Should I be concerned? Puppy won't play with other dogs!

[Ann ~Oliver & Rosie]

Just a quick intro: I'm the proud owner of two beautiful ALD! Oliver is 2yrs 5mos. very friendly with people and other dogs, never met another dog he didn't want to play with ( unless the other was not dog friendly). So adding a second dog to our family came naturally, Rosie joined us at 9wks old and is now 5mos., they get along wonderfully! they play together, run together and snuggle on the same bed together. There is no aggression issues they LOVE each other!

So whats my problem?..I started Rosie the 5 month old in puppy class and she won't interact or play with the other dogs! She has had exposure to other dogs, my brothers english bull dog,and two yellow labs and has actively played with them! BUT Oliver was always there, she held back initially, but would see that Oliver was fine with these dogs and then she would join in. Well Oliver is not at puppy class with her!  We've only had two classes so far, I let it go the first week, thinking she would be better this week... we got there earlier so she wouldn't be the last one in, she would smell the dog closest to us, approach other people to be petted, but when it came time for some off leash play she would not play or interact with any of the other dogs, if they approached her to play, her ears would go back, and she would come back to me or my DH. I tried going to the other side of the room and sitting with other "moms" but no luck with interaction..:-( This was the primary reason I signed her up for class!!! socialization!! Should I be worried? any suggestions or just give it time?  All the other dogs were lovely! all 4-7 months old and all friendly play!

[Amy Murphy]

Hi there, one thing would be her age. She is entering the 'fear' stage which peaks at 7months. Some don't have too much trouble withthat phase, others can get kind of crazy. Try to balance exposure to new situations with lots of reassurance and make sure she knows you will protect her. It will pass especially if she's seen that it's fun
to play with other dogs and has had positive experiences with it in the past. Think of it as the same type of thing as the stranger anxiety stage with children.

[Ann ~Oliver & Rosie]

Thanks Amy, I was just surprised to see her reaction since all the dogs were around her age, she does look to Oliver for his reaction to new situations . Hopefully,she'll become more relaxed in the next few weeks.

[Richard Crowe]

Holly was petrified of larger dogs (except for our daughter's Labrador and Golden retrievers which she thought were her mom). She interacted great with little dogs, since she has grown up in the company of Maltese.  Holly was even frightened of doodles!

 

She eventually got beyond the scared stage and will now accept most other friendly dogs.  However, she is still cautious with new larger dogs.  It is just one facet of her personality which we accept.

[Ann ~Oliver & Rosie]

I think it's just such a different side of her that we don't see at home. She is all over Oliver! But as you say just a different personality, thanks for the reassurance.

[Adina P]

She IS getting socialization. Dogs don't have to choose to play to be getting socialized. Socialization is about exposing them to things...NOT getting them to LOVE everything and wanting to play with all dogs. I think the goal is to get her to be less scared but by no means should all dogs want to play with all other dogs. What does your trainer say? That is what the trainer should give you advice about using the method of training that he/she promotes.

[Ann ~Oliver & Rosie]

OK I'm just like all the other mom's here ,I want her to be a well rounded, well adjusted, high achiever! On the other hand, Rosie is the only one that went through the tunnel to find the treats, (so what if she just felt it was a "safe" place to be at the time! I guess you're All right it's still exposure, exposure, exposure.