Puppy at the Pet Store

[CdnSee]

I've heard a few different things but I wanted to ask here.

When is it ok to start taking the puppy to the pet store? We like taking our dogs with us because it helps them learn to socialize with other dogs and strangers, but we don't want him to get sick.

He is 9 weeks old and has had 2 sets of shots so far.

[ehayes21]

I would stay away from the pet store and other places like dog parks until your pup has had all of it's shots. But that said, those places are probably the worst places to socialize your dog. Half of the dogs that frequent those places are not the type of dogs you want your pup to socialize with anyway.
There are better places socialize your pooch...Set up playdates with other dogs you know that have had their vacs; take the pup to places like strip malls and get him used to public places with lots of sights and sounds, take car rides to the store, etc...

[BxrMommieNAZ]

Originally Posted by ehayes21

I would stay away from the pet store and other places like dog parks until your pup has had all of it's shots. But that said, those places are probably the worst places to socialize your dog. Half of the dogs that frequent those places are not the type of dogs you want your pup to socialize with anyway.
There are better places socialize your pooch...Set up playdates with other dogs you know that have had their vacs; take the pup to places like strip malls and get him used to public places with lots of sights and sounds, take car rides to the store, etc...

I have to agree. I was in PetSmart one time with my Boxer (who was around 82 pounds and solid muscle, just a big Boxer) was finishing up having him bathed, nails trimmed, etc and these ding dongs come over with a 35-40 pound dog that my boy could have easily ripped to shreds and this dog went BALISTIC barking, growling, showing teeth pulling at the leash to my dog. Okay normal people would have backed away realizing that their dog had an issue, waited for me to finish paying, etc and then moved in. But no, they had to be like way too many people on this earth (as I later found out) and kept coming towards me with their snarling, obviously aggressive dog. My dog let it go for awhile but after awhile of having this brat in his face he growled and a few moments later snapped, and then THEY have the odacity to get upset. And then say "oh I'm sorry he really doesn't like other dogs and we're trying to fix that and make him like other dogs". I nicely told them that they needed to leave my dog alone or theirs was liable to get hurt. After one more episode of this dog trying to bite mine and my dog snapping back to defend himself the manager who witnessed it asked the couple to leave.

Why on earth would you take your dog aggressive dog to a place like pet smart to "make him like" other dogs?? My point is, these people aren't in the minority oddly enough and I've since found many others out there like them.

If you do take your dog, I would personally wait until AT LEAST 6 months old and even then I'd be very cautious. As the above poster stated, there are many safer ways to socialize your pup with other dogs you know, people you know, situations you can control, etc.

[kathysboxer]

Tyson has always went to the pet store with us after all his shots. When he was little and lots of dogs there, he rode in the cart. Now that he's bigger and knows his commands, he is on leash in the stores. We also take him to tractor supply stores, lowes, just about anywhere we can. He loves going with us needless to say LOL

[johann]

We brought Johann to petstores once he had all of his shots (16 weeks).

It was more of "anti-socialization" though. We used it as a place to train that not every dog and person wants to say hello. Even now that he's well behaved (will heel on a loose leash even with other dogs/people)......we still avoid the busiest times like weekend afternoons. Just not worth it, that seems to be when people bring their unruly dogs and expect everyone else to deal with the snarling, growling, barking, etc.

A lot of playdates with other dogs worked the best to socialize Johann. We tried the dog park thing, and that didn't work either.

[CdnSee]

We are very aware of the other dogs when we go to the pet stores and avoid the crazy dogs when we are at the store.

We also go to this monthly Pug meet up with our pug where lots of people with Pugs and Boston Terriers come and they all play. I'm sure Bo will love to come and join the fun when he is old enough.

[djheitz]

We took Harley to Petco a few times when he was a baby, but had him ride in the cart. He got the positive experience of going without any of the negatives.

[BxrMommieNAZ]

Originally Posted by djheitz

We took Harley to Petco a few times when he was a baby, but had him ride in the cart. He got the positive experience of going without any of the negatives.

The threat of disease is still there. Some things are airborne, plus never know who's put a pup in the cart prior to you, I see that VERY frequently.

[Caney Creek]

Originally Posted by ehayes21

I would stay away from the pet store and other places like dog parks until your pup has had all of it's shots. But that said, those places are probably the worst places to socialize your dog. Half of the dogs that frequent those places are not the type of dogs you want your pup to socialize with anyway.
There are better places socialize your pooch...Set up playdates with other dogs you know that have had their vacs; take the pup to places like strip malls and get him used to public places with lots of sights and sounds, take car rides to the store, etc...

I'll second this (or third, or fourth...)

When Caney was younger I took her to PetSmart, there was a lab there and Caney went right up to greet it and the lab snarled and lunged for her Thank goodness it didn't end up affecting her; I believe she was close to a year old then.

When socializing puppies, always remember: Quality over quantity. Of course it would be nice for puppy to meet as many dogs as possible, but just one bad experience can end up doing more psychological damage than if the pup had not been socialized at all. Better to set up play-dates with nice dogs that you're sure won't hurt or frighten your pupppy.

Have you read these articles on puppy socialization and the stages of development?

Raising Your Puppy -- Outlines the critical periods in your pup's psychological growth
Puppy Socialization -- Planning activities and outings for the purpose of socialization

[johann]

Originally Posted by Caney Creek

I'll second this (or third, or fourth...)

When Caney was younger I took her to PetSmart, there was a lab there and Caney went right up to greet it and the lab snarled and lunged for her Thank goodness it didn't end up affecting her; I believe she was close to a year old then.

A big thing to remember is to not let your puppy walk up to any dog and greet it without asking the owner if their dog is ok first. I wouldn't have thought of that when we first got Johann. Who doesn't love a puppy? Smart people wouldn't bring a non-friendly dog in public.....but there seems to be a shortage of brains to go around sometimes.

Not saying anything about you Caney, just that we had a similar experience when Johann was around 5 months old on a walk. I'm very quick to say "He's not good with other dogs" if I don't feel comfortable letting him greet another dog. Which, sadly, is the majority of the time when we're at Petsmart/Petco. Johann is great with other dogs, but they don't have to know that.

I would avoid the pet store until a few weeks after his last set of vaccinations....just to make sure he's protected. At 4-5 months, he should still be able to ride in the cart if thats what you feel comfortable with. We've never used the petstore as a place to meet other dogs, but more as a place to work on training with serious distractions and greeting people politely.