Just Ranting

As some of you have seen i got my Chloe a week ago today she is 10 weeks old now. Anyways, I had her out yesterday on the leash i have been taking her on short walks several times a day rather(sp.) than taking her on one long one. But the reason for this rant is yesterday when i had her out our neighbors kids were outside (they are bad anyway) one of them started HISSING at poor little Chloe. Not really sure what to do because i wanted to yell at him and tell him to shut up and stop doing that but being the nice person that i am i didnt. What should i do cause it was scaring Chloe a little bit (she stopped wagging her tail and froze in her tracks and started to run off but i tryed to take her attention off of it which it did work but i want the kid to not do that) Sorry for the long post. Just need some ideas for what to do if he does it again.

Go to the parents and say they are intentionally irritating/scaring your dog, and that you would like them to stop.

I was so mad i didnt even think of that but i think i will.

Well its a level headed approach, the parent will stop it, shows you at least you are willing to resolve it politely. If things continue, report it

yeah if it happens again i will for sure say something.

Expose the dog to it more, and bring some yummy treats and fun toys along. Teach her that loud, startling, unusual noises of all kinds are nothing to be concerned about.

Sheltering her away from such incidents is not going to do anything for her, but teaching her that you are a trustworthy leader who will not let any harm come to her will.

If you can, take her out to places where a lot of people are, such as mall parking lots, school yards, churches etc. and always, always bring the yummiest treats and the best toys. That way you will get a well socialized dog who isn't easily shaken by unexpected happenings.

I also highly recommend Ian Dunbar's book "Before and after getting your puppy", it has invaluable advice.

I have been taking her places she has been fine at my aunts house. And also at my friend's houses at least once or twice a week who also have young children,and other dogs but I guess it was because they have been raised around animals, and know how to act around them

That's helpful, but there's a difference between socializing puppies at people's houses and actually taking them out to unfamiliar places with unfamiliar noises and smells.

Ideally your puppy would have met 100 different people alredy by the time it's 3 months old - the time at which the most critical socialization period is over.

Ok i am planning on taking her walking to a big park tomorrow where there will be lots of children and lots of adults so hopefully that will help cause i have only had her a week and she is adjusting well here. except for that little incident. But i have been using alot of the tips suggested by the people in here so that was my main concern because i got chloe when she was nine weeks old and i have a very short time period before she turns 3 months old. And she was only with her brothers and sisters before that. (I got chloe from a lady that found them when they were 5 weeks old)

Good plan!

Just don't forget to bring along the most fun stuff to make it a great experience. Don't feed her at home but instead bring her food along and ask people you meet if they want to give her a treat. Soon she'll just love to meet people and get used to all kinds of situations.

And while the ideal socialization period ends at 3 months, this doesn't mean that you can't continue your socialization work. Spend as much time as you possibly can socializing her with peopel and (familiar) dogs, and as soon as she has all her vaccinations, work on socializing her with many, many other dogs as well.

I will And I am so glad i found this forum and all the great tips and advice that people in here give Thanks for the info everyone that replied

I would just tell him to stop.