How Old Was Your Dog

1. How old was your dog when you first took it to training classes?
We trained Kato ourselves, but at 18 mos. I took him to a group class for an obedience refresher course.  Our previous dog went to group classes at 11 weeks or so and also had private lessons at our home.  

2. Why did you do it at that age?
Kato came to us at 16 weeks of age and he was easy to train at home.  Max was our first young puppy and we wanted to get him in training ASAP. 

3. Did your breeder, shelter, rescue, or vet tell you about the importance of early socialization?
With Max, the answer is no, but we knew that ourselves.  Kato's breeder, definitely yes.  He told us all that he had been doing with Kato up until the time we got him since his socialization period was over anyway.
4. Did you spay or neuter your dog?
Yes, both at approx. 6 mos. of age.  Reason being, the less the dog weighs the less anesthesia it takes and less risk to the dog.  Plus, we aren't breeders and wanted them neutered.    
5. If so, how did you decide at what age to do that?

See above for anesthesia risks!  Also, Kato was a cryptorchid and we wanted it done early for health reasons.  Some giant breeders like to keep males intact for a few years to get the most out of their growth.  That is a big debate, but not important to us.  I prefer to put a dog under anesthesia at 90 lbs vs. 230 lbs.!!

1. How old was your dog when you first took it to training classes?
a little over a year old
2. Why did you do it at that age?
I wanted to take her to puppy classes at 6 months old but she had a few health issues and a major surgery so I had to wait till she was most of the way healed from that.
3. Did your breeder, shelter, rescue, or vet tell you about the importance of early socialization?
The vet suggested it from the first day she saw my dog and noticed her behavior. I also knew that my dog was hard to handle because she was so hyper so I asked the vet for the best trainer and she gave me suggestions of where to take her.
4. Did you spay or neuter your dog?
Yes
5. If so, how did you decide at what age to do that?
I wanted her spayed before her first heat, she was spayed at 6 mo.

Just an anomoly for your research..after I got my first doberman puppy about  10 months into marriage;  my husband took my (now our) 13 year old terrier mix to training.  We originally did it so we went together (only one car) but it turned out to be a pretty good idea.  He learned about her, she learned about him,,,good outcomes all around.

1. How old was your dog when you first took it to training classes? 

No training classes. Started at 1 year and 2 months.

2. Why did you do it at that age? 

That is when I got him.

3. Did your breeder, shelter, rescue, or vet tell you about the importance of early socialization?

Got him from a friend who didn't have a clue. He had inadvertant socialization around small animals. Friends of theirs had a JRT and and a tomcat that he grew up with when he was little. Plus, he was around little kids. That is, they didn't purposefully socialized him, it just happened as a result of surrounding circumstances.

4. Did you spay or neuter your dog?

Yes.

5. If so, how did you decide at what age to do that?

2 years and 5 months. For a little more than a year after getting him, there were a few offers to have him sire a litter. Education from here and elsewhere convinced me otherwise. So, I neutered him when we had the time and money.

I'll answer for my Mom's dog since I was a primary caregiver and did her training...

1. How old was your dog when you first took it to training classes? 
She was just about 8 months, when she started coming to my high school for socialization and training.  She came to us at 6 months during the summer, so we socialized her with our neighboors and their puppies in the meantime.  She got TONS of socialization between all the neighboors dogs, and all the people.  We also took her on a lot of trips in the car to other peoples houses, so she could associate the car with good things. 

2. Why did you do it at that age? 
We adopted her at 6 mos. of age and we all wanted to start asap, and since I was in a high school whose focus was companion animal care it worked out very nicely.

3. Did your breeder, shelter, rescue, or vet tell you about the importance of early socialization?
No, actually they did not.  They missed that section, but thankfully we knew. 

4. Did you spay or neuter your dog?
It was a mandatory part for us to adopt her, but regardless we would have done so anyway.  It was just really convienent that they had a visiting vet who came by and did discount spays at that shelter, whose cost was already figured into the adoption fee.  

5. If so, how did you decide at what age to do that?
We had no choice in the age, all dogs at that shelter must be spayed/neuterd before they were allowed to be taken home by the new owners.

1. How old was your dog when you first took it to training classes?
Casey was six months old, and Carley was twelve weeks.

2. Why did you do it at that age?
Casey had parvo so the vet told us we couldn't take her out in public until the beginning of the next year- when she was six months old.  By the time we got Carley I had figured out how important it is to socialize and knew that I would have a problem if I didn't get her around other puppies since she was taken at six weeks.

3. Did your breeder, shelter, rescue, or vet tell you about the importance of early socialization?
No, I don't think so.  I think the breeder that we got Carley from assumed that we knew already, or I just didn't hear them.  When my parents were going over things with adopting Casey with the volunteer, I was out in a field playing with her already so I didn't hear any of it.
 
4. Did you spay or neuter your dog?
Yes.
 
5. If so, how did you decide at what age to do that?
Casey we were told to spay at six months from the shelter.  Carley I wanted to show so she didn't get spayed until she was two since she didn't turn out as planned and I had a hard time admitting it.

1. How old was your dog when you first took it to training classes? 7 months
2. Why did you do it at that age? Longer attention span, less apt to get frustrated
3. Did your breeder, shelter, rescue, or vet tell you about the importance of early socialization? yes
4. Did you spay or neuter your dog? yes
5. If so, how did you decide at what age to do that? 6 months so avoided first heat

ORIGINAL: spiritdogs

Humor me, I'm researching again...
1. How old was your dog when you first took it to training classes? 
2. Why did you do it at that age? 
3. Did your breeder, shelter, rescue, or vet tell you about the importance of early socialization?
4. Did you spay or neuter your dog?
5. If so, how did you decide at what age to do that?

 
1.  Max was between 3 & 5 mo. when I got him in July. Classes began in Oct. so I guess he was between  6 & 8 mo. old
2.  I wanted to get started as soon as possible after he finished his puppy shots.  Also, I had known his trainer for a number of years and really liked what I saw when she was in the park working with her own dogs.
3.  No, but he seemed like someone had been socializing him for awhile.
4.  Yes. 
5.  The shelter actually made that decision. "No snip, no adoption."  If they hadn't insisted on it, I would have had it done within a couple of months anyway.
 
Joyce
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

1. How old was your dog when you first took it to training classes? 
8.5 weeks
2. Why did you do it at that age? 
Training - I had read that I should start training right away. Socialization - I knew he would be an only dog for at least a few years and needed this opportunity to socialize him w other dogs.
3. Did your breeder, shelter, rescue, or vet tell you about the importance of early socialization?
No, I bought him from a BYB, she wanted nothing to do w me once she got that $.
4. Did you spay or neuter your dog?
Yes.
5. If so, how did you decide at what age to do that?
Our vet said to wait until he was at least 6mo... the timing & finances were perfect when he was about 8mo.

1. How old was your dog when you first took it to training classes?
1.5 years old. 

2. Why did you do it at that age?
I don't remember exactly . . . I adopted him at 8 months and it was anither couple months before we went to class. Partly it was scheduling of the classes and other stuff going on in my life. Partly it was becuase he is reactive to other dogs when leashed and I hesitated about class b/c I wasn't sure he would be able to handle it well. (He did great in the end! But I think it would have been harder w/o the couple months' worth of attention and "watch me" type of work we did b/4 class).
 
3. Did your breeder, shelter, rescue, or vet tell you about the importance of early socialization?
Yes, the shelter where I got him gave me a new adoption packet and there was a section on that. But it was too late for Ace, who was 8 months when I got him.

4. Did you spay or neuter your dog?
Yes.

5. If so, how did you decide at what age to do that?
The shelter where I got him requires that all dogs be altered as a condition of adoption.

1. How old was your dog when you first took it to training classes?  She was 1 year, but we had only had her for a couple of weeks
2. Why did you do it at that age?  Because we didn;t get her until that age, but we wanted her to get some training right away. We had already been failures as dog owners once, and we weren't about to give it another half arsed effort
3. Did your breeder, shelter, rescue, or vet tell you about the importance of early socialization? No they didn't. I didn't know anything about socialization until I started watching that dreaded show on tv.
4. Did you spay or neuter your dog? It was already done but we would have done it had it not been
5. If so, how did you decide at what age to do that?n/a

1. How old was your dog when you first took it to training classes?
Lucy - 12 weeks
Zoe - 2 yrs?
2. Why did you do it at that age?
Lucy - was my first puppy class (loved it)
Zoe - rescue waited about 2 months after we got her for a class to open
3. Did your breeder, shelter, rescue, or vet tell you about the importance of early socialization?
My first dog when I was green, green the breeder was very helpful
4. Did you spay or neuter your dog?
Yes
5. If so, how did you decide at what age to do that?
First dog waited a year before he was neutered
Now 6 month's before adolescents

1. How old was your dog when you first took it to training classes?  I am waiting til March/April to put Xena in obedience classes because the roads are bad in the winter and I don't want to miss any so she will be 10/11 months when she goes.

2. Why did you do it at that age?  Cause I wasn't able to get to classes being roads are bad and I couldn't get time off for work.

3. Did your breeder, shelter, rescue, or vet tell you about the importance of early socialization? No, I have always socialized my dogs to some extent, even the farm dogs.

4. Did you spay or neuter your dog? Not yet, but she will be at the end of this month. Things came up and I had to cancel her spay appointment and then she went in heat so I had to wait.

5. If so, how did you decide at what age to do that? I prefer to get my dogs fixed at about 6 months but things came up and I couldn't.

Humor me, I'm researching again...
1. How old was your dog when you first took it to training classes?
4 months old 
2. Why did you do it at that age?
She was that old when we adopted her. 
3. Did your breeder, shelter, rescue, or vet tell you about the importance of early socialization? No, the foster 'mom' did not mention it at all.
4. Did you spay or neuter your dog? It was already done.
5. If so, how did you decide at what age to do that? n/a