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Post by "Not So" Flower on Jul 29, 2012 18:25:59 GMT -5
Mac is a 4 month old border collie puppy. The other day I took him with us to a friends house, they have 4 male dogs. A beagle, which didn't get to see Mac; A Pomeranian mix, who was wagging his tail at Mac and seemed interested to play but Mac was too scared and I didn't have much time for him to socialize with him because the Jack Russell mix, who started to growl at Mac and his fur stood up; then there was another Jackie mix, I was holding Mac and that Jackie mix started following me right at my ankles so I hoped back in my car. :? I don't think these adult dogs were properly socialized as puppies. Either that or Mac isn't socialized well enough. He has socialized with our neighbors Aussie who is a spayed female, They get along perfect; But our other neighbors dog who is a Chiweenie (Chihuahua/Dachshund) who is also a female (not spayed) doesn't seem to like Mac, but Mac wants to play with her and she just growls. There is a pet show (at a local fair) coming soon and I don't know if it is safe to take Mac, is he social enough? And can someone tell me what to do if other dogs don't seem to like him and they try to fight? Sometimes the owners at the shows don't watch their dogs very well and sometimes I can't get Mac away from the other dogs. Another issue is baths, he doesn't seem to like them AT ALL! I fill the tub up and he runs. When I get him in the tub I have to shut our glass doors to avoid him jumping out. Then when he is calm I pet him and then when I start pouring water over him with a cup he whines and jumps and nearly drags me in the water. I am not very strong and he over powers me. People say try the water hose outside but how do I keep him still? Do I tied in up? I have tried this with a previous dog I had and he still squirmed too much. Is there anyway to get Mac to over come his fear of water running over him?
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Artemis
Full Member
♥[Mo0:0]
Posts: 231
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Post by Artemis on Jul 29, 2012 20:38:05 GMT -5
Well, for puppy socialization then I would recommend a puppy obedience class or something of that sort. Expose them to other puppies in a safe environment and socialize them properly from a young age because not properly socializing them can have lifelong implications so the sooner Mac is socialized properly, the better. One or two dogs he gets along with isn't enough, he'd need more mental stimulation than that, especially if he's a Border Collie or a breed that can be high energy and needs that stimulation.
As for bathing, I imagine you'd have to slowly desensitize him to it. You can probably find more stuff online but forcing him into the bathtub really doesn't seem productive, it would just cause more chaos. I imagine you'd just have to take it very slow and slowly get him used to water, then shampoo, then drying or whatever the process is like but not to really rush anything.
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Post by jesi @ shotglass on Jul 30, 2012 8:23:41 GMT -5
for socialization, yes, puppy classes! it sounds like he needs some confidence. a lot of times dogs act aggressively because they're insecure. that being said, he's still a puppy, & he probably doesn't have a lot of manners. there's a reason that older dogs get grouchy around puppies, because puppies (just like young children) don't have manners & don't know what's right/wrong to do. puppy classes are great, because the trainers will be able to teach you about dog body language, so you can better understand when a dog (your puppy or someone elses dog) is being friendly or is uncomfortable.
as for bathing, honestly, bribery is the best thing! associate baths with good things. put him in the tub, give him a treat. pour water on him, give him a treat. shampoo him, give him a treat. etc. just give him treats all throughout the experience, he'll begin to associate baths with food/good things. pretty simple. just go about it how you normally would, but give treats at certain intervals. i've never met a dog that liked baths. so honestly, it's just a matter of getting the little guy associating a bath with a good thing!
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Post by "Not So" Flower on Aug 4, 2012 8:45:52 GMT -5
Thank you guys! This is great advice. I tried the bath thing and he did wonderful! I even got to the point where there was water in the tub within the same day and he didn't mind! He is a fast learner so I guess I am lucky (:
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