Social Situation Training

[atlantahavoc]

Butch,
My three year old has been living in a small college town with me since he was born. He's had some socialization (a few fights, nothing serious as he was not very serious about them), and is very friendly around people (has never shown aggresion towards any person), but what worries me is that I now live in a large metropolitan area where there are no open fields to run with him. There are mainly city parks and a few running trails. I guess my questions is: is he too old for me to train him anything new? What methods can I use to socialize him into these multi-dog situations (he is only social with other dogs once he has been around them for a few days)? Can I get him to play nice with other dogs without neutering him or turning him into a submissive, nervous wreck?

Reid Tankersley & Havoc :confused:

[PresaRed]

Hey Ried

I know this question was directed to Butch and not me, but I went through a similar situation with my 3 and a half year old bitch Red.

I purchased her when she was 2 years old, and she had been living at the breeders kennel her entire life. Although she'd been around other dogs her whole life she'd met very few people and hadn't been subject to the kind of distractions you get when living in a city.

For the first couple of months she was not very comfortable when we were walking around heavy traffic and buses, with lots of people. But as I kept taking her out and introducing her to more people, and different situations she adjusted.

A year and a half later, I don't think there is much of anything that could bother her (besides anybody doing anything threatening towards me or my family).

My advice would be to take Havoc everywhere with you if that's possible, and expect him to be a little nervous initially. As far as other dogs go, just keep letting him meet others and you may find that he becomes more social, if not, you may find that he can't play with other dogs of the same sex.

Hope this was in some way helpful.

Mark

[atlantahavoc]

yes, Mark, thank you. He will also have to get used to my girlfriends one and a half year old Silky Terrier (10 lbs.) because we are moving in together next month. But with the small size I think Havoc will take more of a big brother roll or just ignore him. As for the park situation, I don't think Atlanta is ready for "Havoc Unleashed" anytime soon....but you never know

Reid

[ButchCappel]

Thanks, Presa Red,

All I could add, Reid is that neutering is Waaaaay over rated for controlling agression.

Do what Red said

[atlantahavoc]

Yeah, I didn't want to even think that was an option. Off hand , do either of you know of any Presa owners in the Atlanta area that peruse this board or otherwise? I'd love to get in contact with them and see what they do....