# Socializing 9 week old in MA



## franzonaling (Jun 2, 2015)

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to say hi and some questions about socialization! My husband has been wanting a vizsla since childhood and since we got married and bought a house this past year, we've just taken the plunge. Our little wild girl Kleina is just 9 weeks old and doing the usual crazy puppy things - sharkies, eating everything, learning quickly, being adorable, etc. I'm home with her full time and my husband only works 4 days a week so we're spending every waking and sleeping minute with her. 

Besides some house training accidents and getting better each day with the crate, the big worry we have is socialization. At first we kept her playing in our large backyard, but when our vet mentioned that she seemed shy, we've been taking her on lots of walks at the park and at Harvard where's she been meeting adults (which she does great with, both sexes), and some kids (which she takes a while to warm up to). We went fishing with 2 close friends of ours this weekend, who she took to immediately - napped on them and played nicely. 

She has been nervous around dogs as well - like with the kids, she'll initially shy away and then come back for more sniffs. She's only been away from her litter mates for a week and I'm worried because she doesn't seem to remember how to romp with her own kind. She's starting puppy kindergarten next week and hopefully that will start her learning how to socialize with other dogs? We have a pretty small friend base here in MA and none of them have kids or pets. 

Maybe I'm worried prematurely, but all the reading we've been doing suggests doing the brunt of socialization before 12 weeks of age, so I'm wondering if there's more we should be doing before we run out of time with socializing her to kids and other animals? She's not done with her shots, so we believe dog parks and doggy daycare is out of the question. We're looking at Meetup.com, Craigslist, here on these forums, and Facebook in our area, Cambridge/Somerville/Medford, and not seeing too many events. We're planning to bring her to the Vizsla Club of Central New England's Fun Day on June 28th. Is there another social media venue we're not seeing? Should we sign her up for a playgroup with one of the dog walkers in the area? Are we over thinking this?? 

Thank you! Here's some pics of our first baby


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## lilyloo (Jun 20, 2012)

Hi and welcome! She is SO cute! To me it sounds like you are doing all the right things. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Some V's are shy (especially when puppies) and it cane take them a while to warm up to new people and animals. Positive reinforcement and praising her when she approaches people/dogs without being timid can work well. Try not to coddle her if she seems afraid, but at the same time don't expose her to a situation which she is very uncomfortable with because these dogs seem to remember traumatic events for a long time. Whenever she meets someone new you could have some treats stashed in your pocket and ask the person to give her a treat. 

Our girl actually took quite a while to be 100% comfortable around dogs that were larger than her. She did fine with dogs her size or smaller. If I were you I'd contact the breeder and see if you could get the contact info for the owners who purchased her litter-mates. Maybe you all could arrange a playdate?


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## trevor1000 (Sep 20, 2013)

My boy is well socialized but if I were to do it again I would have as many people as I can into my house always coming and going.
That’s the only issue he has is when someone comes to the house that he doesn’t know.
As soon as the doorbell goes off he starts to bark and runs upstairs.
It’s kind of funny; even if the doorbell goes off on the TV he barks and runs upstairs.
He will bark at someone for a few minutes and is soon all over them, but still, that’s not how I want him to greet people.
Outside our yard he won’t bark at all, but very cautious for a few minutes then he is great.
He is just very shy with new people especially in our, well his, home.
We are now leaving high value treats outside the door for people to give him when they come over.
He is figuring it our pretty fast.


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## Vizsla Baby (Nov 4, 2011)

Take her to Lowes or Home Depot with you. Even if you don't need to go, go anyway and just browse. As long as your dog can fit in the cart, you can take them in. 

You can take your dog to Tractor Supply on a leash. They have lots of dog food products and toys and neat stuff to browse through. Bring her to outdoor restaurants. 

I'd avoid Petco & Pet Smart for now for the same reason you are avoiding dog parks.


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

Fran - in our county - any place that does not serve food - the pup is welcome unless posted other wise - so a trip 2 the police station is always fun - they love it - bailout the stud muffin or hooker - fire stations are always fun - the post office - ups - fed x - your bank - this list is so long when u look into it !!!!!! if they do not love a V pup ! - neVer go back !!!!!


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

Fran - PS - bring a clean up kit with you - in a world that most of the media vilifies thouse that serve & protect us - they have the BIGGEST HEARTS !!!!!!!


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

Kleina is adorable! I just moved up to western Mass so I'm not exactly in the loop yet, but there have been some forum member meet-ups in the past and I think we'll be doing something this summer. I'll PM you if that materializes. Thanks for bringing the fun day to my attention! I'll try and make it out.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

The puppy kindergarten should help a lot. Also, here are a few more things to do on your own:

SOCIALIZATION SCAVENGER HUNT

Go for 3 car rides.
Have a bath (at home or groomer).
Meet 2 gray haired senior citizens.
Meet a person with a cane or in a wheelchair.
Visit a garden center or hardware store.
Visit the vet without an appointment and just sit in the waiting room.
Visit 2 friends at their homes.
Do "sit" and "down" for a stranger.
Go to a friend's house and leave puppy there for an hour without you.
Take biscuits from 3 different children.
Carry your pup to 3 different parks.
Ride on public transit while being carried.
Meet 3 friendly (vaccinated) dogs owned by friends.
Ride in an elevator.
Meet another domestic pet while on leash.
Take a biscuit from a man with a beard.

_p.s. Welcome to the forums!_


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## Bob Engelhardt (Feb 14, 2012)

Vizsla said:


> Take her to Lowes or Home Depot with you. Even if you don't need to go, go anyway and just browse. As long as your dog can fit in the cart, you can take them in.
> 
> You can take your dog to Tractor Supply on a leash. They have lots of dog food products and toys and neat stuff to browse through. Bring her to outdoor restaurants.
> 
> I'd avoid Petco & Pet Smart for now for the same reason you are avoiding dog parks.


Around here (suburban Boston) you never see a dog in a store, excepting pet stores. I recently noticed a "No dogs" sign at Home Depot. I think that they think that every dog will pee or poop in the place.

It's a nice idea and if you want to do it, I would call first, to avoid the unpleasantness of being asked to leave.

Bob


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## franzonaling (Jun 2, 2015)

Thank you for all the support everyone!

A few days later, I am feeling much better about her socialization adventures. We did reach out to the breeder and will be hopefully setting up a play date with her brother in NH in the next few weeks! We are also working on the socialization checklist/hunt - so far her favorite people have been 11 year old girls and these older biker dudes that hang out next to her puppy kindergarten class.

She had her first play date with my former co-worker's dogs and did SO well - it was so relieving. A little nervous at first and then she was off, sniffing, chasing, wrestling. Some pics below.


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