[nagdu] discrimination for service pups intraining./my littlerant

[Julie J.]

Last August I had Jetta here for about a week and a half.  She would have been 8-9 weeks old then.  I did lots of socialization and introduction to new things with her.  However we didn’t go into any public places.
Just in my house she learned about carpet, vinyl flooring, ceramic tile floors, air conditioner vents, other dogs, family members and guests,   to lie quietly in her crate, to eat at set times, to be away from her littermates, not to chew on people, to relieve herself outside, to walk on a leash, and about a million other things.  then we ventured out into the yard where she learned about squirrels, more surfaces including woodchips, gravel, cement, wood and grass of course.  she learned to walk up and down stairs, that cars on the road are okay, that the neighbor dog is friendly, and so on.  then a short walk to the park allowed her the opportunity to walk on open grates, go across a bridge, sniff sand into her nose and so on.
Puppies this young don’t need to be taken very far from home to be socialized.  they are literally learning everything.  I think taking them into stores and such would be too much and could be scary to them, possibly causing problems.
Julie