How young did you socialize your puppy?

I have decided to wait until Sawyer gets his 16 week shots that I won't be taking him to petco or anything like that. Or atleast thats what I was told on anouther forum I should do. Now im just wondering when did you start socializing your puppy with other dogs? I would really like to take him to the buckeye dock dogs event on the second but im on the fence. Tonight is the water show its an hour long people rarely bring their dogs so I am thinking of taking Sawyer. I don't know im just kind of on the fence about the whole situation.

I started with Ivan the day I brought him home. He went with me to family and friends houses. I did take him to petsmart but he sat in the cart. I would make trips to the vets office with him and I signed him up for puppy preschool shortly after he came home.

I take mine as soon as I get them 8 weeks or 8 years, they're out in the world. I don't go to dog parks and stuff, but usually home depot's and stores like that don't have a problem with puppies being brought in. It is great for socialization and low on dog traffic.

As soon as I brought Pit home, he came straight to work with me (dog daycare at the time).

Slade was socialized as often and as much as possible from the second he came home. Until he had all of his puppy shots, he was just carried in my arms - so he had all the benefits of meeting people and being exposed to different environments, without any of the risk of getting sick.

He met the dogs of friends and family, whom I knew were in good health and fully vaccinated.

Riot had started his socialization the day I got him.

He was only allowed to socialize with friends dogs - but since my mom co-owned an Agility club - that was A LOT of friends.

Riot grew up with labs - therefore developed an unhealthy obsession with swimming(he now NEEDS to be in any puddle, lake, stream he sees lol

Just be careful what dog you socialize your puppy with. Make SURe they have the same manners/behaviour you want your puppy to learn.
One bad experience can create a huge amount of re-training later!

Expose your new puppy to different types of footing as well, noises, crowds(when shots are up to date).

I am able to bring Riot to watch fireworks with me because of all the socializing he had.

Although, I the one thing I wish Riot was better with is kids. hes still unsure of them, and he especially doesn't like when they squeal or scream around him. That was due to the fact of one neighbour child coming into our backyard with her friend when Riot was still very little and screaming and squealing at the top of her lungs because "puppies were there"..

Anyways, just keep that in mind

I do not take infants out in the public, to parks or anywhere else they could run into parvo. I wait 10 days past their last booster. 3 months is plenty of time to start. Socializing with people starts as soon as they can be handled before their eyes are open even as long as i am there to supervise. I am very very careful with babies.

Everyone love Wishbone when he arrived, we enjoy playing with him in backyard. And everyone wants to walk with him in the park.

Most of my dogs are adults when I adopt them, but with my puppies this is the ritual..

People places before the shots are done. Sitting in front of the store and playing, going to kid playgrounds, not let around other dogs. Everywhere with me to friend's house as long as they didn't have dogs.
Dog parks as soon as all of the shots are done. Everwhere to friends houses with me with and without dogs as well as horses, cats, sheep, cattle, etc. they are exposed to.

Same with adult rescues, really.

I socialized as soon as I got the pup but didn't let them walk on floors in strange places until all the series of shots were done to be safe. I even carried the pup at the vet's office.

roofus - as soon as I got him, at about 9 weeks. He came to work with me and started puppy class the next day. REALLY paid off.

popper - a couple weeks after I got him, so he was about 8 weeks. He started puppy class right away. Again, really paid off.

merlin - well, technically my SO's dog... he did NOT take merlin to any kind of class until he was almost a year old. Merlin has a lot of socialization issues with other dogs and strange places.

I started the day I brought him home. I was a bad dog owner. and didnt know about parvo ect. and brought him out to meet strange dogs, people, parks ect. Im sooo lucky he didnt catch anything at any dog parks we went to ect. Now I would still start from day 1, but he would have been carried and not let out with strange dogs I didnt know ect. live and learn.

The day I got Blaze we started. The first 2 days I had him we traveled. So he was meeting and greeting new things right from the start. Then after we got home, he went to Petsmart, in town, the pet food store, the park, he went with me to my mom's P.E. class at the tennis courts/soccer fields, and on 3 field trips for our Homeschool group.

I did the same as Barb. My puppies were socialized and taken places from day one - but I didn't put them on the ground very much until their shots were done. They're Border Collies and a Papillon - not too big to hold for hours on end.

I got Duke at 4 months from a shelter and from day one he went most places with one. Friends and familys houses, pet store, daily walks around the streets, meet friends dogs went to the dogpark, all that fun stuff. And even with all the socialization at about a year he developed some dog aggression. Sometimes you just cant win.

I basically took Fozzie anywhere that I could get away with... stores that don't sell food, my high school classes, parks, Flyball class, Agility class, herding demos, outdoor restaurants & cafes, family and friends houses, to meet neighbors, friend's farms, dog fairs, everywhere! The best was our puppy classes. Half of it was puppy play time, and half was Obedience work. At the end of every class, we played "musical puppies", where we sat down and passed out puppies around so 30 different people would be handling them, petting them, and giving them treats individually. Puppy classes are ESSENTIAL, to me, and some of the best socialization you can get.

To me, the risk of having an unsocialized & fearful dog is much more likely than contracting Parvo, especially when you're safe and cautious. Don't go to dog parks or parks frequented by lots of random dogs, obviously. When I got Fozzie, I made a point to befriend EVERYONE in my nieghborhood, particularly those who owned dogs or had kids. I practically forced myself on them, lawl! The upside is that he got to meet tons of dogs of every shape & size, who I knew were safe, and vaccinated, plus I actually made friends with some of my neighbors. And they were glad to help out, because everybody loves a puppy. : )

I got daVinci when he was 4weeks old. Classes started when he was 8weeks old. He had three shots then so I felt comfortable with him going.

You guys do know that you can bring home stuff on your shoes and clothing right. So just becasue you carried the dog it doesn't mean it is safe.