Should I take my puppy everywhere I go?

We’re the center of their universe — which is part of the reason we love them so much. Even if we want to, we can’t take them everywhere we go. How long your dog can stay home alone completely depends on your dog, their age, and their physical and emotional needs. Your dog’s physical needs and what they’re used to determines how long they can stay home alone. Dogs are social and typically prefer to be with others. Some may always struggle with being alone. Working full-time or having a busy life and owning a pet is doable, you may just have to get creative to ensure their needs are being met. Before bringing a new pet into your home, it's really important to find an animal that fits your lifestyle.

You may be enjoying looking at those stands of goodies, but does he like being squashed between so many people’s legs. You have to look at your dog who just plain doesn’t like crowds. Do they really want to be hauled around a showground on a short lead, hot, bothered, nowhere to lie down. If a dog is in a stimulating environment and keeps close to you, quiet, this dog is most probably shut down. She can’t escape the situation, so she keeps her head down and hopes it will all go away. If everyone isn’t enjoying the outing, then - why not leave them at home. We need to extend the same courtesy to our dogs.

I have this French Bulldog named Vincent, he rides to and from work with me, hangs out at the hospital all day and even comes on vacation with me from time to time. But here’s the thing: He no longer goes absolutely everywhere with me. I’ve put a kibosh on taking him to certain places, at certain times and under certain conditions. That’s because, over time, I’ve learned that your life has to be 100 percent dog friendly if your dog is going to tag along 100 percent of the time. Nevertheless, whenever my clients ask about taking their pets with them everywhere, I have to be honest: Our world has a long way to go before it’ll be pet friendly enough to make constant human-animal companionship possible. But, does that mean they should always stay at home? Absolutely not! In fact, if more people took their pets more places, the world would invariably be more pet friendly. We’d have better car seats, seat belts, water safety tools, etc. What’s more, our dogs would almost certainly be better socialized, if not better trained.

It is important to take into account that even though you would enjoy having your dog with you everywhere you go, your dog might not enjoy accompanying you to all of your destinations if they are easily overwhelmed or overstimulated in certain situations. Will there be too many people or loud noise that might make your dog uncomfortable or even act out negatively? Consider the weather too; will it be too hot out or will your pup have access to shade and water? You want to make sure that your outings with your pet are just as enjoyable for them as they are for you. If you plan on taking your pup with you nearly everywhere you go, make sure that your dog is properly trained to be on his best behavior in public. Your dog should be leash trained and understand basic commands like sit, stay, and heel. Some places may have strict rules prohibiting pets both indoors and outdoors. In this case, you may have no choice but to leave your pup behind, and that’s okay. Taking your dog everywhere can prove to be a bit of a challenge, but with a little bit of knowledge and preparation, you can make it work. No matter what your reason is for wanting to take your furry friend with you everywhere, always ensure that both you and your dog feel safe, healthy, and comfortable.

I have two dogs, and have had them for my entire life. But I cant for the life of me understand the idea of taking them everywhere which seems to be the case now - I see dogs dragged around in shops, restaurants, cafes, literally everywhere you go. Perhaps it wouldnt be so obvious if they were quiet and well behaved, but that often isnt the case. I have two large breed dogs, one of which is VERY heavy shedding, and can be very vocal as a breed trait - and I dont just mean barking, but making all sorts of weird wookie noises. I wouldnt feel comfortable taking her into somewhere that served food, knowing that her fur would probably be flying off her. Plus, what does the dog actually gain from being dragged into shops, restaurants etc? my dogs get long daily walks, and do come out and about in the car with me while I do errands. They get plenty of attention, and when they were younger got taken to training classes - you know, actual dog stuff.