Thank you all so much for you thoughts, I really do appreciate it.

Kathy, Molly sounds very much the same as Kayos. I did let her interact with almost any dog we came across. And now she is leash reactive (although getting better) and I think it is barrier frustration. She wants to go and play and she can't.

That's why I am trying to do things differently with Cooper (although I do suspect his temperament is and will be totally different than Moo's).

I did used to take her to the dog park and she never had a bad experience but I am not going to take Cooper. Although when he has finished his vac's I plan on being outside and using it as exposure while working on focus.

I think I need to find some friends with dogs

I do want him to be neutral to dogs/people/

Thanks again

That's our biggest challenge too!

Maybe a classified ad - desperately seeking friends with appropriate dogs!

Not a bad idea!!! Or try to find some one in the local club that wants to arrange play dates.

Kayos went to the dog park 3 or 4 times after she was 6 months old. She was never attacked but she was bullied by a Sibe once and we left quickly and never went back. Lesson learned. For some people the only method they have to lot thier dogs play is a dog park. Hopefully they use and chose carefully. I think dog park management is getting better than it was 8 years ago when Kayos went.

Havoc has never been to a dog park. I would rather pick and chose who he plays with as I know the dog. I don't think they need to play with a lot of dogs but I do think they need to play with other dogs regardless whether they are strictly for competiton or not. They still have to be able to exist and behave with other dogs.

I am certainly not a serious Schutzhund trainer but I am dabbling it in. I do see a distinct lack of social skills among many of the SchH dogs I see. That is fine if that is what the handler wants but I want to do other things with my dogs and I don't think letting them play with other dogs detracts from thier focus or obedience. Havoc had no problem keeping away from and ignoring the other dog when we checked in with the judge. The other dog went after him and the judge got all over the handler for failing to control his dog. I think allowing them to play and interact makes it easier to teach them when it is allowed and when it is not. I think someone with several dogs can accomplish within their own pack but if you only have one or two dogs I think they need more. JMHO.

I use screened dogs to play with Risa too. She's already dog reactive and doesn't need any more bad experiences. So I'm über picky about who I allow her to play with. She may only have good experiences with a limited selection of dogs, but even that has increased her confidence around her own kind. And I'd hate to increase her bad experiences by letting her interact with just any dog!

Thank you both again

We went to training again tonight and while I was working him, he totally ignored all that was going on around him (dogs, goats, a couple of kids...). So long as I can keep that up, I will be more than happy.

He did get to have a tiny play with one of the trainers 10 week old GSD girl. And later on I just brought him out to watch the other dogs.

And today he met the neighbours Lhasa Apso.

That's the thing I will not take him into the dog parks here but eventually I would like to take him to the beaches where he will encounter other dogs. I just do not know enough people with dogs I would think are suitable. But I guess I can ask at training if at the end, he could have a meet and greet.

Bianca, not sure what training you are doing with Cooper (SchH, I think right?) but most people, at least here will not do meet and greets on club grounds.

Mostly because they want the dog to be in the mind frame that "this place is where work is done, play time is with me only".

When my dogs go to the field to work, they NEVER meet other dogs for play time or any sort of meet and greet other than working next to one another or for the check-in (mock trial, working on something specific).

They view this place as a working area and I want and need my dogs to be in that mind set.

Now, we also train at my breeders house (farm with training grounds on it) in the winter and I find it harder to get focus there, not only because there are horses, geese they herd for fun, cats running around, and other fun smells but because they associate this place with play time. They go there to play with her dogs, run around the race track, etc... they come onto the property with a different mind set and you can visually see that.

I would ask the people in the club to meet away from the training grounds, find somewhere fun to take them, like the ocean, etc.. ? Hiking trails?

JMO.

Thank you Elisabeth, that makes total sense.