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Every day that it doesn't rain my kids and I like to go to a local park. A lot of people bring their dogs to the park and we'd eventually like to bring our pups too.
There is a leash law and so far I haven't seen anyone who was disobeying it, all the dogs I've seen have been on leash. However, what people don't do is clean up after their dogs. Unfortunately, there is plenty of dog poop around.
How long should I wait until I bring my pups? I'm concerned about the chances of them catching something, so should I wait until they've finished all their puppy shots? Also, there's a fast moving little creek in the park, is it okay for them to drink from it?
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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I've heard that it's definitely a bad idea to take young puppies to a dog park before they've had all their shots. So what is that, around 5 months old? We instead set up playdates for our young pup so she could socialize with dogs we knew were up to date on their shots and reasonably safe. Seemed to work out well for her. We also enrolled her in a puppy kindergarten class when she was around 3 months old, and that was a great experience all around!
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That's what I figured, I knew they were too young now.
Are the pet classes at the local PetSmart a good idea? If not, how does one find a good class?
I have obedience trained dogs I owned before, and been successful but I thought a class would be a good thing for my kids to attend, to learn the importance of proper training and how to behave around their pups. We are really committed to doing the best by these dogs and turning them into great family companions.
I even got my husband to agree that putting them into a small kennel when we weren't home wasn't adequate, so we're going to take that down and instead fence a large portion of our backyard. That makes me feel so much better, because few people around here fence their yards, and the neighborhood dogs run freely (you might remember my complaints about the garbage problems with neighbor dogs) and so they are coming onto my property and leaving things behind and so when I let the pups out to run on our own property (which I only do when I'm outside with them) they could be exposed to stuff I don't want them exposed to.
It's going to be great, I'm so excited - we're going to privacy fence the sides which can be seen from the road, and then we're going to wind fencing in among our tree line, so it won't spoil the view out the back but will give us a lot of privacy and a large area the dogs can safely play in. We'll put a gate at the entrance to our bridge that leads over the creek, so we can still have access to our yard across the creek but the puppies can't get over there unless we take them.
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Belle, having your kids go along with the dogs to obediences classes is a wonderful idea. I did that with my 85 lb mix and when he was older, my father and I were the ones he would absolutely listen to. My father because he was tall and the alpha male. Me because I did obedience classes with him, so I think that placed me above him in the "pack" mentality. It makes for a great dog(s) and kids who feel really confident with their dogs. Makes another bond, so to speak.
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mack, that's what I was thinking. I think the obedience class will benefit the kids as much as the dogs, if not more.
So far no problems with aggression in either pup, they don't seem to want to do anything to the kids besides play with them and herd them.
They nip at their heels and try to move the kids around the yard, it's very funny, but of course I don't encourage it because I don't think they should learn it's okay to bit the kids' feet.
What's really entertaining is to watch them try to herd my mother's cat. But Gracie is doing very well with them, she's settled down, they've reached an accord. Yesterday I actually caught them playing together.
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PetSmarts don't have great facilities for training usually, they're cramped and noisy, but everything I've heard about the training itself has been very good. They use positive-reinforcement "clicker" training, and it's very fun and successful. And like most good training centers, I think they strongly encourage the entire family to attend, so that everyone is on the same page for what the dogs are and aren't allowed to do.
They have great puppy classes from what I hear, too, great way to get the dogs out and socialized while they're still really open-minded. Posts: 1681 | Registered: Jun 2004
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I don't think signs of aggression usually show up until the dog is closer to maturity... there are plenty of owners of 1-2 year old dogs who are surprised by how suddenly their dog developed a sense of territory and assertion, if not aggression, towards the other dogs. Ours is 8 months old, so she's 100% friendly and playful with everyone, but we're fully aware that she may become much less open-minded about new dogs as she gets older. We do the best we can to continue to expose her to new people, dogs, and situations, and keep her away from dogs that might give her a reason to be afraid of them.
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The nipping at the heels is a characteristic Aussie trait.
Don't go to the dog park until they have their full battery of shots. You normally don't give rabies till about 5-6 months but all of the other ones should be complete before you go.
Search for "obedience clubs" or "dog training clubs" in your area at www.akc.org and on google. Not a big fan of pet smart training, because I've heard a bunch of negative things. The biggest is that the facilities are inadequate.
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Thanks AJ, I checked with the akc website and found an obedience training club in Birmingham, I've emailed them for class suggestions.
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But Gracie is doing very well with them, she's settled down, they've reached an accord. Yesterday I actually caught them playing together.
