Joined
·
3,790 Posts
Hello everyone. So, I'm new to owning a dog - Aolani is my first ever pup - and I have been tryin gto slowly socialize him. He gets walked early in the morning and then in the evening as well. He loves walks and each time I say "wanna go for a walk" he jumps up and runs for the door. The thing is, he goes crazy when he sees someone walking towards us and when he sees another dog as well. I have been somewhat successful at getting his attention right when he sees or know that someone is nearby, but most of the time I can't and I have to walk away with him. Well, there is this culdesac when I give him more leasg and he and I run around like maniacs and today I noitced that the dog that lives in the corner house of that culdesac was out but that his owner was with him and telling him to stay. Then all of a sudden the dog decided it didn't want to stay anymore and took off in mine and Aolani's direction. Aolani was barking up a storm and I was scared out of my mind. I had a treat in my hand and tried getting the dog (french bulldog) away from us byt throwing it away from us on the ground, but he was so interested in Aolani and totally ignored the treat. At this point I had already picked up Aolani and the frenchy was standing up against my legs wanting to get a better look at him. Perhaps he just wanted to play, but I wasn't sure so I just held Aolani and tried to stay as calm as possible. The frenchy's owner finally came by and got her pup and I told her that I was holding Aolani becuase he would attack (but really it was because I wasn't sure if the frenchy was friendly or not and I also did fear that since Aolani hasn't been well socialized yet with other dogs that he might freak out too). So, after the ordeal ended and the frenchy was back home we started walking home and I got to thinking, what if it happens again? What should I do? Shoudl I carry bigger treats with me to try to lure other dogs away or should I allow Aolani the opportunity to socialize? If anyone can chime in, I'd appreciate any suggestions/feedback. Oh and fyi, we are scheduled to meet with a trainer soon to see if her program fits our needs.