What Do Yoooouu Do?

Yeah, he's 5 months and 2 weeks... they'd probably kick him out though cause he's dog-aggressive...

I'll look into it though.... are puppy classes just for socialization?

It's always a GREAT thing to do... believe me. Another way for Rocky to get around other dogs that are very young (and may be a good idea they're younger than him if he starts feeling aggressive) and of course, to be around new people...

And Yes... it's usually just socialization and not major TRAINING stuff that could add stress to Rocky if he just wants to chill...

Yeah, the only socialization he could have as a puppy was the neighbor's dog's that barked at him angrily for just trying to go outside... the poor guy would get so scared at the other dogs barking at him for no reason... so I always took him out of that situation...

Now, he hates those dogs as well as the others...

I don't want him to start barking at other dogs and making them like him... I dunno... I'll find out more later...

A structured "puppy socialization class" is sounding good for Rocky. If you have the money (probably $50-$75) and a PetSmart or something like it by you. He needs to learn that not all dogs are bad and by being with younger dogs who aren't aggressive to him might help him realize this. Just a thought...

Thanks, good idea. Like I said, I'll definitely look into it. I was planning on going to PetsMart sometime this week and I'll ask about it.

Just remember, the more you can get him around other dogs and people to socialize him the better. Do you have any nice neighbors you could just drop by for about 5 minutes with him while he's on a leash? I know he doesn't like leashes. But maybe you could pinpoint a couple of neighbors and give them a dog biscuit or treat of some sort beforehand. And they give that to Rocky and give him pats for a couple of minutes then you move on. That would give Rocky reason to want to venture out more and see who might be out there to reward him.

I like the bubble thing and the hide and seek thing. If you hide in a dark closet and call them they'll sometimes run right by you several times. They can't figure out why you'd be there. lol Now mine know all my favourite spots.

Another thing I do that they really love is I run away from them and call them so they chase me and then I spin around and chase them or stomp after them. They get so excited they run circles around me. It's really cute. You'll figure out what he likes.

And about puppy classes. If you do manage to make it to one (and I know it can be tough and you have an unusual situation) but you might find that Rocky really likes playing with dogs his age AND you might even find a good friend for him who you can set up play dates with. that will help him socialize AND burn energy.

Oh yeah, with maverick we used to take him down to the beach and get him to dig holes in the sand. Sometimes we'd sit on a log and have him dig at our feet until he could squirm he's giant puppy body under the log and come out the other side. lol We usually did that if we didn't want to go for a long walk. That dog needed 2+ hours a day of GOOD exercise.

DoggyDaddy ~

My Purdue never did like a lot of people - or dogs for that matter. He did learn to walk well on a leash, so we had a walk everyday and he learned to ignore dogs and people.

I would rarely ever recommend teaching my dog to take treats from anyone but the family! It would have to be an extreme case of fearfulness.

Every dog doesn't need the same life. Some are much happier spending the majority of their time in their own home with their own people. Bimmer is one. He'd much rather be on his own turf, and he does NOT like going into strange buildings. We do it periodically and he's gotten much more used to it, but he'd still rather be in his own space.

Now, how are you coming with finding games to wear Rocky's furry little butt out?

Pretty good, now I just do tag... like someone on here recommended... I go out in the yard with him and I just touch him and start running... he catches me with no problem .

And then I start chasing him--takes forever-- but it tires him out, as well as me!

Renee, you're so right though... Rocky's what I call a "home boy"... he doesn't like to be anywhere but home.

I have three dogs so wearing them out isn't a problem! Everytime they are out of their kennels they chase each other and fight (playfight). So I hardly get a chance to play with them. They usually like to play fetch though and Mack likes to play tug of war but I don't play that with him much because he gets too rough.

Tag is always good, lol! Purdue had a unique game he liked, sort of a doggy version of tag football. I'd throw a ball for him and he'd run and get it, then run back toward me and try to get past me. If I tagged him, he'd give me the ball to throw again, If he got past me he'd charge again and wouldn't surrender the ball until he got tagged. Then I'd throw it again . . .

I like combining hide-n-seek with tag. Somebody holds the dog while the other person goes and hides (or you can just put the dog in a sit/stay). Once the "hider" is hidden, the dog is released to go search. Once he finds you, you take off at top-speed. My girls love it. I also play "peek-a-boo" with them...only a different version where I hide, and when they come looking for me, and are near me, I jump out from my hiding spot. May absolutely loves it, her tail almost flies off her butt when I jump out, LOL.