[Masha]

Hi,

I've got Masha for two weeks now and she is 14 weeks old. She's a great puppy, quite typical vizsla puppy, I would say. She was born in the country side and it seems to me that she sometimes tends to be frighten from city noise. In most cases, when I get her out, she quickly does her things and drags back to the apartment. She seems kind of lost, scared and unsure. She does similar thing when meeting other dogs (not always!), especially if the dog is bigger than she is. Otherwise, in normal circumstances she acts very lively, healthy and according to typical vizsla temperament descriptions that can be found on this forum. I'm trying to get her used to other dogs by getting her more often to the park areas where other dogs can be found to play with.
If anyone has a tip on how to socialize her better and get rid of that fear, I would be happy to hear it!

 

[gunnr]

Masha is still very young, and many things are new to her.

Dogs, most animals and pets for that matter, thrive on the regularity of a routine. They are able to "plan their day" so to speak around event times and evolutions, ie feeding time, going out time, etc. That she desires to "retreat" back to your apartment to me speaks to a confidence issue. She recognizes the apartment as safe, and there she is most confident.

Everyone want to socialize their puppy and who doesn't like to show off their new vizsla puppy, but sometimes the puppy needs a lot of "downtime" to process everything and compartmentize it into a picture that they understand, and are confident with.

I would back off on the socialization and just work on bonding with Masha. At two weeks old the relationship and interaction between the two of you is growing exponentially each day.
Let her get bigger,a nd older, and take things at her own pace for awhile.

PS.

When you encounter other dogs that she is clearly uncomfortable around, pick her up and let her process everything from the security of being with you. Become her safety net.