DennasMom
Well-Known Member
We took Denna out to lots of places as soon as she came home - but not "EVERYWHERE"... being in "city" too many bad dog owners have ruined it for us... BUT...
We did go to Home Depot, the local garden center, (not allowed in REI anymore here in Seattle area), PetSmart (in a cart), puppy play groups with our trainer, walks to the grocery store (to sit out front and people-watch). We also go to the vet's office a lot (it's only 2 blocks away), so she can stand on the scale.
She's 1 yr old now, and we still try and get out and meet people once a week. We have a big outdoor mall with a great dog supply store that I hope to get to this week. We haven't done enough around little kids, so Denna still gets over-excited when there are toddlers around. Hanging out at the school sounds like a great idea - as long as the teachers and parents don't get afraid of me and my 125lb "puppy" lurking around the yard.
We have visited off-leash parks - we have one big one here that gets CRAZY busy on the weekends (I haven't been there on a weekend or evening for 8 years), and a smaller, local one that is much more laid back. Normally just 2 or 3 other dogs in the park during lunch on weekdays. The local park is small enough that you can walk up, see everyone who's there... and if you don't like something, leave. We did wait until Denna was probably 8 months old to visit the off-leash park (small one first). She needed to be mature enough to handle it, too. She had plenty of dog-socializing with classes and play groups up to that point. We also got her setup with daycare, so when she had to be boarded she's familiar with the place.
We did go to Home Depot, the local garden center, (not allowed in REI anymore here in Seattle area), PetSmart (in a cart), puppy play groups with our trainer, walks to the grocery store (to sit out front and people-watch). We also go to the vet's office a lot (it's only 2 blocks away), so she can stand on the scale.
She's 1 yr old now, and we still try and get out and meet people once a week. We have a big outdoor mall with a great dog supply store that I hope to get to this week. We haven't done enough around little kids, so Denna still gets over-excited when there are toddlers around. Hanging out at the school sounds like a great idea - as long as the teachers and parents don't get afraid of me and my 125lb "puppy" lurking around the yard.
We have visited off-leash parks - we have one big one here that gets CRAZY busy on the weekends (I haven't been there on a weekend or evening for 8 years), and a smaller, local one that is much more laid back. Normally just 2 or 3 other dogs in the park during lunch on weekdays. The local park is small enough that you can walk up, see everyone who's there... and if you don't like something, leave. We did wait until Denna was probably 8 months old to visit the off-leash park (small one first). She needed to be mature enough to handle it, too. She had plenty of dog-socializing with classes and play groups up to that point. We also got her setup with daycare, so when she had to be boarded she's familiar with the place.