Puppy Socialisation Class

Long time listener, first time caller

We have a 14 week old Staffie who we have recently taken to puppy classes, which has taught her very well in respect to 'sit, down stay' commands and has also had a positive impact on her diet (Nature Diet - helps with temperament, far fewer, much less smelly bottom burps and much firmer stools).

One aspect we are less comfortable with is the off lead play at the end of the evening which seem to be getting more aggressive and leads to a high level of chasing, pinning and fighting (her as victim most of time). The last session upset my daughter to the point she doesn't want to return and has me worried we are teaching her the wrong way to approach other dogs, as prior to the indoor play she was far more friendly/gentle, on and off the lead. I understand the dogs are playing, but I don't want to tolerate any uncontrolled aggression or play biting, as we have cats, kids and very young children in our immediate family.

My view is we should either sit out the leads off seasons, insist that fewer dogs are allowed off their lead, or ask for more intervention.

I'd love to get your advice as I am worried that 3 weeks into a 6 week course we could be about to teach our dog to charge/fight first, or to be worried about being pinned by larger dogs and retaliating first.

Hi there and welcome I agree that you should be a bit concerned . I think the play should be controlled and done in smaller groups in my opinion, her experiences should be positive ones at this age . If you feel she isn't gaining anything positive from this session , I would opt out and explain why .

Been a long time since I had a pup but your in the right place, maybe you could pop over and say hi

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/f7-new-member-introductions

May be an idea to have a word with the instructor and explain your concerns about other puppys behaviour to them. The classes would be a good way to socialise your puppy in a controlled environment and it would be a shame for her to miss out on this important aspect of personality creation time.

Hi and welcome. I am the same as janey four years since our lad was a baby.....but i agree it needs to be controlled and i would speak to the instructor

I would also advice speaking with the instructor. Socialization is an important part of a pups devolpment and is an ongoing process. At that age they will want to play alot and sometimes it can look very aggressive or scary. Learning how to read body language is very important since it will help ease your concerns and help you understand your pup better. Here is a link that will help

http://staffy-bull-terrier.co.uk/dog_body_language