Puppy Playtime in Portland
Puppy social hour, puppy socials, puppy socialization…whatever you call it, we’ve got it
Hear me out. Please do not take your young puppy to the dog park. Puppies have a finite socialization window that starts around 3 weeks of age and lasts through about 14-16 weeks of age. What this means is that your puppy is extra impressionable during this window. We DO want to get your puppy out into the world in safe ways so that they can be the most well-adjusted adult dogs they can possibly be. Taking your puppy to the dog park is not recommended due to the health and behavior risks. Ultimately, we don’t know what diseases or unfriendly dogs are lurking at the dog park. Now, we do want your puppy to have the opportunity to play with other dogs. Working with a trainer and attended well-run puppy socials can be part of that. Not sure where to look? No worries, we’ve got you covered!
Puppy socials in & near Portland that we actually recommend
Dog Flower is the only dog training facility (we know of) located east of the i205 that offers dedicated puppy socialization services.
Dog Flower: Puppy Socials, At-Home Daytraining, Puppy Nursery, and the Bark & Bloom Academy. Good puppy socialization is so much MORE than playtime. A robust puppy socialization program should prep your puppy to feel safe in a variety of environments, when meeting new people, while exploring new obstacles, and so much more. Socialization should be intentional, done in short bursts, positive, replicated, and ideally prioritizes how your puppy FEELS about the world. We offer a wide variety of puppy socialization options because it is hard to find good puppy socialization options. You can bring your puppy to our facility for structured playtime, for group classes (family friendly), for daytraining, private training, or we can even come to your house to take your puppy on socialization outings.
Wonder Puppy. Yes, this is in NW Portland but Wonder Puppy is well worth the drive. If I had another puppy, I would take my puppy to their socials even though I offer them at Dog Flower.
Noble Woof. Noble Woof is in NE Portland, but again, I trust them and refer folks to them often! I would also take a personal puppy to their socials and group classes.
PupStar. Located at the Brooklyn Yard Vet. Located in inner SE Portland, PupStar offers Puppy Socials, Shy Puppy Socials and Tiny Teen Socials.
THE BEST PUPPY TRAINING BOOK OUT THERE
We only recommend resources we actually believe in. The authors of this book created the Puppy Start Right for Instructors course that I completed in 2017 through the Karen Pryor Academy. I recommend this book to literally everyone. I wish every dog guardian HAD to read this book!
Puppy Socialization resources
HOW CAN DOG FLOWER HELP?
Socializing your puppy properly doesn’t have to be hard, and if you’re finding that you need support, we are here to help. Our services can help with play skills, confidence building, alone time training, biting and mouthing, potty training your puppy and more. Not sure where to start? Scheduled a FREE 10-minute Discovery Call with Meaghan below.
about the author
Meaghan Summerbell (KPA CTP, CSAP-BC, CTDI) is a multi-certified professional dog trainer serving East Portland, Gresham, Troutdale and Happy Valley, Oregon. Meaghan is dedicated to helping people understand the inner workings of canine behavior on a deeper, more meaningful level so you can become your dog’s best friend, too.
Meaghan’s wide range of experience spans over 13 years and includes everything from managing and living at a large scale dog boarding and training facility, co-founding a dog training app, owning and operating a dog-adventure company, and co-owning a large dog training facility in Portland for the last 4+ years, before opening Dog Flower independently.
At home, you can find Meaghan spending time with their 6 dogs and 2 cats. When Meaghan isn’t spending time with their own animals, they’re spending time in nature, tending to their dozens of house plants, or in-progress native backyard habitat.
This is an AI free blog post. All blog posts are written and published by Meaghan.
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