15 week old puppy is nervous and sometimes growling now

[Tanya]

your description is of a dog that needs to gain some confidence and learn that strangers are good things. this isn't unusual for a puppy though. but she should not be punished. work with a trainer preferably as to properly desensitize. you want lots of rewards when strangers around. generally step 1 is people gently toss a treat from a distance and walk away (or at a minimum ignore her/not engage).

the growling was NOT UNPROVOKED. it just wasn't. you may not understand what the cause was, but SOMETHING (and likely unintentional and totally not meant to scare the puppy) scared your puppy to lead her to growl. She didn't do it to be a jerk. or to be aggressive. she's a baby. Or alternatively it was a play growl. which also doesn't need to be "punished"/"corrected".

Also, everyone benefits from taking classes with the puppy so I don't really think it's something "just the wife" should do. Training is done by ALL family members and everyone should be on the same page. Though understandable that you both can't attend every week with a child! But training is not something "one" family member can do and the others get off the hook. everyone has to play their part.

[zd262]

Also, everyone benefits from taking classes with the puppy so I don't really think it's something "just the wife" should do. Training is done by ALL family members and everyone should be on the same page.

This is so true! My boyfriend had to miss a lot of Bubba's puppy classes because of work trips. He felt like he wasn't as good at handling Bubba because he couldn't do the commands, hand movements, etc quite right, and I'm sure it was equally confusing for Bubba to get variations of commands when he was still trying to learn.

Plus it's a fun activity to share with the rest of the family.

[theiss]

Yep - I agree about the course.
That's why I was the main handler in the last course (puppy kindergarten), while my wife is going to be the main handler for the level 1.
This is because the instructor prefer that we do not "switch" handler during the course delivery.
I would have loved to be able to alternate with my wife during the same "level" of training.
And we can't take the course twice without paying double to get me and my wife thru the same course.
So, we figure we take turns on the next level of courses.