# I want shutzhund people help me analyze this pup scenario.



## gabyeddo (Aug 14, 2013)

Today, I took my 8 1/2 months to pet smart to get a tag. I thought it would be good to take her to different place. I did some obedient commands like sitz, platz, fuss. It's Saturday. So, there was adoption. So, I walked my pup around. She was friendly to everyone and cats and dogs, but there was one pitbull pup in the crate. My pup approach the pitbull slowly with wiggling tail, all of sudden the pitbull pup started barking at my pup. And my pup was scared that she tried to run away. I pulled the leash and padded her like it's okay to be scared. 
My concern is that Is it a sign or anything that I should worry about going into shutzhund sport?
I socialized her with other pups and people in puppy class early at 2 months and kinda stopped at month fourth because the helper at the club told me not to do that. He wants a pup to focus on me and only want to play with me not other dogs,but she is friendly with everyone who approaches her.




Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## hunterisgreat (Jan 30, 2011)

Worry about what? What it means or what it might effect in IPO?


----------



## nikon22shooter (Dec 5, 2013)

Worry that she's a sissy hahaha. 

Only teasing


----------



## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

not a schutzhund person, but wanted to say, patting her during a scenerio like that can be "reinforcing", I would have just walked away making no big deal out of it.

Second, it's very understandable a dog in a crate is going to react like that, I would never let my dog go up to another dogs crate and investigate/sniff it..Asking for a reaction which you got..


----------



## Eiros (Jun 30, 2011)

If you're interested in SchH, you should still give it a try! My dog would have reacted like this too honestly, and we are giving it a try because it sounds fun. I don't think this scenario is very telling, but even if he doesn't end up liking the bite work much, there's still OB and tracking. Training can help boost a dogs confidence, so you might be surprised about what your dog can do. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Did your dog re-engage? Did she try to come back to the crate? If she was totally put off by it, its not a good thing, but its not a horrible thing. You have an 8 month old, that pup was probably 8 weeks old...most older dogs do not react that way towards puppies.

I would also never approach a dog that's in a crate. The dog is restrained, it has no where to run, and so it will only have a fear based, aggressive reaction. More confident dogs/pups wouldn't react in that way, but you will see that most dogs do react that way when they're in a crate and a strange dog walks towards them.


----------



## gabyeddo (Aug 14, 2013)

She turned back and looked again but I just walked to the tag machine and didn't go back there. While I was engraving a tag, that pitbull pup walked out and they saw each other again. My pup was in platz position behind me and my feet stepped on the leash. The pitbull lunged toward my pup but his owner pulled him away while my pup still in the platz position and keep looking at that pup.

Well thank you guys for answering.
Seem like this was not a big deal.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Geez, methinks you have a little bit unreasonable expectations.  Eight months is still a baby, pretty normal reaction I think. 

Also I would be happy that she has enough sense to stay away from another dog that is looking for a rumble. My five year old defers and submits to my older dog, who tends to be a bully - doesn't affect his confidence in training in any way - he is just being smart at home and respects the other dog's senior status.


----------



## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

JakodaCD OA said:


> not a schutzhund person, but wanted to say, patting her during a scenerio like that can be "reinforcing", I would have just walked away making no big deal out of it.


The thinking on this has changed considerably. Comforting your dog when they are scared or uncertain is not "reinforcing" the fear. See Suzanne Clothier, for example: Myth of reinforcing fear | Fearful Dogs


----------



## marbury (Apr 3, 2012)

I'm not in a spot where I can watch the video, but based on the text in that Clothier article I'd have to question the connection. Rats don't have the complex social interaction. Plus, that was food motivated, not contact motivation. If we totally ignored but stuffed a treat into our dogs mouths every time they exhibited fear of a stimulus or object maybe there would be a closer connection to the rat study.

I'm not necessarily disagreeing since I haven't seen the video in the link. I just think from a scientific perspective rats getting food without human interaction is in no way comparable to a dog getting a pat after exhibiting a fear response.


----------

