puppy classes

Hi, went to third puppy class last night when it was time for puppy play and off leads, the teacher had them all off except Vinnie who she put on a long lead. He is very excitable more so than the rest who seem to plod about with their tails between their legs. Whilst the other pups were snapping at each other Vinnie just stole little Mollys duck and ran off with it and not taking a blind bit of notice of the other dogs! The teacher said Vinnie didnt know how to play yet he was the only one actually playing with a toy!! He had two prizes for staying in the longest at sitting and down command ( bit like musical chairs!). I felt very upset at the time but figured she knew what she was talking about. Any comments please?

I think that the trainer was trying an exercise to attempt to have them interact with each other off lead to devolp and access how they would socilize. If the other dogs had their tails down it just meant that they were nervous or unsure of what to do.

Staffys can tend to play a little rough and if the other dogs were snapping at each other I would take it as a positive that Vinnie avoided the situation and went off on his own.

inez maria wrote: The teacher said Vinnie didnt know how to play yet he was the only one actually playing with a toy!!

Not all dogs like to get into a big free-for-all with other dogs. They may prefer to play with one or two, or just play with a toy on their own!

I wouldn't worry too much about this. Vinnie wasn't being aggressive or anxious, just wanted to play with a toy rather than loads of uncontrolled pups! You'll probably find that if there had just been one or two other pups there, he'd have played quite nicely.

many thanks, these comments do make me feel so much more at ease

I sometimes think that these puppy classes tend to treat all pups the same, and I'm afraid they're not. Just like humans, I suppose, they all have their own little ways, and you need to find a 'happy medium' for your particular dog. Some are reall outgoing extroverts, some are very submissive & meak & some are just about in the middle!