My puppy has no friends : (

[Pam and Ginger Snap]

 I am supposed to expose my puppy to other dogs and let her play with dogs that I know are safe.  But I can't find anyone that I can let Ginger play with.  We have walked around the block several times and she has seen three dogs and been okay...but no dog playdates : (    Is walking around the block and seeing other dogs enough, or does Ginger actually have to play with the dogs? 

[Ronna, Murphy & Wilson]

Murphy's trainer would say she needs to actually have playdates.  Is there a doggie daycare in your area?  Any puppy socialization classes you could  enroll Ginger in?  What about the three dogs on your walk?  Do you know their owners?  Maybe they need playdates too!

Murphy thinks Ginger is a cutie and he says he would love to have a playdate with her:)

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I think this is perfect advice!  I had both of my Doods in a puppy class that has a socialization time before and after the basic obedience class.  It was great, and they loved it.

[Pam and Ginger Snap]

I forgot to say that she is only 11 weeks and not finished with her shots yet, so she can't go to puppy daycare yet>

[Dori & Rua]

I was able to take Rua to Puppy Preschool classes offered by the Humane society once she had her second set of shots, She was 11 weeks.  Rua had last puppy shots at 16 weeks...when will Ginger be done?

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

If she hasn't finished her shots, I would not worry about exposing her to other dogs yet.  She will be fine.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

That is too bad you can't find neighbors.  We were lucky because there were two Springer Spaniels a few doors down that were 3 and 6 months older than Gracie and were "safe" because they didn't go to dog parks, etc.  We got Gracie 4th of July weekend and the owner of the Springers is a teacher so she was off for the summer.  She brought them up twice a day to play in the back yard with Gracie.  To this day they are all "sisters"...it was absolutely the very best thing we ever could have done for Gracie.  I would think that to take her to a class type environment you would have to find one who has puppies at the same stage as Ginger Snap and in the same level of puppy shots.  I heard that after two shots they are pretty well protected but to "know" exactly the status of other pups if she were to play.  I don't know how you can get the word out there in your area other than what you are doing.  Other than if you are with a trainer she/he can recommend another puppy they are training.  Our trainer did bring other pups, dogs to our house during Gracie's training session and let them play afterward.  That would be the best of both worlds because you would have the trainer there as well supervising.  Good Luck!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Are there any puppy classes in your area? They are always a good place to start.

[Debbie and Thomas]

I don't think you should worry about socializing her with other dogs until she has had all of her shots.  You should only let her be near dogs that you KNOW have had their shots.  We enrolled our goldendoodle in puppy class and he started at 14 weeks...it was so much fun for him and us and he met lots of dogs.  Let your adorable ginger Snap grow a little bit more and in a few weeks she can run and play with all the dogs in your neighbourhood.  You can take her to a dog park nearby every day and there will be tons of dogs all shapes and sizes for her to play with...these dogs love to play!

[Leslie, Dexter & Kirby]

I would wait until GInger has her shots first...but the puppy class we took with Dexter allowed for some play time before class and at a break.  Maybe you could find a similar class.

[Camilla and Darwin]

I think it's a good idea to have her play with dogs. Have you looked into local daycares? They screen all dogs to make sure they are friendly and vaccinated. It's a good controlled way for them to socialize with other dogs.

Also, look into puppy kindergarten. It was wonderful for Darwin!

[Adrianne Matzkin]

I don't know how far you are from Richmond but the GRAD group is huge! After GS has all her shots, you should find out when they will be getting together.

 

[Kyoko]

I agree with puppy social group. Rather than meeting random dogs that you don't really know, at the puppy group, you know that they are all immunized and it will be much controlled and safe environment.