First Puppy Class! Soooooo Much Fun!

[DogLuvvr]

So my little guy went to his first puppy class and LOVED it.

At first he was extremely nervous. He was sitting in my lap shaking so hard, which I had never seen him do before. It was understandable though, since this was the first time he encountered another puppy since we received him. Nonetheless, I set him on the floor with the other pups and removed his leash.

Although he was a bit shy at first, boy did he break out of that quickly! He LOVED playing with the other puppies! He was one of the smallest pups out there, but he was so confident! I was a little nervous in the beginning because some of those pups were pretty big and a bit older, and I did see him get rolled some by a few of the larger pups, but it looked like he was having a great time socializing with them. It was so much fun watching him run, play, and just interact with other dogs. I was grinning like this the entire time!

One thing I noticed is that he quickly communicated to the pups that exhibited dominant behavior (like humping or jumping on his back) that he did NOT appreciate it. I'm not quite sure what to make of that right now. I'll keep an eye on it and make sure that he is not so impatient that he will respond aggresively to an overly excited or improperly trained dog in the future.

But overall, it was a great experience! The trainer was awesome and used training methods that are consistent with what I was already doing (positive reinforcement...) and the socialization went really well. Yay!

 

[Lizmo]

Whats his temperment like? What did the breeder say about his temperment?

Thats great about the puppy class!

 

[noodlerubyallie]

YAY! I loved puppy class, I ALMOST want another puppy just for the experience LOL.

Allie was almost the largest puppy in her class simply because she was 5 months old when we went and there were some puppies that were 8 weeks. I made sure that I kept her leash on and was more than polite to the little dogs in the class, a mini Doxie and a Toy Fox Terrier. The puppies closest to her size she got to wrestle hard core Lab style with!

We learned a LOT and I know it really helped with her socialization and communication skills.

Enjoy it while you can! Good Luck!

 

[DogLuvvr]

Whats his temperment like? What did the breeder say about his temperment?

Thats great about the puppy class!

My pup has a pretty steady temperament. He can be laid back but is also very playful and active at times. In class, there were times when he didn't feel like playing (I don't think he was used to being chased for such long periods of time, so he was sometimes a little too pooped to play) and times when he was very very playful.

He is a Welsh Terrier and pretty much everything that I have read about the breed says that while most will not pick fights with other dogs, they will probably not back down from a fight or not defend themselves. However, I would think that is normal behavior for a dog from many breeds, no?

YAY! I loved puppy class, I ALMOST want another puppy just for the experience LOL.

Allie was almost the largest puppy in her class simply because she was 5 months old when we went and there were some puppies that were 8 weeks. I made sure that I kept her leash on and was more than polite to the little dogs in the class, a mini Doxie and a Toy Fox Terrier. The puppies closest to her size she got to wrestle hard core Lab style with!

We learned a LOT and I know it really helped with her socialization and communication skills.

Enjoy it while you can! Good Luck!

LOL I like how you said "ALMOST." Puppies are adorable but they are a LOT of work, so I hear you!

My pup got a chance to wrestle with a lab too! It was funny seeing him wiggling trying to get his tiny self away from the lab who was more than twice his size!

 

[pedro]

So my little guy went to his first puppy class and LOVED it.

One thing I noticed is that he quickly communicated to the pups that exhibited dominant behavior (like humping or jumping on his back) that he did NOT appreciate it.

Many puppies will communicate to others when they don't like what they are doing. This is perfectly normal and is part of the learning process for both dogs.