1st KinderPuppy class kind of a bust

LOL, Bella's first day of school didn't quite go the way we'd hoped. She was so painfully shy, sat shivering with her tail tucked between her legs, either under my chair or on my lap. Poor girl!

Of course it didn't help that every other puppy in the class was MUCH bigger. There were 2 Boxers, a German Sheppard, 2 Labs, a Bull Terrier and a Lab/Collie X. She's only used to being around my mother's teacup poodles, so she took one look at these extroverted monsters and said "Ooooh crap!"

The instructor seems really good though, and has high hopes that Bella will come out of her shell over the next couple classes.

And she wasn't too traumatized.. 2 minutes at home she was bounding around the back yard, tail wagging, and whirley-gigging as usual!

she sounds just like Kosmo was!! He hid under the chair for about 3 weeks into puppy class and as soon as another dog came near he would tuck his tail or try to hop up on me.. :roll: I left him be on the ground and acted like it was no big deal. Eventually he came out of his little shell. He was voted most improved in both classes because his confidence is still coming along. (he's a weiner.. icon_whistling )

Other than that - wasnt puppy class a blast?!

Oh yeah! We had a great time. Everyone in our class is really nice, and I just love watching puppies play. I also really enjoyed the Bull Terrier, brought back so many memories of my first dog and being in puppy class with her. I really miss her so much....

Bella is no worse for wear, though. Hopefully my little wiener girl will come around after a few classes, too. If anything, it made me realize just how much she needs this for socialization alone.

One thing I'm finding though is people either know exactly what kind of dog she is, or they think she's a Cocker Spaniel. Do you get that too??

Chelle, it sounds like Bella's first day of puppy kindergarten went much the way Coco's did! All the other puppies in Coco's class are large breeds and she is also the youngest! Coco was chased by the other puppies during the off lead play time! She then hid under a chair. I felt so sorry for her but I tried to act like it wasn't a big deal. I try to do that each week, but it's so hard!

She's been getting a little better (kind of), but I really really wish there was at least one other dog her size in the class. Coco is nearly finished her puppy kindergarten now. Before I enroll her in obedience 1 class, I am definitely going to ask if there are any smaller breed dogs in the class. She really needs more socialization with dogs! This class didn't seem to help too much for her in socialization. She was great with the rest of the training and commands. I am sure Bella will be fine especially since she has been around your mother's poodles. Also, every dog in Coco's kindergarten class was a nervous wreck on the first day- they all were much better as the weeks went on. It really can only get better from here! :flwr:

All of the puppies we have kept have been to puppy class. Of our 12, we had 2 that were like you describe. Just scared of everything. It took 3 to 4 weeks, but they finally came around for the most part. Not as outgoing as some, but they didn't cower under the chair either.

Give Bella time and be patient, that's what puppy class is for. I'm sure she will come around. Wouldn't even hurt to re-enroll Bella for a second go-around if you need to. Socialization is very important.

We had the opposite problem with Daisy. She was hyper-excited to meet all the people and dogs so she was constantly lunging and jumping at her leash to get at everyone. She even seemed to try to be assertive over a couple of the other dogs (a Cairn terrier and a huge yellow lab). At one point she actually barked at another dog in a bossy kind of way (and she had never barked before!)

At one point, the Cairn terrier's mom said "No (dog's name), don't antagonize Daisy!" Because whenever Daisy was within a few feet of any other dog, she just went nuts. Another symptom of her place in her own mind as alpha female and the queen of her domain!

The next dog we get will come from the middle of the pack, not the top! There was one german shepherd pup in class that acted very shy, as you described, but all the other ones were pretty calm and confident. And then there was Daisy...

Good thing we love her to pieces!

Daisy's Mom said:

The next dog we get will come from the middle of the pack, not the top!

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LOL, Daisy sounds like a hoot We thought Bella was pretty much middle of the pack. She wasn't the alpha, nor the runt.

To be honest, I'm not even sure where this extreme shyness is coming from, she's not ordinarily like that! We take her to Petsmart with us all the time, and she'll take pets from anyone, tail-wagging. At home, we have a chain-link fence on a corner lot, so we get lots of walkersby. She runs up to the fence to greet everyone who walks by, which are mostly people walking their dogs. She has no problem going nose-to-nose with other dogs through our fence. Her tail is always wagging.

The only thing I can figure is at home, she has the fence between them, kind of like a security blanket. At Petsmart I'm usually holding her, because she doesn't walk well on a leash yet. In puppy class, I think she was overwhelmed and intimidated by 7 much larger dogs in the same room, plus the scent of a thousand other dogs. :shrugs:

Bruce, I agree. I already told my husband if she's still that timid by the end of the course, I'd want to repeat it with her. I definitely don't want my girl to grow up skitty!