It’s Valentine’s Day weekend, and I’m about to hit the town as Asa’s wingman!  Oh sure Asa is too young to date, but he’s not too young to socialize.  It is important to expose puppies to as many different situations, places, and people as possible.  Problem is our usual haunts are buried under multiple feet of snow, and most humans have gone into hibernation.  So I have to get creative!

I was taking him to meet the neighbors as they dug out from the storms, but I’m pretty sure Asa now thinks pom pom hats and shovels are natural human appendages.  Time to take the party inside!  So this weekend we are loading him into the car and headed to our local pet store.  Pet stores are a great place to socialize a puppy because you definitely will meet people who want to pet him, and he will also be introduced to new dogs.  Our local Petco even has a special puppy playtime on the weekends, so he can play with other little guys his own age, giving me a much needed break.  If your pet supply store doesn’t offer playtime, try looking into the dog daycares in the area.  Many of them also offer a place you can bring your dog to let off some puppy energy, and they are a great place to find out about upcoming training classes and other events.

Another place I’ll be taking Asa is for a walk in the downtown.  There he will be exposed to all sorts of sights and sounds we don’t see in our quiet neighborhood, and if you ask politely many small businesses don’t mind if you bring your puppy inside to warm up for a minute or two.  Heck, some places even have special dog treats!  So look out ladies, Asa and I will be on the prowl this Valentine’s Day weekend!