# Upset tummy after puppy class



## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

Poor Fezzik. He had his first 'Graduate Puppy' class today. He survived but all the BIG, bouncy dogs were stressful. About 30-35 minutes in, he lost all interest in his treats. He spat out his normal high-value treats and ignored the bison ones. The kibble has mildly acceptible. I fed him so many treats to keep his focus on me and not the other dogs. I probably overdid it.

Now he has a really upset stomach. Enough gas to clear the house. His stools are loose. And he isn't letting us know when he needs to go out to pee. It is a mess.

Any ideas on high value treats which I can stuff nonstop in his face during class? Something stinky but mild.

Here is a pic of Fezzik having us with yard work until it started pouring.


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

You overfed him with 'treats' and it has made him sick. You may have a long night too. I imagine he will feel much better tomorrow. Withhold his regular meals tonight and tomorrow morning and see how it goes. But this is part of the "live and learn" experience with puppies. It appears FEZZIK is not ready for further, advanced puppy classes at this time. Don't push him too hard, let FEZZIK tell you when he is ready to proceed further. When he gets intimidated at class, perhaps after 10 minutes, pick him up and let him watch the goings on from the safety of your lap while you pet him and reassure him. Give him a break, let him mature for another month or so before proceeding further otherwise you could cause socialization and fear problems with larger breeds and older dogs. I don't think you have caused lasting issues, just take it nice and easy and listen to his needs.

Thank you for sharing your experience. This provides a valuable lesson and reminder for everyone on HF - it happened to me too.


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

He actually did quite well in the class. The trainer from his kindergarten class believed he was ready for Graduate Puppy. I was able to get him to venture out a little from our corner. Fezzik is attentive to me and ignores the other dogs. He does his commands very well. I think I was more stressed than he was at first. He is so little. I overfed him. I also missed his cue that he was done. The spitting out of the treats was probably it.

I told the trainer when we got there that he was timid. She made sure that he was in a safe spot and picked the calmest dog to be next to him. It is a great training facility. I think Karen goes there too. Fezzik is the fourth dog I have taken there. 

I just have to calm myself down and find treats Fezzik likes but won't upset his stomach.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

First, it may have been a one time problem.

Second, you do have to learn to read your dog. And we ALL sometimes make mistakes reading our dog and sometimes push too far. Next time you'll know not to! I would warn that using food as try to override stress never ends well. Think back to the amount and type of treats that you were using in your other class when it was not upsetting his stomach. Try to limit yourself to about the same amount of treats. If you need to use much more than that, sit out for a while with him in your lap, and just let him watch. There is value in that too!

My guess is that as he gets more used to his new classmates, he will find them less stimulating, and will settle in and react to them pretty much the same as he did to the dogs in his old class, and you won't have any more trouble!


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