Hi! I have a wonderful 4.5 month old rescue pup that I’m trying to get better socialized. Right after her last round of shots, she got a UTI, so we are now just getting her out and about. She does ok in crowded settings and meeting new people/dogs—she lets other dogs approach her and sniff with no pulling or aggressive behavior. With strangers, she will smell their hand and then get shy and try to hide (but is ok if people continue to pet her past that).
We started her at Petco playtime last week and she also did reasonably well. She was shy at first as usual but once she warmed up and wanted to play, she was very high energy, barking, jumping, etc. The trainer said she likes to initiate and is a bit demanding and that makes me a bit nervous. She has also done this after getting past the shy stage with dogs she meets in public.
I’m wondering how to (1) better get her out of her initial shyness with strangers and (2) improve her puppy play manners so that she doesn’t scare off other dogs. Our current daily routine: taking her to large outdoor malls, 1-2x 30 min walks, play sessions at home, and obedience training to help manage her high energy. All my friends have older dogs so I’ve held off on scheduling playdates with them out of fear that my hyper pup will be too much for them. Any recommendations for us? We were thinking of taking her to a nicer dog park in our area but not sure since she is only a few months old. Thanks!
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