Socialization [ Again ]
yes, again lol
I think this is really important, so I'm always bringing it up.
Thought it'd be cool if we could compile a list of places to socialize pups, & the semantics of it. [ on leash, holding the puppy, in a shopping cart, etc. ]
--- Best Buy
- The one I worked at allowed you to bring dogs in, but they HAVE to be on-leash or in a carrier or being held constantly. I'm sure this varies from store-to-store, but all our managers were HUGE dog lovers & let any dogs in. [ I'd check with the store manager, make sure to keep them away from the electronics & knocking stuff down tho! lol ]
--- Bass Pro Shop / Outdoor World
- I've been told by several employees that dogs are welcome here as long as they are on-leash, & have confirmed as several dogs have been brought in by other customers while I was shopping.
--- PetCo / PetSmart / PetSupermarket / etc.
- These are obvious, but figured I'd add them in. I'd be weary tho of taking a young pup in who's not fully immunized yet. Too many dogs & no vaccination requirements to bring them in...
--- Local Pet Boutique
- All the local Pet Boutiques [ the ones that sell premium foods ] all allow dogs into their stores, and LOVE meeting their customer's pets. I would be weary tho, as like PetCo / PetSmart there are probably a lot of dogs going in & out of these stores.
All I can think of at the moment, please add! ~
I think this is really important, so I'm always bringing it up.
Thought it'd be cool if we could compile a list of places to socialize pups, & the semantics of it. [ on leash, holding the puppy, in a shopping cart, etc. ]
--- Best Buy
- The one I worked at allowed you to bring dogs in, but they HAVE to be on-leash or in a carrier or being held constantly. I'm sure this varies from store-to-store, but all our managers were HUGE dog lovers & let any dogs in. [ I'd check with the store manager, make sure to keep them away from the electronics & knocking stuff down tho! lol ]
--- Bass Pro Shop / Outdoor World
- I've been told by several employees that dogs are welcome here as long as they are on-leash, & have confirmed as several dogs have been brought in by other customers while I was shopping.
--- PetCo / PetSmart / PetSupermarket / etc.
- These are obvious, but figured I'd add them in. I'd be weary tho of taking a young pup in who's not fully immunized yet. Too many dogs & no vaccination requirements to bring them in...
--- Local Pet Boutique
- All the local Pet Boutiques [ the ones that sell premium foods ] all allow dogs into their stores, and LOVE meeting their customer's pets. I would be weary tho, as like PetCo / PetSmart there are probably a lot of dogs going in & out of these stores.
All I can think of at the moment, please add! ~
Comments
Same thing with parks, sit on a bench, read a book and relax while people walk past.
Puppy Introduction to People, Places and Things
Socialization Scavenger Hunt
Child 1-2 years
Child 3-5 years
Child 6-8 years
Child 9-11 years
Child 12-15 years
Dog trainer
Elderly person
Food delivery person
Girl/Boy Scout
Groomer
Jogger
Mailman
Man in suit
Man wearing hat
Package delivery person
Person in wheelchair
Person on bike
Person on crutches
Person on rollerblades
Person on skate board
Person wearing sun glasses
Person with cane/ walker
Person with umbrella
Police officer
Sales clerk (pet store)
Soldier
Vet Receptionist
Vet Technician
Veterinarian
Woman wearing hat
Woman wearing heels
Young adult 15-18 years
Airport (planes visible)
Bank drive thru
Baseball game
Beach
Bookstore
Bus stop
Elementary School
Fast food drive thru
Football game
Garage sale
Gravel road
Groomer
High School
Home improvement store
Hospital
Library
Middle School
Near hot air balloon
Outside/Outdoor mall
Outside of drycleaners
Parking garage
Pet Store
Picnic
Playground
Preschool
Public Park
Retirement home
Soccer field
Stairway (open, indoor and outdoor)
Train station
Veterinary Clinic
Walk in the rain
Adult dog (large breed)
Adult dog (small breed)
Bell
Camera
Cat
Chair with wheels
Childs play set
Electric fan
Fish
Garbage can
Hair brush
Hair dryer
Kitten
Large cardboard box
Metal dog kennel
Metal statue
Mirror
Motorcycle
Nail trimmers
Noisy child’s toy
Paper bag
Plastic dog kennel
Plastic garbage bag
Puppy 11-12 weeks
Puppy 13-16 weeks
Puppy 5-6 months
Puppy 7-8 months
Puppy 8-10 weeks
Stone statue
Tile floor
Water hose
Waterfall/ Water fountain
It really will make socialization a scavenger hunt! lol Sounds fun [ watch, you'll here about some crazy lady / me on the news chasing down people screaming "PET ME DOG!!!!!!" lol ]~
I never did the PetCo thing with my puppy in a shopping cart. Knowing he was a little cautious anyway, I didn't think he would take to the noise and movement very well, but I know some of the new owners of his littermates did it and had very good success with it.
See the bit I just added to the Raising Wyatt thread on what we actually DID at Home Depot, Murphy's and Lowe's.
I think Tractor supply and rural king allow dogs I'm not sure, but I thought I saw that somewhere and some restaurant or coffee shops allow dogs in the outside seating area.
This is a good thread for new dog owners thanks for posting this. =)
Another good place is college campuses. I say this because I work at the University, so it's an obvious one for me, but there are usually enough people around who will pet a pup, and people on bicycles and skateboards, etc. We have a duckpond at mine, so there are always kids around too, and of course the ducks.
We can't take dogs into the local Lowes, but you can take them into the airport, so that's a good one. And places that allow dogs in outdoor seating.
Since he is a companion dog I just let him accompany me EVERYWHERE he was/is allowed to be. So he is always with me except school, doctors or stores where you can buy food.
In his first weeks he accompanied me on trains, busses, car drives (with my parents since I don't have a driver's license), shopping malls, parking lots, pet stores, skate parks, stores where you can buy stuff to build a house (dunno the english expression), restaurants, weekly free-air markets, zoos, friend's homes, bbqs, fashion stores, banks, electronic stuff stores...
So all that "meet different kinds of people"-stuff didn't need much effort, since we met a whole lot of people on our daily walks.
I don't know how tolerant Americans are towards dogs though. Here in Germany you can normally take your dog nearly everywhere as long as it doesn't make any problems, except several places where laws don't allow pets due to hygienic issues. (Like medical hospitilities, stores that sell food and hygienic stuff, schools and a few official buildings)
So I would recommend to every puppy owner to just take your puppy with you everywhere you go. That makes it a whole lot easier to socialize your puppy with everything important in YOUR life.
It is not wrong though to do trips to strange areas, like zoos, shopping malls, towns (if you live in more rural areas), countryside (if you live in a town) etc.
But most important is that a puppy learns to feel safe around their owner and become calm and self-confident. Then they will also manage strange happenings later in their lives together with their owners.
I don't feel comfortable with allowing everyone to pet or give treats to a puppy though... Giving affection and treats should be the task of the owner and not of everyone around. If you let everyone pet and give treats to your puppy, it learns to be attracted towards everything around more than to their owner and that might cause problems with the "coming when called", because the whole world is more attractive than the owner...
That doesn't mean that I think it is bad if strangers pet your dog, just don't overdo it. A puppy that doesnt show any fear of strangers doesn't need to be touched by every person on the street. Only with puppies that really are afraid of people I would recommend letting many strangers give treats to overcome the fear.
Edit:
To my opinion the most important mantra in socializing puppies is: Better NO experiences than NEGATIVE experiences!
Snf
All hardware stores and orchards allow dogs. At least mine go with me.
Also, the car wash. Get them used to loud noises like that, especially if you live in an area where there are heavy storms.
That's brilliant Tara! Thanks!
[ Especially living in Central Florida, Lighting Capital of the World lol ] ~
And trust me, where are Walmart is at the cops are too busy to look for puppies there. ha ha ha. Oh, and we don't have food at ours. Does that make a difference Rina?
But outside of buildings, dogs are totally allowed here and in fact many people who are not University affiliated have their dogs at the duck pond....
I guess the lesson of all these varying rules (some Lowes are ok, some are not, some college campuses are ok, some are not) is if in doubt, check. Or be very confident, which will sometimes let you get away with things
She is also welcome at the bank and the tellers like her to come to each window and put her paws on the counter for a withdrawal from her biscuit account. (my mom is a teller and keeps Reillys cookies at her station)
by Nicole Wilde
http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/hazards-overexposure
----
...I wonder if the harness things could work here...perhaps I could get by with it if they thought it was a service dog...
also, arts and crafts stores, like Michaels and Joann's allow dogs. I take Sevuk to Michaels with me all the time.
Please, check this video :
Keï is a 2 month old shiba pup breed by my friend.
his parents are very fairful.
He's well socialized so we can see on this video he's absolutly perfect. His 2 sisters are exactly like him.
Things can change with a few efforts...In France, we have a big problem with temperament, faiful ( shiba / akita / shikoku ... )
Is it the same in USA ?
You can traduce this url with google translate
http://shiba.over-blog.com/article-shiba-inu-race-peureuse-60188062.html
You know what would really help? Go out with someone who has a baby. If you think everyone wants to stop and see a puppy, just try going out with a baby. Especially if said baby needs to be fed or get a diaper change, then people will do whatever they can to hold you up. Or so it seems. :oP