Hi! I am getting a pup in January and would like some advice on letting him/her off the lead.  I plan to let him/her  (henceforth, with no offence intended, to be known as "it" in this post to avoid having to type "him/her" all the time...)  off the lead as soon as possible when we are in the country park/fields etc  (not near roads, obv)  because I think they learn to stay close to you that way.

But I keep having nightmare visions of a huge, slavering, prey-driven breed bounding over, picking my precious little furry bundle up and eating it whole  (vivid imagination, moi??)...  actually, I guess that whether or not the puppy is on lead or not will make no difference to that scenario so I guess my REAL question is:

How to behave when big dogs approach the puppy??  I don't want to make it paranoid by scooping it up whenever another dog approaches, but equally I don't want to put it in any danger. Is it a case of trying to judge another dog's intentions based on its body language, demeanour and breed?  And then keeping fingers crossed?  Will I make the puppy nervous of other dogs if I pick it up when another dog approaches??  Do dog-aggressive dogs tend to be aggressive to small pups as well?

How do you get the balance right to ensure a pup is socialised, but also safe??

I do plan to go to puppy socialisation and later, obedience classes btw so that will help I guess.

Thanks in advance for any advice and feel free to metaphorically pat me on the head and murmur  "There there, no big bad doggies are going to eat your baby...."

I did this with my second pup (first was too old and confident and would have legged it :rolleyes:  )  she is now really good and never goes far, and was really easy to train.  The older one is very good too but needed more work - owing to a contrary nature :D

With both of them I took them to ringcraft rather than puppy socialisation, we met a really good mix of breeds and ages there and the older ones were really great with pups, the pups were different ages too which was really helpful :)  we also did open shows from 6 months for the same reason :)  I couldn't get my first into training classes until too late, but because of the ringcraft and training I did she never needed it,  I didn't even bother with training classes for the second ;)  but then they were my 7th and 8th dogs to train :)

Thats really helpful - thanks :)

I have been thinking about the puppy classes, actually.... the thing is, I don't WANT my pup to enjoy other dogs too much, if you see what I mean.  Sure, it's nice if they can have a bit of a romp when they're older, but because I aim to do obedience, I want my dog to see ME as more fun than other dogs, and I just wonder if letting pups have too much fun together in a socialisation class isn't just asking for trouble...

So, I think the point you make about socialising more with older  (and therefore, presumably, slightly more staid)  dogs is a good one.

I hope I'm coming across the way I mean to - it isn't that I don't want my dog to be able to have fun with other dogs; it is that I don't want it to ever get the idea that other dogs are more fun than me!!!

i wouldn't judge a dog on its breed/size if it approaches your pup, extra size does not equal aggresion. put it this way there was a cavalier that used to escape into the park where i would walk my mastiff- he would hide behind me from this thing. while some breeds do have some dog aggresion associated with them any dog can be dog aggressive, just as any dog can be a big sook and just want to play with your new baby. only concern i'd have with size is accidentally getting a bit over enthusiastic. our Tio was at a puppy party at the vets and decided to jump on a labradoodle (yucky!)...was a little squashed...

So what should I do??

Do I pick puppy up if another dog approaches, in case the other dog is aggressive, and given that puppies are generally not as able to defend themselves as adult dogs are?  But will that make it nervy?

Even my dog aggressive dog wouldn't hurt a little puppy. I've always let pups off lead straight away when they're not confident enough to go far from you. When another dog approaches I don't do anything but watch :) Generally most young pups will either lie down or roll over or crouch and pee if they're nervous of a bigger dog approaching them, and most big dogs will have a sniff and wander off. I've luckily never seen a giant slavering pup eating monster, so I assume such beasts are very rare and not something you should worry about :D

Edited to add - Yes, I think picking the pup up all the time will not only make it nervy and stop it learning how to greet other dogs and doggy manners but will also make it more exciting to other dogs, and other dogs are then more likely to jump up and try and maybe try and grab what you're holding.

Thanks Tigger :)

That sounds sensible.  I shall follow your advice and try to resist  "babying"  my pup when another dog comes a-sniffin'  :)

>Edited to add - Yes, I think picking the pup up all the time will not only make it nervy and stop it learning how to greet other dogs and doggy manners but will also make it more exciting to other dogs, and other dogs are then more likely to jump up and try and maybe try and grab what you're holding.

Huh! I was just coming in to make those points and there, you beat me to it!

Hi, Since having a bad experience when my eldest spitz was 11 weeks (Attacked by a border terrier who actually broke the skin on my boys neck!) I now do not prescibe to the theory that adult dogs (even dog friendly ones) will not attack a young pup. I would hope owners with dog agressive dogs would not try out their theory that they would not attack on my pup! Ever since this incident my boy has hated BT with a passion, he is fine with other breeds thank god. So any meeting needs to be supervised.
Angela

If you choose the right training class, personally I would not go to a 'puppy class' but to an experienced trainer with dogs of all ages, you will find you are shown how to train your dog to be into you with distractions around it.  The important part is not expecting a puppy to focus on you for the entire evening but to learn a switch on and off command, where between the two commands you are the only thing that matters.  Also if the other dogs are older they won't give the pup the attention it will seek.

You are right in being concerned and you must be more fun then the other dogs, but a puppy has to be taught this.

edited - This should have gone under the puppy class post.

I get what you mean Sandra :)

I had a lurcher years ago who was OBSESSED by other dogs and it took me a long, long time to convince him that I was MUCH more fun than any other dog on the planet, so I understand totally that pups need to  *learn*  that their owner is the best fun ever  :)

When I first got him as a pup, he was a typical hound.... sprinted off at the merest whiff of something small and furry and went completely deaf.  Luckily, his basic good nature meant that if the small furry in question was another dog, he just wanted to play but still, you don't always want them to run off in the first place, do you?  :rolleyes:

So I went to puppy classes, graduated to competitive obedience and never looked back... eventually he would completely ignore other dogs on walks, preferring to play with me and his ragger :D