Did Somebody Say ... Puppy Party ?!?!? (NN)

CaSHMeRe

CaSHMeRe

New member
Hello my fellow NNers ...

Kaylee went to her first "puppy party" yesterday, and might we say, it was quite the experience. Every dog kaylee meets, she tries to play with. Only 1 white german shepherd plays with her, and all they do is play bow with each other. Other than that, Kaylee plays with our 2 kitties, mom and dad, or by herself. So, to say the least, this was a HUGE treat for her.

she has never "rough housed" with other dogs. because she has to play nice with the kitties, she has learned to be very gentle. yesterday was a wake up call. right off the bat, we met a 3 month old aussie shepherd. His owner was telling us he was the 3rd most aggressive in the litter, and that is what they wanted ... :uhoh2:

So, the party begins. Kaylee, 1 aussie shepherd, 1 black lab, 1 lab mix, 1 boston terrier, and 1 VERY dominant pug. Right off the bat, the aussie chases Kaylee making her cry :mad: ... he literally runs her over several times and starts nipping at her ... Kaylee is the slowest dog I have ever seen run. The party host (our trainer) said Kaylee was a timid/shy dog, and she would probably warm up. (Didn't make sense to me since every person/dog she has run in to she loves) ... and i thought it was just the overly aggressive aussie ...

So, the party continues, and Kaylee won't leave Joanna's side nor my side and just sits and watches the other puppies rough house and play. She eventually gains the courage to check out the kiddie pool, and after about 20-30 minutes of watching, she decides to try her luck and play again. The 2nd time around, the aussie seemed to know Kaylee was alot more "gentle" then he and he actually toned down his playing quite a bit. THey started wrestling under a chair for 10-15 minutes, and eventually, several of the other dogs joined in. When the other dogs started running around, Kaylee tried to chase, however, she was just too slow and gave up and watched...

Overall, it was a VERY positive experience. Kaylee learned many many valuable lessons, and we will be going back next month!

And now ... for the pictures ...

The "Meet and Greet" before the party begins while everyone is still coming in.






The Party Begins, and as you can see, the Aussie just doesn't let up. Kaylee gets annoyed and starts crying and trying to run away.




Sitting in the pool by herself watching the other puppies play. First experience in a pool, and she seemed to really enjoy it! :groovy:








Slowly gaining her confidence to go and check out the other puppies ...


Finally, the Aussie calms down and plays "nice" with Kaylee and they become best buds !!! (in this picture, she is actually really enjoying herself)




THE TABLES FINALLY TURN and KAYLEE GETS HER REVENGE !!!




When all was said and done, and she had made several new friends, it was time to go home. An earthquake couldn't wake this sleeping beauty. :snore:

(on the way home)



(Once Home)




 
Murphy

Murphy

New member
Oh My Lord.. The ones in the pool are just absolutely precious... What a little doll baby..
 
charityd

charityd

New member
Precious Cutiepie :) I'm glad that Aussie finally shaped up. I was wanting to reach through the computer to correct him when I read that he made sweet Kaylee cry.
 
NessaM

NessaM

New member
I think some dogs are people-oriented, and some are dog-oriented. Nanook was very much a dog-oriented puppy and would ignore people in favor of playing with other dogs - Pooka was the opposite and while he loved to play with other puppies, he'd much rather be flirting with their owners. Sounds like Kaylee is a people-person! I'd like to see that Aussie when they're both two years old try and boss her around again! He'd be smiling out th' other side of his face!
 
CaSHMeRe

CaSHMeRe

New member
charityd said:
Precious Cutiepie :) I'm glad that Aussie finally shaped up. I was wanting to reach through the computer to correct him when I read that he made sweet Kaylee cry.
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it made me sad as well ... our trainer really made it seem like it was Kaylee's own fault that she was crying and should shape up .... i wanted to :cussing2:

NessaM said:
I think some dogs are people-oriented, and some are dog-oriented. Nanook was very much a dog-oriented puppy and would ignore people in favor of playing with other dogs - Pooka was the opposite and while he loved to play with other puppies, he'd much rather be flirting with their owners. Sounds like Kaylee is a people-person! I'd like to see that Aussie when they're both two years old try and boss her around again! He'd be smiling out th' other side of his face!
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this is definitely Kaylee ... i don't think she has met a person she doesn't like. She seems to trust people way more then other dogs. Its hard to socialize with other dogs around, especially ones that don't barrel/run her over when they play. (this has happened several times)

Every Saturday we take Kaylee to the outdoor mall where literally HUNDREDS of people pet her and talk to her and tell her how beautiful she is, and she never seems to get tired of all the attention. Once she is fully vacinnated and registered, we will try a dog park ... hoping i can find a somewhat clean one with nice puppies :eek:

Thanks for all the comments guys !!! they are much appreciated.

The Aussie was just about the same age as kaylee and actually seemed to weigh a little more. Our little darling doesn't weight more then 17-18 lbs. at the very most ... I think we are going to have a little one for a long time! which joanna and i both don't mind.
 
NessaM

NessaM

New member
Well, it's not Kaylee's fault that the other dog is so much more confident and rowdy (those shepherds!), but the right attitude to take with her as a baby is to act like everything is fine, send her positive, confident vibes with your body language without saying anything or making eye contact, and let her work it out for herself. You don't want to baby her or coddle her too much because it is important that she learn to be around other dogs in her own right. It doesn't sound like you were babying her though.

When she goes to another party or at the dog park, let her take things at her own pace, (it's nice to find a place with a bench or similar that the more timid puppies can hide under so there's some element of safe retreat), but try not to interfere yourself too much with the interaction going on - you don't want to pick the puppy up or hold the other dog back unless the interaction is really negative/violent. I always try to act the way I've seen other dogs act in a similar situation. Completely uninvolved unless things get out of hand, and then distracting the other puppy rather than paying attention to my own.

The more she interacts with other dogs and puppies, the better she'll get at interpreting the signals of the other dogs, and sending her own signals, and the more confident she'll become.

Pooka was a little shy his first few times at the dog park. He'd tuck butt and run to hide behind our legs every time another dog tried to play with him. We just sidestepped so that he was no longer behind us, we ignored any symptom of timidness on his part completely and instead spent a lot of time making happy noises and petting and playing with the other dogs. (Which a. interested him and b. distracted the other dogs so Pooka could get a good look without being investigated himself.) His curiosity got the better of his fear eventually.

As long as you don't reinforce her fear by paying attention to it (which then makes her think she's got good reason to worry) she'll come along fine!
 
Emma & Nigel's Mom

Emma & Nigel's Mom

New member
I can't decide which photo I love best, either the pool one, or the pooped out one, oh heck, I don't have to choose I love them both!!! She's so precious!
 
CaSHMeRe

CaSHMeRe

New member
NessaM - That is completely what we tried to do. We wanted her to be able to confront the situation head on without counting on mommy/daddy to stick up for her... and after 20-30 minutes, she finally got that message. When she would go and hide under our chairs, we would turn them upside down so she couldn't hide and walk away. The only time we let her under was when she was playing with the Aussie and they were "getting acquainted" ... then they played in the open along with other dogs. By the end of the party, her and the aussie were best friends. Like I said before, I think what really threw her a curveball was the fact that she has to play with kitties very very gently or they get fed up and smack her across the face. dogs are a whole other ballgame, and I think she finally realized that!

I can't decide which photo I love best, either the pool one, or the pooped out one, oh heck, I don't have to choose I love them both!!! She's so precious!
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Thanks !!! Nigel is coming home soon !!! can't wait to meet him!!!
 
Erika

Erika

New member
the pool pics and the last pic have warmed my heart.....what a precious girl!!!! Shes beautiful!!!!
 
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