Skitttish around other dogs? And scared of water.

[Mckenzie and Remington]

I took Remington to a park today and thought she would d love it! whenever a dog would get near her she would whimper like they were biting her and all they would do was sniff her. She got better as we kept walking but sometimes she would even pee when they came close. Will this just get better with time? She lives with a golden retriever that weighs 100 pounds so she is not just scared of something bigger than her, it was any size dog. Any ideas how to ease her into it?

Also How do you help them like water? if thats even possible.. she will follow me in if i walk in it but she really doesn't enjoy playing in it,,, any suggestions?Don't make me go in the water mom!!

[Judy, Meg & Polly Wolly Doodle]

Such a cutie.  Do you walk your dogs together? Since they get along that might give her a bit of courage.  Dog parks can be overwhelming and it is hard to control what is going on with other people's dogs.  Is it possible for you to put her in situations where she only meets one dog at a time.  She looks pretty young and I would not give her a lot of new experience all at once. By the way, she is a cutie.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree with Judy. Dog parks can be overwhelming, especially for a young dog or puppy who hasn't yet had much socialization. Meeting new dogs one at a time or in small controlled groups like puppy classes or day care is better.  Many of us here have had bad experiences with dog parks and don't use them at all.

Not every doodle loves water. Mine is 50% Labrador Retriever and hates water, won't go near it. 

[Sam&Bella]

It really depends with Bella.  She likes big dogs that are calm,and annoys little dogs:) We were at a fair, and she was playing with a huge great dane! I was really proud of her! I thought she was going to be scared!

Bella does not really like dog parks because the dominant dogs  get together and chase her. One time she was being attacked by a small husky and it was trying to bite her. And the owner didn't even care! Suprisingly, she is not scared of dogs because of that. I think if  you bring her to a park (not a dog park) that only has a one or two dogs, and keep her on a leash, after a while she might get used to them.

As for the water, Bella does not like it at all! I try to bring her to the sprinkler slowly but she runs away. And when we put her in the pool, she gets out right away! I made a group called "Water Hating Doodles". You can join if you want and we can figure out how to make them like water:)

[Amy and Annabelle]

Annabelle can be picky about dogs she likes. There is no criteria that I can see as far as size, except for aggressive large dogs. I have seen her totally ignore a yorkie on a walk and then want to play with a different one somewhere else.

Annabelle loves her kiddie pool and has spent all summer lounging in it. She also loved the beach, the one and only time she was there, but didn't swim, just did her usual laying in the water or walking in it. She wasn't too crazy about the sand though.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Oh! She is adorable.  She has my favorite scruffy look.  I would keep exposing her to people, places, dogs, water, noises, but not all at once. I wouldn't force her closer than she is comfortable. Usually with more exposure they get less fearful.