Meeting other dogs on walks

[tritonx]

Little Jamie is now 16 weeks and has had his third set of shots, so I've been taking him on short walks in the neighbourhood. He's mostly interested in sniffing where dogs have peed and is wary of sounds, cars passing, people approaching, and has only recently met people when he is on the ground. He does approach, backup, approach, backup with is bum in the air. Eventually he will approach and stay for a pet. So, though he gets over things quickly, he seems quite nervous about new things. The other day there was a dog barking in a house we were passing and Jamie turned around and pulled on the leash to go home. I let him put distance as he needs it, but there are lots of dogs in our neighbourhood. I don't know if he's a particularly nervous dog or it's just so new to him. Also, I don't know how I should deal with other dogs on leash approaching. At what point should I let him greet or be greeted by other dogs? He doesn't have any experience other than his litter mates. Fraser, being a spaniel, was all waggy tail and greeting keen, but this pup is more wary. Any ideas of how to approach widening his world now that he's fully vaccinated?

[Pepsi Hawks]

He will become more confident, just try to keep the walks short and try and not make too much fuss. I have been watching a lot of training videos from Southend dog training on Instagram (lots of handy tips) more experienced people on here will be able to help you better but the confidence will come ours wants to say hello to everyone now which is becoming a problem so I guess it's a balancing act.

[bizzylizzy]

Hi! All pups are different and even within the same litter there‘ll be the bouncy up front ones and the more nervous ones who need a bit of gentle encouragement. I‘ve shuddered at people I‘ve seen thrusting their dogs forward with a „Go and play“ and watching them be mobbed by an over enthusiastic playmate. I think its better to take things slowly and allow Jamie to build up his confidence in his own time, you can voice reassurance and treat him so he develops a positive association with new things. We have a lot of cattle around here and I remember taking Humphrey right up to the fence when he was little and feeding him bits of chicken  I did the same with tractors and trucks which my previous dog was terrified of. You can introduce him to crowded areas slowly, starting with places that aren’t quite so busy and building up, all the time keeping things positive.
As far as other dogs  are concerned, the golden rule is either both on the lead or both off the lead and when on the lead I only ever allow a quick greeting and only if they‘re both obviously happy with the situation. I think you need to try and suss the other dogs out first, maybe try and find someone with a gentle dog that Jamie can play with but not all dogs get on, there are dogs around us who Humphrey just hates and others he loves for, to me anyway, no apparent reason.
The main thing is letting him discover the world in his own time and not allowing others and their dogs to overwhelm him. 

[bizzylizzy]

He will become more confident, just try to keep the walks short and try and not make too much fuss. I have been watching a lot of training videos from Southend dog training on Instagram (lots of handy tips) more experienced people on here will be able to help you better but the confidence will come ours wants to say hello to everyone now which is becoming a problem so I guess it's a balancing act.

Yes, that’s a good point about not making a lot of fuss, - keeping everything „normal“ is the best way of teaching him that’s things are nothing to get het up about! 

[tritonx]

Good. Reassuring feedback which is what new puppy owners need a fill up of from time to time.  I'll keep on doing the short neighbourhood walks and letting him get used to the sounds and sights. I'm thinking I will avoid other dogs as his approach, retreat and sometimes barking might set the other dog off. He does that with people, but haven't yet tested him out on another dog. He really doesn't like barking, even at a distance. There was an incident at the last puppy class where another puppy a couple of months older than him and about the same size started to bark at the trainer's dog that she brought out to demonstrate some techniques. Jamie freaked and wanted up on my lap which he doesn't normally do. I was sitting with Jamie by my side and the other puppy owner was also seated about 10' away with her pup that barked. I picked him up, but the whole time the barking continued, Jamie shivered with fear. I wish in retrospect I'd just got up and moved him away from the situation as he seemed to be overwhelmed. When he's distracted/fearful like that he's not interested in treats. I do have to keep reminding myself (as with toilet training), he will get over it all in time.

[sueneil]

See if you can find a puppy socialisation class or Kennel Club Good Citizens class in your area-both would be good for your puppy.