Lola the confident Bulldog puppy
Every now and then you meet a very gifted and confident puppy. Lola was exactly that. Dogs like Lola are to be admired but also watched closely! I say that Lola is gifted because I know for her to get my big girl Peanut to let her climb on top of her like she did, Lola had to play all her cards right. Not only that but also to get my little dog Inca to play she also needed a different set of skills. To be allowed to play fight with them when they were playing ruff and tumble requires a lot of confidence! Lola had it all. Social skills and bags of confidence.
The meet and greet
When dogs meet you may have noticed that there is a lot of non verbal communication going on. This is incredibly important. The pecking order is effectively being established between them. When Lola met my two dogs they jumped out of the car and they both ignored her. Lola was made to follow. Had Lola tried to jump up at them and get their attention she would have been quickly told to get off. It was only when my big dog Peanut invited Lola to play that she was allowed to climb on top of her. It was because Lola had played all her cards right that she found herself in this position.
Socialising your puppies
Socialising your puppy is a very important aspect of ensuring that they grow into a dog that understands the rules. There are certain laws that are best for them to learn when they are still young. One of them is how and when to approach other dogs, and how to initiate play. The best teachers of all these rules is not humans but dogs. So make the effort to get out once your puppy has had all the vaccinations and it is safe to do so. Puppy classes, puppy training and doggy day cares are great ways to get your puppy off to a good start. A dog park then needs to become your most frequented establishment. Responsible dog walking owners are usually very understanding of the needs of a new young puppy. Socialising your puppy is best started as early as possible and should not be left any later than 16 weeks.
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Park play
Chose the dogs that you socialize with carefully, not all of them will be suitable at the beginning. Judge the other dogs by their energy not just the breed as looks can be deceiving. There is nothing quite like some quality time with a big, calm, older dog for giving a young puppy a good confident start at the park, and if you have a friend with a dog who may be able to help you out then now is the time to use them!
Looking for additional dog training resources? Find out more about how I've trained over 88,000 dogs here!
Good luck!
Cheers,
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