Was your baby labradoodle scared of other dogs at first?

[Discussing Labradoodles & Goldendoodles]

My 8 week old labradoodle just met another dog for the first time ( my friends dog,  a 5 month old bichon frise cross) and he was really scared! The little dog bounded at him and he ran away sqealing and even after an hour of being in the same room wouldn't get off my lap and  play with the other dog, is this normal?!

[Adina P]

Only for a few minutes.  When I brought Rosco home, he got to almost immediately meet my then boyfriend's two other adult dogs.  We had just walked into the backyard gate when the other two dogs were let out to meet him...he hurried back to the gate, moaned the biggest scarediest moan, and peed.  A few minutes later HE was the one chasing the other dogs.  They were all fine in the end.  I was BRAND new to puppies back then, perhaps now I would have given him a bit longer to get used to the yard, etc.

As you find other dogs for your pup to meet, keep in mind that socialization does NOT mean that you have to let both dogs free to attack each other.  I say 'attack' in a friendly way, but even so.  Both dogs do NOT have to be off leash.   They can meet from a distance and be in each other's presence for a bit.  If the older dog is trained, the older dog can be on leash or in a down stay while the pup explores.  All sorts of options besides immediate freedom and romping.  I think having a calm, controlled, trained dog to meet and spend time with might help him develop curiosity about the other dog rather than immediate shock and fright about this huge dog in his face.

On another note I once invited a new acquaintance with a doodle to a friend's backyard for a playdate.  Well...this pup was probably 4-5 months old and met my doods the second it entered the yard and the poor pup FREAKED OUT and hid the whole time.  It was sad.  However this was a pup sold at 5 weeks and while it was extremely well socialized with people had little to no experience with other dogs.  

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[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

It seems normal for him to be apprehensive at first and with so much change this past week, maybe he wasn't ready and uncertain what his place was with this other dog. In his case there is certainly no rush in making him adjust to meeting other dogs, as is the case when many of us have brought home a second puppy to our older dogs. There isn't an option then, and I think no matter how perfectly we plan to do it, such as on neutral ground, away from home, leashed or unleashed, they still have to just work it out on their own. Bella was 10 weeks old, very timid when she first met Murphy and kept trying to hide behind me. I just kept walking and let her follow as Murphy and she smelled and greeted eachother, until she took off chasing him and it's been that way ever since. She will still try to hide between my legs when other dogs first approach her, so maybe it's just her way of assessing the situation. It took her a good month to really seem comfortable and a good match for Murphy and they were together 24/7. So give it time. Socialization is important for him with other humans at this time, much more than with other dogs.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

"Socialization is important for him with other humans at this time, much more than with other dogs"

This is so, so true!

[Karen and Bridget]

The first time Bridget met our Lab, Cooper, she squealed and ran under a bush to hide.  Cooper was 4 and happy to see her but not aggressive at all.  I think his size and the unfamiliarity of the situation overwhelmed her some.  By the next day they were friends and now they are practically joined at the hip.  She is definitely the dominant one!!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Neither of my guys was afraid of other dogs, but Murphy my younger guy was a bit "stand offish".  He would size things up for a long time before jumping in and playing with any other dogs.

[Hazel & Chester Wayte]

When Chester was in Puppy Socialization classes the other puppies would play and he would hid behind our chairs.

It wasn't until we went to a few classes before he played with some of the other dogs. When the more 'dominant ' puppy was around Chester would retreat to the chairs. The last class he was a bit more engaged.

[Richard Crowe]

We got Holly (who is now five years old) at 7 1/2 weeks because she was gaining a pound a day and if we had waited longer she would not have fit in an airlines carry-on bag.

 

Holly lived with our Maltese and she was petrified of larger dogs.  It didn't matter what kind.  However, she just loved all small dogs.

 

She is just fine with dogs of all types now...

 

[F, Calla & Luca]

Luca was once scared to death by a large dog belonging to a neighbor. He was on one side of our fence, she was on the other. But she was trying to get to him and something she did or a noise she made sent him running like a bat out of h@#$.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Just to state the other side... Ned was not shy or afraid of our dogs at all from the get-go.  However, Ned was with a kazillion litter mates and 'cousins' and our dogs were calm when they all met; plus Ned was 3 1/2 months old. When Ned is unsure he just acts aloof so, luckily for him, we didn't offer him any 'poor baby consolation.'  Ned's insecurity showed with doorways.  He was a bit concerned when we stood in a doorway and tried to get him to go through - we have our guesses about that, but my point is that he got over it and I'll be your sweetie pie will become less fearful as he matures.