[HadassahSukkot]

I'm not sure what is driving this as she has only been with us a month. She was the last of a litter of 5 to go to a good home, she lived with both of her parents and had lots of other visitors from other litters (same breed) and she played outside.

My only guesses are:

• She's not getting enough exercise/outside time since moving to our apartment (a possibility) and this is anxiety/boredom.
• She really doesn't know what to do with any non-family dogs.
• She is just being a puppy and will grow out of this.
• I need to intensively socialize her. (How? Where?)

Here's what I have been doing so far:

1. Get her comfortable and well adjusted in our home.
2. Get her well adjusted to playing with the boys or retreating to me if they are bothering her.
3. Co-sleeping. (really and truly the best option for us)
4. Outside as much as I can handle and insist on DH taking her on a walk at night.
5. Going on trips/walks where she will see/smell or encounter other dogs.
6. Take her to the restaurant when we go so that she learns how to behave there.
7. Take her to the mall so she learns how to walk around a lot of people and navigate other dogs. (I go for starbucks, she goes for a learning experience )
8. Take her to the Home Depot type store so she can walk around with me/us to check out the different things in the garden center, the pet center, and wherever I actually need something from. (She will encounter the occasional dog here)
9. Walks around our neighborhood and out in the fields. (also encounters dogs here)
10. Take her to the Kindergarten and back - she encounters dogs along the way (three different streets have occasional yard dogs or people walking dogs) and also at the kindergarten there are people who tether their dog outside (I keep her on my arm and with me because I do not know what she will do and she is not chipped yet )
11. Watch shows with other dogs (all breeds) and tell her what they are doing. If she gets upset at working dogs, explain "they are working - you are safe."
12. Go to the city (various ones) and walk the inner city marketplace. She will see, hear, smell and sometimes come across other dogs. Downside - this makes her anxious. I had to explain to her that the big Alsatian was not going to eat her, but was curious and working with that big Policeman beside us. She still asserted she was my dog and no one was to bother me.
13. Going to the pet store, even if we only get one small treat. She will see other dogs here and possibly meet them.
14. Training - We're working on "sit", "stay", "shake", "gimme five/ten", and "down". -- sounds like a lot, but this is mostly problem solving training since she likes to paw at us for attention or take our hand, and she tries to get in our laps to eat at the table. (Her breeder did feed her at the table )
15. Work on getting potty training down to timing + "the only place to pee/poop in the house is the pee pad"
16. Lots of chew things because of teething
17. Lots of love
18. Lots of play time indoors including chase/tag and fetching
19. Introducing her to things she is scared of on walks (look, this is just a motorcycle/bicycle/fence/statue/car/bag blowing around)
20. Introducing her to things she is scared of at home (vacuum cleaner or other noisy household items)

I'm confused a little because she is a Cavalier King Charles (non-bark-y breed and non-aggressive), AND she is a puppy. She has been around dogs, so this is a "since I moved house" thing.

There really is no reason for the anxiety/bark and protect everything I own instinct to kick in because I'm all cool and relaxed, I am not usually anxious in the city centers or the mall when I go, even with her. Also, all the dogs here are super well behaved. I have no issues with 99% of the dogs I've ever encountered in the mall. If she isn't cool with being sniffed, they back off and owners are very responsible. People have been nice and asked to pet rather than just launching at her -- Germany's pretty darn dog friendly.

I haven't had a dog in about a decade (mine passed away in the horrible tainted pet food scare - a bit of old age + tainted food killing her) and when we got her she was a year old. I'm just wondering what I can do to help her out and figure out that not all dogs are out to get her so that people don't look at me like I have this horribly ill behaved puppy.



I have thought hard about socialization classes but I can't find any near us (like an hour away, yes, but then we're talking 500€ for 10 sessions + gas for driving that far), and I've thought about asking people I know who have dogs if we can get together... but I don't know them well enough to really invite over or be invited over. I've thought about asking to get together with the breeder and mami/papi dog, but I don't know if that will mix up my baby with thinking I will leave her there and amp up any anxiety I haven't picked up on.

I know, some of this is my anxiety talking rather than hers. We're stuck with our financial situation so all my "fix it" solutions have to be low or no cost. More walks? more sitting outside in the front yard reading and just letting her sniff around and get used to the fact there are a billion other dogs in Germany?

---------- Post added at 01:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:07 PM ----------

Oh and she goes on lots of car rides and can wait in the car in her carrier/pop-up tent transporter -- she's great with that.

Honestly, on 99% of the issues we have, I know it's puppy related and "it will pass". I'm just anxious about the running scared and needing to be picked up (or hurting herself trying to launch into my arms) if a bigger dog barks at her from behind a fence, or trying to get away (ouch! my arm sockets!) if she sees another dog come bounding in her direction.