2things i want i'm pondering..

[ohmai]

I know I make a lot of threads, but I'm a curious owner with a curious puppy! Lol. Okay, the first thing is: I've been noticing that my lab x husky puppy is starting change colours a bit. When I first got him, around 8 weeks, he looked like a dark chocolate brown puppy (white underside and paw), but at first glance he looked black. Now, at 10weeks I've noticed some whitening of his fur at the sides of his neck and shoulder joints, and the chocolate brown colour on his ears is showing more rich than before. Is this temporary? Or is he actually changing colours right now?

And #2, I've been thinking of enrolling my puppy in a puppy socialization class. I've also been thinking of putting him into basic and advance obedience classes eventually too. I'm just curious, if I put him in puppy socialization class, should he have gone through any of the other classes (basic or advanced?). I'm a bit hesitant in putting him into classes though, because money is sort of an issue to me. I'm only 15 year olds, with a job. I'm planning on spending my own money for him, because he is pretty much my dog. My parents also wouldn't be too happy that I'm spending that much money on him, but I don't mind.

[gapeach]

Hey, didn't want you to feel like noone was listening. Our dog Carey had a black line down her back when she was a puppy, then it went away as she got older.

On #2 I'm thinking socialization classes should come first but I don't know much about them, we really don't have many options for that kinda thing where I live.

[Saje]

I think putting him in socialization classes is a great idea. It will probably benefit you more than you can know. After he gets used to those classes you can start him in basic training I think.

And yes, they do change colours

[juliefurry]

socialization is a good idea but it's not a requirement for dog ownership. I have our dog Mack in a obedience class for older puppies just because of his breed (pitbull american bulldog mix) I want to make sure he gets around as many dogs and people as possible now seeing as he's still a puppy. I don't know about the color changing thing, although I do know that Saje is very knowledgeable so she's probably right. I do know that when we got our lab puppy her coat had sort of a chocalate tinge to it but now she's totally black.

[thewhitewitchone]

I had a lhasa that was gold and white when I got him as a pup and within a year or so he changed to grey and white. You wouldn't even know it was the same dog.


Pam

[Athe]

Socialization is the most important thing you can do for your puppy. The best time to introduce your pup to every thing is before 16 weeks when window of social learning closes.
Puppy classes do not have any pre requirements other than being inoculated against disease. They learn how to play with other pups and learn bite inhabitation.
Also, take your puppy for walks and introduce to strangers in a controlled setting and make sure all introductions are positive. Make sure your pup is used to men with hats, beards, loud voices, loud noises, bikes zooming past, skateboarders. Carry treats so you can reward your pup every time he is calm and doesn't exhibit any fearful responses. Also, don't coddle the pup every time he seems a little intimidated. For example, a garbage bag blows in front of you and your pup, the pup freaks...don't pick the pup up and reassure the pup...let the pup stay on the ground and investigate, let the pup find out for himself the garbage bag is not going to eat him. :) I have seen pups that were coddled during the first few weeks have extreme phobias and fears later in life. One person who didn't socialize her Golden properly and treated him like a china ornament ended up with a fearful, screwed up dog...now, when she goes for walks the dogs fears are so intense people have actually accused her of beating her dog :eek: I hear is all the time, my dog is fearful because I think the previous owners abused it...it could be that the previous owners were over protective and created a fearful monster. :( Just to add I do believe that bad genetics had a lot to do with this dogs extreme fear issues as well as poor socialization.

As for changing color; yes this happens with many pups as they age. Even my Newf's will get brownish in the summer due to the sun...and age lightens them up. Small white areas on a pup can get larger as they age. This is very normal. ;)

[BigDog2191]

Well, yes they do change color. I began to notice color enhancement and slight coats of a color as my puppy which is still puppy got older.

#2, Yes, obedience training is very good. But it's not something you have to do. I can't afford obedience training classes so I just teach Rocky myself.

[Allyse718]

All of my dogs changed colors in one way or another. Your puppy will get plenty of play time in with other dogs. Think of it this way. Say you have a 16 month old child, and you're debating some sort of daycare or babysitting. This is getting your child to socialize with other people, not just the people she sees daily. You wouldn't want your child to be kept away from any other kids, so why keep your puppy away from other puppies? Hope that makes as much sense to you as it does to me lol.

[Fran27]

I would definitely go to puppy classes. It's just awesome for socialization. For training, you can find a lot of information online, so you don't really have to pay for more classes. But you should learn the basic commands in puppy classes.

[ohmai]

I've signed up for a class for him today. The price seems good, not too expensive. Anybody who's gone through puppy socialization classes seen lots of improvement?

[Allyse718]

In the classes that I've gone to, they taught sit, down, stay, and come. You may also learn loose leash walking, I'm not sure if that was in puppy class or basic training classes. My puppies knew these commands fairly well. My main reasoning was to get them socialized with other dogs so they don't become aggressive. All of my dogs get along very well with other dogs. I'm so glad that people are interested in getting their puppies socialized with other dogs before they're too old.

[ohmai]

My main reason for putting him in would be that the class would be focusing on issues like house training, socialising, and mouthing. My puppy basically knows all the other stuff.

[bubbatd]

Glad you signed up !!! Puppy obedience is very important. Also, if you get the book " How to raise a puppy you can live with " it will take you through many steps up to 2 years old....a wealth of information for under $10.

[Fran27]

I saw a big improvement in socialization after about 3 weeks. At first Boris seemed to be interested in people much more than dogs, and when we were supposed to let them loose to play, he was just sitting at our feet. After a few sessions, he started really going after the other dogs. He was very shy at first, now he's really excited when he sees another dog. I know that classes helped a lot.

We currently go to basic training classes, and I don't really see a difference. In puppy classes they showed us sit/stay/come/down/off, and loose leash, and the first two classes of basic training were mostly a repeat. I still like it because it's always a challenge to get him to pay attention with distractions around him. The trainer called him a robot-dog because he's a golden retriever and is just so easy to train :D

The classes didn't help much with mouthing and house training though. They gave us tips, but it's what we can read all over Internet really. But it's nice to actually see efficient ways of training basic commands.

Anyway, let us know how it goes!