<p>Tonight was our first puppy socialisation class run by our Vet Centre. We signed up to the 3 week course when we took Merlin to get his first injection and health check. <br>
We were first to arrive followed by a Cockerpoo, a Springer Spaniel, a black Labrador and a Whippit. All the other puppies were bigger and a few weeks older than Merlin but that didn't seem to bother him initially as he tried to prove his worth by excitedly barking at all the other dogs for the first five minutes. <br>
To start with we all got to hold and play with all the other puppies which was nice and we were given a handful of treats which Lunar the black lab swiped from my hand and gobbled up instantly. Everyone loved Merlin's puppy coat and oooh'd and ahhh'd at how cute he was :-) <br>
Next we were told about how to hold a puppy and get them used to being groomed. It was nice to know that we have been handling Merlin correctly so far. <br>
After this the puppies were given some play time. The Springer and Labrador were first up and we're wrestling around on the floor. After they'd finished Merlin was given the Cockerpoo to play with. When the puppy approached Merlin seemed fine but when he went to sniff his behind, Merlin he gave a warning bark and ran and hid under my chair. We thought this was just initial nerves but as the class progressed and Merlin was invited for play, he continued to hide behind me in the corner. The vet nurses said that this is not unusual and that it's because it's all new for him.
We were also given tips regarding canine dental health and nail clipping... I took special notice of this following the last nail clipping ordeal!
By the end of the night, Merlin was still lying under my chair but was a lot more relaxed. He seemed more at ease just watching the other dogs interact and taking mental notes. He did walk over to the weighing scales on his lead which was a first and we are pleased to report that he is now 2.4kgs!
Fingers crossed he will be a little more confident next week and maybe there won't be too many boisterous spaniels around to intimidate him.
When we returned home we ran him ragged in the hall playing Merlin-in-the-middle with his sneaky ball, which paid off because he slept soundly all night!
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