The puppies and I went to the lake today. It was finally sunny and slightly above freezing (40+ woo hoo).
Bailey is “aggressive” according to our puppy class instructor. Bailey had his first class at Petsmart this past thursday. It was not a pleasant experience. He was scared and he growled a little. No biggie, but she blew it way out of proportion. She even managed to say “this is why puppy socialization is so important – otherwise you end up with a dog like Bailey.” I don’t think she meant to be rude and once I explained that he was a rescue she was much more understanding and did point out that his “aggression” is not at all my fault.
So Friday we went back to Petsmart. We needed a new leash and a seatbelt. (Having a dog laying on your arm and blocking the gear shift does not make driving fun or easy.) I think he might be afraid of Petsmart because that’s where the rescue used to take him every weekend to find him a home.
Saturday we went to Heather’s to play with Colby, who is also in our puppy class. That actually went very well. They were playing and getting along much better than they did in class.
Today was the excursion to the lake. All the snow is finally starting to melt. Poor Comet fell in a puddle. He’s had a bath now and looks all handsome again.
All in all, I think Bailey is going to do fine in puppy class. He was friendly with both adults and children at the lake today, he didn’t bark at everyone like he does here at home. He was still a little scared around other dogs, but everyone at the lake is anal. No one there lets their dogs socialize. I’m not sure if it’s because they’re afraid of how their dog might act or of how my dog might act. I guess all we can do is keep going to class and having play dates with Colby.