Learn how to socialize quickly but safely

Watch a private session of an extremely unsocialized 9m old poodle

[solideomusical]

*"You're not gonna fix dog issues without other dogs"* - Beckman. Your videos are getting better and better each time.

[bslizardette]

Yeah, 8-9 months is SUCH a sensitive age. My dog had a different problem, he was over-socialized and put into situations he wasn't comfortable in and the owner trusted older dogs to "teach him manners" - meaning forcefully flip him onto his back, unintentionally hurt him in rough games etc. A bit after he turned one, he became extremely fear aggressive and was triggered by almost everything. At 18 months I was asked to take him because his situation had become unmanageable to the previous owner and they couldn't see how to work him out of it. Now, at seven years old, he's still not the best at socializing but has his few close friends and is capable of making new connections with other dogs. I'm still extremely careful which dogs I let him play with, though; took us too much work to dig through all the puppyhood trauma.

[tomokoyoung]

I'm doing exactly what you're saying in this video. I take my puppy that's sensitive to new smell, noise and that is afraid of dogs to everywhere I can to desensitize and socialize him. The hardest part was to find a mature and experienced dog who can deal with my puppy's nervous energy. I've talked dozens and dozens of dog owners during my walk and finally found three dogs that can help my puppy. After I watched this video, I became confident that I'm on a right track. Thank you for helping me!

[OnkyoGrady]

There's a LOT of dogs that covid put on the wrong foot like this. I saw it start in my own standard female and the only solution was to yolo it and bring her everywhere despite the pandemic. I've met a ton of dogs in a similar state of tune since then too.

[plomo]

Watched the whole thing. Learned a lot. Don't even have a dog haha

[Daddy]

It NEVER ceases to amaze me how many dog owners will say
“But his tail is wagging, he’s just happy.”
And my personal favorite “ only pitbulls wag their tail when they attack.”
Tail wagging only means excitement. Nothing more.
ANY dog breed!

[kamsm.]

This is exactly how my dog is. He’s a German shepherd mini Aussie mix who turns 2 this month. My fiancé just moved with his fam into a dog friendly complex and while it’s perfect it’s like planning a mission when trying to take him out avoiding every dog as hard as we can. I really hope I can help him :(

[TARALEKTRO]

I’m so blessed with a 3 month old puppy that’s so calm when meeting other dogs. He takes small steps during socializing. First he was scared scared, then he started getting interested in dogs, then he started to sniff every dog I let him meet. Now he checks them out, decides to sniff or not, lays on the ground and barks/communicates, if they give him a go he will play, if not, he’ll wait until we move again.

[redponygrrl]

There is no “ one fix” for such a dog and there’s no age limit to helping them. We adopted a retired show dog at three years old. We have many years experience with this breed, which can be difficult-Kerry Blue Terrier. We were his fourth home in three countries and he was very reactive to other dogs and men. We didn’t put him in reactive sit like in this video, which would have resulted in someone getting hurt. Instead, he was put into a reliable, consistent routine of walks, meals and play.

[centralflife]

Wow that poor poodle. I feel for dogs that are not socialized or taken out their comfort zone. I have noticed that making my dog try new things has made him so much more calm and well behaved because he isn’t afraid. I think all animals are fearful and making them do new stuff and be in new situations makes them confident and that confidence makes a good doggo ❤️

[joe]

Very well filmed, put together and narrated, thank you.

[namelessnavnls]

I think one of the most telling things of a fearful dog, when juxtaposed to an aggressive dog, is that the fearful dog can react a bit, then repeatedly pull back and hide behind an owner or person they know. A truly aggressive dog isn't gonna do that nearly as much, if at _all._ Always watch your dog's body language to figure out whether or not they're scared and defensive, or actually angry. There is a surprisingly vast amount of things you can learn from how a dog is feeling or thinking by just watching them move.

[lovemycat]

I have a dog that is totally under socialized due to getting him a month before covid came out. He is still extremely difficult to keep from barking at every noise. He's aggressive but not so bad after we introduced him to a couple of other dogs. But he is still super skidish. So we did okay but I had no idea there was a door that had to be met and over come. He does okay somtimes and other times he is just a big loud annoying dog. But he is a sweet boy. He is so loving. Just very dominant and loud when he sees other dogs or people. He has never bit anyone or another dog though. He's up and down. Lol. But this video explains a lot to me about his mind set.

[ShardhaRajam]

My indie rescue is about 9 months old and it’s such a relief to hear that this is the fear period typically and that if proper care is taken the situation can definitely improve.

[mi.Dalton]

Retraining my gfs 6 year old schnauzer has been a long process. Poor socialization combined with having been attacked by a bigger dog. I'll definitely be using some tips!

We've already gone from completely dog reactive on walks to being able to take most hikes and 75% of walks with no issues!

[saramations]

I feel bad for that poodle. That's not a typical poodle disposition. 😢 Glad to see you're working with him.

[Brian]

Thank you! I have a very similar situation -- a Standard Poodle, undersocialized, 9 months old. I'm motivated to help my dog get over this, but it's so hard to find the right situation to help get started. Thanks for giving me a window into what it might look like when I can finally get my dog into a situation where he can meet other dogs, what body language is ok, what is too much.

[danpatterson]

That is a super important session. Two of my dogs were acquired when they were older AND fearful and it is a pia to work with them to learn new habits.

[DaphneGsell]

I’m at 9 months with my dog and she hit a fear period. I had no clue this even existed ! This video helped me a lot.

[peternixon]

I really like your vids and the honesty in them. Pointing out where you went too far. I have a reactive dog that wasn't socialised, so this is motivating me to find other dogs.