Places to take my puppy

B

Biscuit

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I'm taking my 8 month old sheltie Christy out 3-4 times a week as desensitization to new surroundings and people. So far the only places we go on a regular basis is at lowe's/home depot and a nice park. That's about it. I can't take her to petsmart since she is still reactive to dogs that she hasn't met. I also don't want her to practice the behavior which will make it worse. We will focus on dog socialization in the next obedience class.

So are there any other places I could take her? Especially places that are indoors? For outdoor locations I will try to bring her to different parks and walking around.
 
You have to scout out the indoor places. I've found that some small retailers love to see puppies or dogs with their owners, so I usually ask when I'm in there. I have a Yankee Candle store in my town and the ladies there just love it when I bring the puppies in. Your town hall is usually another good place, and small local hardware stores. Banks are good too. I find any place your puppy will encounter new sights, smells and people is a good learning experience.
 
I just learned that some of our local Lowes started adding signs to their door saying no pets allowed. I'm not sure if this is a chain wide thing or an individual manager thing but I know folks here would take their dogs to Lowes so you may want to check before going.
 
Believe it or not, DSW shoes is a good place. I used to bring Oberon there all the time in his carrier (and later on a leash, once I was sure he was potty trained). As mentioned above, call around before bringing your dog anywhere. I found most places that didn't sell food were open to the idea, as long as he was well behaved. Best Buy was another place that had no problems, as was Bed, Bath & Beyond (he rode in the shopping cart there).
 
exposure

take your puppy to noisy places, school yards with bells, and fire stations that have trucks going out, and nurseries or rock quarries, because they need to know about noise and not to be concerned about it. I took mine EVERYWHERE I could think of that would give them exposure.
 
The only places we can take our dogs inside are pet stores. But mine still managed to be socialised very well, in fact they are uber socialised. Try sitting at a café - best to start in the quiet times, usually after lunch. Stand outside schools and to the side at shopping malls. You best bet is to let her stand aside and watch what is going on before throwing into the mix of things.

For a dog-reactive dog I'd actually recommend heading to some dog competitions, trials and shows and just sitting quietly and watching for a while.

If you're doing obedience, get to classes early so she can watch other dogs arriving.
 
I don't know what part of California you're in, but where I am, the outdoor malls, like Fashion Island in Newport Beach are very dog friendly. I was there on Sunday to, unfortunately buy a new computer at The Apple Store and not only did they allow my dog in the store, there were 4 other dogs in there too.
 
Thanks, and I am aware about Lowe's new policy. I still take her there and the workers are fine with it. She sits in a cart and doesn't cause trouble. I also have seen many dogs there. Hobby Lobby would be a great idea, I'm really into arts and crafts, so I could shop and socialize her at the same time. I will call them. There is also a shopping area with Best Buy, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Old Navy next to each other. I heard that Old Navy is also dog friendly, so I might try going there.
 
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