Hi, I took Tallulah to her first puppy class on Friday, she is 6 months old, most of the other pups were much younger, she was doing OK..then when we had puppy play at the end she was scared and didnt really want to venture out from under the chair, we didnt want to push her to much and just rewarded her when she came out and basically just tried to walk around and act as though it was a normal situation.  she is usually OK with other dogs but was maybe overwhelmed by a room full of noisy pups...are there any ways of maybe trying to increase her confidence? I just dont want her growing up to be scared and overly submissive..
any ideas would be great
thanks

May I assume from your post that your dog is a Vizsla? 

This is one of the reasons puppy socialisation is recommended at a very young age; having said that it all depends on the dog, the venue and the number and types of dogs they have there.

IMHO having group of puppies which may vary from a sound sensitive Sheltie to a somewhat less than sensitive gundog is a recipe for disaster UNLESS only a few puppies of the same "type" are allowed to mooch together.

It may be better to arrange some 1:1 time with one or two of the other puppies who are of a similar breed and nature as yours in order to avoid a problem arising.

I reckon I could cope with being stuck in a strange place with a person who spoke the same language and an exit door; put me in a lift with a whole load of strangers speaking Russian and I would feel entirely different :D

HI thanks for this, yes she is a Vizsla, she has had a fair amopunt of 1:1 contact with other family members' dogs (inc 1 other gundog) and all has been OK, she is fine with dogs in the park too..a little unsure maybe but does play with a couple of the regulars..just dont want her to grow up and be scared..which could lead to future aggression...

Very young pups (ie 12 weeks ish) often tend to hide if they are at all scared, and as long as they aren't forced to come out, are very often to be found playing and having fun the next week ;)

It may take longer with your girl as she is older, but if she has at least met other dogs, that is a good start.

IMHO some off lead play is fine in a pup group but only with well matched pups - so for instance not too much of the sensitive Sheltie and the boisterous Boxer together unless very well controlled :)

Lindsay

I started puppy classes at about 14 weeks - the first set I went to were socialisation/puppy party at the vet's.  The trainer wasn't very good at reading puppy language (imho) and let all seven puppy's off at once!  Of course the shy/nervous ones spent this time sat under a chair scared while the boisterous/braver pup's jumped on each other.  The following week I attended proper clicker training classes with 4 other pup's.  The trainer at these classes was brilliant and insisted on meeting all the pup's in their own homes before the course started.  She had their individual personalities worked out and when it came to play/letting off she would pair them very carefully and some shy pup's were let off for the whole class even if it meant them sitting under the chair for the entire class!!  By week 3 they are different pup's and usually the quiet ones become the bossy one's later on! :rolleyes:  She read them very well and only stepped in if she thought a pup wasn't coping - Give your pup a bit of time to come out and make sure the trainer is reading her and giving her a chance!
Sarah