Sorry but really disagree with some points here and dog trainers would as well.
Dogs critically need socialisation with ALL TYPES of other dogs, large and small, outgoing and quiet. They can end up with lifelong socialisation problems if the only dogs they ever encounter are shy introverted dogs, and puppy hood is a crucial window (the ONLY easy window!) for them to learn to be sociable. Many puppies need exposure to more outgoing dogs to come out of their shell and learn how to interact socially with other dogs in a normal and safe way (a dog that cannot is a target for lifelong attacks as it can send all the wrong signals). Many people unfortunately misread normal puppy play -- which is by definition often rambunctious and can appear very rough, as can adult play! as 'bullying' or bad behaviour. Stopping interactions and hiding a dog away from such interactions again risks llfelong social problems and risky interactions and an adult that has little confidence and can end up with fear aggression!!! All serious, serious owner/dog issues that can make owning a dog a constant headache rather than a pleasure (I speak as the owner of a poorly socialised rescue, Lily, who makes life with the dogs more difficult and frustrating at times than it should be, not least as she always has to be managed around other dogs and immediately put on lead if another dogs heads our way on walks, etc. Her issues means she is the dog that most often gets left at home and left out of fun interactions -- a less rich life for her
).
Please, if people have concerns about interactions,
talk to the trainer running the class a pup or adult dog is in. Real bullying is extremely rare with puppies. More outgoing pups
need to interact with calmer pups to shape manners. Shy dogs
need to interact with outgoing dogs to learn to play, and also crucially to be able to indicate THEMSELVES in a polite way that they have had enough. If play gets really rough, then dogs can have a time out,
but they need to be allowed regular normal dog interactions.
It is NORMAL for puppies to growl, nip, tumble, chase, bowl each other over.
Some dogs are lifelong play growlers and many people screw up their dogs by trying to punish play growling and other normal puppy/dog play behaviour (or lack of training), thinking this shows 'dominance' for example. Puppies also MUST interact with other dogs to learn bite inhibition! Sheltering them away means they do not learn this critical skill as readily, as easily, or at ALL -- and can be a lifelong risk as a biter (of humans as well as dogs).
Puppies badly need a lot of active playful and even, yes, rough interaction to become normally socialised, well adjusted adults -- and politer dogs with their humans too.
Some pups of course are quieter than others but should never be overly shy -- if a pup is really timid I'd be thinking one of three things: very poor socialisation by the breeder and/or homed too young (especially under 8 weeks but 10-12 weeks is much better); or health issues causing fear of being touched.
Think about it: if a child is kept so sheltered that she never learns to interact with all types of kids, she will never learn how to politely excuse herself, have a debate, choose friends, recognise play vs aggression. Dogs need to lean this and they need the chance to practice those responses *all their lives* by meeting as wide a range of dogs as regularly as possible -- not just shy quiet dogs (imagine how incapable any of us would be if our view of the world was one populated only by shy quiet people! We'd have a hard time interacting normally with people, would misread -- at possible serious risk -- others' intentions, and never know how to politely get away from unwanted attentions.
A couple of helpful things to read: is that other dog really a 'bully'? Most likely not:
http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/body-language
A critical point:
The Quiet TypeBasically, most dogs have two bona fide reasons to bite: 1. Because they are dogs and that's what dogs do and 2. Because by and large, people are not very nice to them.
When dogs are upset or frightened, they don’t call a lawyer, or write a letter of complaint, they simply growl and bite. Ironically, in the rare instances when a (usually) fearful dog does follow through, he is often accused of unpredictably biting without provocation — without warning and without reason. In reality though, there were most certainly many good reasons for the dog to bite and he most certainly gave numerous warnings, even though the warnings may have been too subtle for most human observers.
Many dogs do, however, bite with little threat or warning, but this has very little to do with aggressiveness. On the contrary, the vast majority of dogs bite because they are fearful, frightened, unsocialized, and/or lack confidence. A bite might be expected if the dog were cringing, or snapping and lunging, but often the dog's standoffish demeanor is the only overt warning. And of course an unsocialized sleeping dog may bite if disturbed or frightened. Other dogs bite due to uncontrolled rambunctiousness. The dog may be in a decidedly happy frame of mind and is only doing what he did as a puppy, because no one taught the puppydog that unsolicited playbiting was unacceptable. Now the adolescent dog's playfulness is out of control and he hurts people. Thus a dog may bite with nary a growl. Indeed, the biting dog may be playfully wagging his tail!
There is an additional, quite insidious reason for a dog to bite without warning. Originally the dog would growl whenever he was upset. Although people heard the growl, they did not listen to what the dog was saying. The dog was upset but no one paid heed. Instead they punished the dog for growling. The dog now had two reasons to be upset, the original reason and the fact his owner is angrily bullying him — and so, the dog growled more. Unfortunately, the level of punishment was increased until it effectively inhibited the dog from growling. The dog no longer growled, but he was still upset, in fact, very upset. Now we have the equivalent of a time bomb without the tick. The dog is doubly upset but no longer shows it, because the owner systematically punished him for trying to communicate his feelings. By all means instruct a growling dog to shush but ALWAYS investigate and attempt to resolve the underlying cause.
Also:
http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/puppy-outside-home
http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/socialization
http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/fearfulness