Puppy Class - Too old ?

[JaniceH]

Hi,

I have now had my puppy, Teazle, for 2 weeks nearly. She is 9 1/2 weeks old.

The only puppy class I can take her to, doesn't start until next
January, when Teazle will be 4 1/2 months old. Will she be too old ?

I have already taught her to sit, lie down, come, leave, and give me a paw which she is doing really well and happily. I am also teaching her to walk on the lead round the house and garden. I hope I am not attempting to move too fast, but I only train her for short periods at a time.

As far as socialisation is concerned, as she can't yet go outside, I have someone coming in every day to get her used to visitors, and I sit with her on my knee in a pub to get used to people coming to say hello to her. I also sit on a bench in the village with her on my knee, so that she can watch all the traffic come and go and meet a variety of people both children and adults. I do this regularly. Also my friend who has a well behaved, vaccinated dog, brings the dog to meet Teazle so she can get used to dogs. So much for my little girl to take in and learn, but I think she is growing in confidence each day.

I was therefore, dissappointed with the puppy class being so far
off. Is she still going to benefit from going? She will have met other dogs by then as well. I will of course have started stays and heelwork by then but only as a fun thing, nothing too serious. Will the trainer expect more from her as she will be an older puppy, whereas the other pups will only be 3 months old ?

Also, at what age do you think I should start training her not to chase sheep. Very important this as Teazle is going to be my walking companion when she gets older.

Your comments would be very much appreciated.

Thank you.

[rotts and roses]

I think 4 1/2 months is just about an ideal age for puppy class. She will have had all her shots( hopefully) by then. Everything you are doing with her now to socialize her is great!
The more people she is in contact with the better off she will be.
Dogs as well but only dogs you know have had all their shots.

I have already taught her to sit, lie down, come, leave, and give me a paw which she is doing really well and happily. I am also teaching her to walk on the lead round the house and garden. I hope I am not attempting to move too fast, but I only train her for short periods at a time.

If you have her doing ALL this at 9 1/2 weeks you have got one smart pup on your hands! Short training sessions is the way to go. 3 or 4
5 or 10 minute sessions a day is ideal. The point is not to overwhelm the pup but keep her interested and occupied.

Keep up the great work and good luck when puppy class starts.
:D

[mmgy]

She won't be too old, she'll be the star of the class!!!!:)

The place we train accepts up to about 12 months for puppy class. They try to place according to the individual puppy.

We had friends with pups the same age as our brits, so we had an informal set of classes at our home when they were 5-6 months old. Then both of ours went into more formal classes at one year. Cleve, the shyer of the two, took it twice before he moved up.

[Pumacat]

I think your puppy will be of the perfect age when class starts. I think rotts mature slower than other dogs mentally as well. However at that stage, there may not be that much of a difference.

I would also recommend socializing your puppy with other dogs.

We were so afraid of Parvo, so we kept our bitch away from other dogs for a long time. I totally regret it, because altough she is people friendly, she is agressive with other dogs.

[samanthac]

LOL...Athena was 2.5 when we took her. She was a rescue and we started with her at square one. ;)

[JD102175]

Brodie went to puppy class at 8 months, granted we had only just gotten him at that age and he had absolutely no manners so we had to start from the beginning.


Jaime

[Luvs]

Akasha and Keil had just turned 4 months when they started puppy class. Akasha had a big advantage over Keil since I had gotten her when she was 8 weeks old and she was already doing everything they were teaching in puppy class. We got Keil a couple days before the class started so he was behind his little sister but he worked really hard and soon caught up:D

I personally feel that 4 months is the perfect age to start classes since they should have all their shots. We really enjoyed our puppy classes and I would not hesitate to take any future puppies also

[Mick Trainer]

To gain the best results from early socialisation and development she should be in puppy classes much earlier that 4 1/2 months. 8-10 weeks will be a far better time. If you can't get to classes then you must socialise her and build her nerve yourself. If you are unsure how to do this do a search for "socialisation" in the forum. Much has been written regarding the correct techniques for this.

Mick.

[JaniceH]

Thank you all for your re-assurrance. I will enroll her today.

Mick, I can't take her to an earlier class because she won't have completed her vaccination course. There are no other classes in the area where I live, even this one is a long way away. But I will continue with the socialisation and will read up about it too.

Love to all your rotts.

[Mick Trainer]

Any decent puppy class wil not wait for pups to have their full vacc as the benefits of early socialsation and exposure to mildly stressful stimulation are massive and if they are smart the risk of getting exposure to deceases very, very small. However as I said above you can socialise the dog yourself. Once again you must be smart to minimise the risk of contracting parvo or the like but failure to adequatly socialise the pup in it's early developmental stages increases dramatically the likelhood of developing behavior problems later in life.

Mick.

[JaniceH]

I understand what you mean Mick. I will speak to the puppy class trainer.

Thanks.

[spidey]

you must be smart to minimise the risk of contracting parvo or the like but failure to adequatly socialise the pup in it's early developmental stages increases dramatically the likelhood of developing behavior problems later in life.

I have to say that I had my puppy out and about from the day I got him, I was careful (no sniffing at places where dogs may have defecated or urinated etc., and I carried him most places until he'd had his third set of shots), but it was more important to me to get him out, especially since I knew he wouldn't be in classes for a while, since I was away from home when I got him. I realise that this may be controversial, but I'd rather deal with a possible sick puppy (and most things can be treated) than with the consequences of undersocialization (which last a lifetime).

[SABELLESMOM]

Enjoy working with your little scholar! Teazle, I'm sure will be a star! Have fun. They're "puppies" for a very long time.

[JaniceH]

It will be safe for Teazle to go out in 2 weeks time. I will enjoy taking her to places and allowing her to meet new situations. I hope then by the time we get to puppy class she will be confident with people and dogs.

The trainer won't take her now because it is the middle of an 8 week session which is full up, and likes to start puppies at the beginning and not half way through. There aren't any more in my area or even anywhere commutable. I will do my best with her though. She just seems to love learning.

I seem to have a problem with her growling alot which has been discussed in another thread under behaviour. (can't understand whether the growl is in delight, annoyance or stress, but I am learning). I hope she will gain more confidence once she can stand on her own 4 feet, and I have to be careful how people approach her, so as not to overwhelm her. I am learning alot too, so I would like to thank you all for your comments.

Love to all your rotts.