Puppy kindergarten recommendations?

[Adria, Dan, and Sookie]

Hello! We (my husband Dan and I) are picking up our first labradoodle over Labor Day weekend. We want to make sure we get her well-socialized in those critical few weeks, but of course we don't want her exposed to pathogens her immune system isn't ready for yet.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good, clean puppy kindergarten in metro Portland? We live close in, in southeast. I'm hesitant about PetSmart because so many dogs go in and out of there and you just never know, but if you had a good experience there or somewhere else I'd love to hear about it.

Thanks!

Here's Sookie at 4 weeks when we last visited her:

[Rae]

Gee, wish you lived closer to Sherwood. Puppy Playhouse is simply wonderful - both our doodles attended puppy kindergarten plus next three classes with Cindy and highly recommend her and her staff. Only positive training - no choke collars even allowed in building and everything is clean. Even her daycare is a totally different set up from 90% of the others we researched. Go to her website www.thepuppyplayhouse.com and email her asking for recommendations. Good luck and many congrats on your sweet baby.

[Adria, Dan, and Sookie]

Thanks for the reply! That place looks wonderful, I wonder if it would be worth the 40 minute drive. They even have free puppy pre-school...maybe we'll try that out and see how it goes!

[Adria, Dan, and Sookie]

I forgot to add: those are some good-lookin' doods!

[Adria, Dan, and Sookie]

Thanks, I'll check it out!

[Natalie Renslow]

She is adorable little girl. If I had her I would wait until she has all her shots but thats me. She is so cute!!

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

What an adorable puppy! Congratulations!

First off, I agree, in part, with Natalie, to limit exposure to other dogs and areas where other dogs have been (like sidewalks and other public areas) until the puppy has had at least it's first 2-3 sets of shots. Your vet can help determine when this should be, as they are well aware of the predominance of certain diseases in particular locales. In our case, we were given the 'go ahead' to allow Lucy outdoors in public when she was about 10 weeks old. Before 10 weeks we did sound socialization (using a special CD), daily indoor (and backyard) training, indoor desensitizing to objects, indoor obstacle courses using ladders laid flat and having Lucy walk through the rungs, homemade ramps for her to navigate over, and boxes for her to jump up on to. We took her for car rides to watch other dogs in dog parks and expose her to the car in general. In other words, we worked every day to socialize her to the world around her, without having to expose her to other dogs. When she was 10-1/2 weeks old we started taking her to weekly hour-long 'puppy romps' at a local doggy daycare facility (Schroeder's Den, in Hillsboro). Lucy didn't start her first puppy training class until she was about 4 months old, and then she progressed to Intermediate training (the 1st at Schroeder's Den, and the 2nd at PetSmart). Most puppy training classes (and puppy romps, for that matter) have a minimum age requirement and require proof of certain vaccinations prior to being admitted. As you check out specific classes/programs, ask what those requirements might be.

Today, at nearly 10 months, Lucy is a very well socialized pup to other dogs, people, street noises and objects. She also does very well with commands and even has a repertoire of tricks she can perform. She loves the dog park and is very respectful of other dogs. She never barks at dogs on the street during walks. I feel good to have given her everything she needed to get a good start in her socialization with safety in mind in the early weeks.

Good luck, and I hope this helps.