We bring real-life people and situations to class at OhMyDog! so the pups can get a real-life experience, and we can coach you on how to help the pup make the right decisions, and learn to be a good canine citizen about whatever life has to throw at them.
Kids are not exception, and, with their jerky movements, wild jumping and rough interactions, they can be really hard on shy pups and can leave a really bad impression.
So we devised this little game.
When a pup is shy, the kid may approach (slowly, from the side, making himself small) and toss some treats for the dog, then walk away. Each time the pup looks at the kid with social curiosity, he gets praised by the owner.
When a pup is wild, the kids retreat back to the departure line and possibly even turn their back to him. As soon as he’s calm again, the kids can approach him calmly, and interact. As soon as he starts getting agitated and jumping up, etc. the kids just take a step back and wait for the pup to make the right decision.
The video shows you a little extract of that lesson.