I got my pup, Nixie, about five and a half weeks ago. She's about seven months old now, and is a terrific, fantastic dog. She's a Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mix who's very bright and surprisingly mellow for such a mix of breeds. She's medium-large, weighing about 40 pounds. When I got her, she was spending most of her time in an outdoor kennel with one of her more dominant littermates, had received little to no training, didn't get to meet very many people, and was not housebroken.
Since then, I've taught her many basic (and some not-so-basic) commands, gotten her used to walking calmly on a leash and reliably able to be off-leash playing fetch at the park, and housebroken her via crate training. She's obedient and eager to please. She used to act somewhat aggressive towards my cat, Abby, but through gradual introductions, she now likes her (although Abby still doesn't like her!).
Nixie's weak point is that she's very, very nervous around other people and takes a very long time to warm up to them, if she does at all. I take her in to Petsmart regularly, but she acts very skittish when other people get near her. She's a good girl and has never growled or bared her teeth at anyone, but today while at the vet, she snapped at the tech who was about to give her a shot. I had to hold her head and reassure her while she got the shot. No harm, no foul, but it got me thinking that I really need to socialize her and get her more comfortable with people.
Furthermore, she's either standoffish or even slightly aggressive towards other dogs. She didn't care about my parents' dog (she literally didn't even acknowledge her), but with certain dogs, she bristles and growls and stands very close to me. Other times, she just tries to avoid them. She's a wonderful dog, but it's plain that she didn't receive the kind of socialization she needed in her formative months.
I'm not really too hung up on having a really social dog--she's special whether or not she enjoys the company of other people or dogs--but I don't want her fear-biting a well-intended stranger (or friend!), be they human or dog. What are some safe ways I can go about socializing her? I want her to get comfortable with other dogs and people, but in a way which won't put her or others at any kind of dangerous risk!
Since then, I've taught her many basic (and some not-so-basic) commands, gotten her used to walking calmly on a leash and reliably able to be off-leash playing fetch at the park, and housebroken her via crate training. She's obedient and eager to please. She used to act somewhat aggressive towards my cat, Abby, but through gradual introductions, she now likes her (although Abby still doesn't like her!).
Nixie's weak point is that she's very, very nervous around other people and takes a very long time to warm up to them, if she does at all. I take her in to Petsmart regularly, but she acts very skittish when other people get near her. She's a good girl and has never growled or bared her teeth at anyone, but today while at the vet, she snapped at the tech who was about to give her a shot. I had to hold her head and reassure her while she got the shot. No harm, no foul, but it got me thinking that I really need to socialize her and get her more comfortable with people.
Furthermore, she's either standoffish or even slightly aggressive towards other dogs. She didn't care about my parents' dog (she literally didn't even acknowledge her), but with certain dogs, she bristles and growls and stands very close to me. Other times, she just tries to avoid them. She's a wonderful dog, but it's plain that she didn't receive the kind of socialization she needed in her formative months.
I'm not really too hung up on having a really social dog--she's special whether or not she enjoys the company of other people or dogs--but I don't want her fear-biting a well-intended stranger (or friend!), be they human or dog. What are some safe ways I can go about socializing her? I want her to get comfortable with other dogs and people, but in a way which won't put her or others at any kind of dangerous risk!