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemesideways Posted April 17, 2010 Author Share Posted April 17, 2010 Riddick is going well taking him out and getting friends to come and give him treats and everything. He goes straight up to people to have a sniff, tail wagging, if they then turn and approach him or lean over, thats when he backs up and looks unsure. He follows Rovers lead which is great. Had a vacuum out today, first time. Riddick tilted his head when it turned on, looked at rover (who was sleeping) and then just lay down and went to sleep with him. Nothing seems to faze him! Hes also good with dogs, hes met a few of my friends dogs and loved them all. Trots next to them tail wagging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adnil444 Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 Hi, I'm sure you are doing all the right things and you certainly seem to know how to tackle them. Having met Riddick, I can see that he is a wonderful young puppy and he is great with dogs - Rosie just loves him!! I'll make sure I give him some treats next time I see you, however I'm sure Rover will want his fair share too!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harley Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 That photo is beautiful, hope everything is going well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemesideways Posted April 26, 2010 Author Share Posted April 26, 2010 Everything is going really great!! We had family friends and all their kids over on Saturday, so I set up a game with the kids giving Riddick treats! He is definitely growing in confidence. I made sure to give him time to chill out on his own with a biscuit. 2 of the girls, who where initially afraid of Rover (they are a bit scared of all dogs) both gave Riddick a treat, and he was very gentle in taking it off them. By the end of the night, he was fast asleep next to Rover, with one of the girls, Ava, whos 7, patting them both. Second round of puppy classes tomorrow night so I can chat with my trainer friend about him and his progress Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 In my experience, a Lab whose breeding paid attention to temperament (ie almost all Labs) will gain confidence over time . . . you can muck it up by pushing too hard . . . but Labs are bred to love people and unless you select quite badly, when you buy a Lab, you should end out with a dog that is confident with people. Sounds like that's happening. I'd say be patient. Take it little by little. You'll do fine. Sounds like you're on the right path. Everything is going really great!! We had family friends and all their kids over on Saturday, so I set up a game with the kids giving Riddick treats! He is definitely growing in confidence. I made sure to give him time to chill out on his own with a biscuit. 2 of the girls, who where initially afraid of Rover (they are a bit scared of all dogs) both gave Riddick a treat, and he was very gentle in taking it off them. By the end of the night, he was fast asleep next to Rover, with one of the girls, Ava, whos 7, patting them both. Second round of puppy classes tomorrow night so I can chat with my trainer friend about him and his progress Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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