You’ve practiced for a couple weeks at home with your new training routine, and now your trainer recommends starting to take your dog out to dog-friendly areas close to home to start transferring these skills! This may seem scary at first but Sit Happens Dog Training Tampa wants to help ease you into the transition of public spaces. Start small, like a local neighborhood park, and work your way up to more challenging and populated areas.Bell Creek Nature Preserve By starting at a park, you can take training slow by practicing your outside recall. We recommend staying away from off-leash dog parks, you can never know what other dogs are going to do even if your dog is listening perfectly. With the long leash Sit Happens Tampa provided at your first lesson, let your dog wander into the grass and sniff, and before they get to the end of the leash, call them to you in a very excited voice! Make yourself the most important thing when you step outside. Once you feel like you have their attention, try the walking trails!Tractor Supply RiverviewFeed stores are very popular and dog friendly spots you can choose to further your training in. Start with some warmup drills in the parking lot, then transition inside to a calm area of the store to regain your dog’s attention. Work your way around the store and take advantage of the different noises and types of people you can encounter in places like these. Using simple drills, like stand on the lead, can help your pup maintain focus without pulling towards distractions.Winthrop Town CenterWhen the weather is cool enough, take your pup out to Winthrop Town Center to experience socialization with crowds and lots of outdoor dining distractions! Even if you don’t have a destination in mind, its great to take your dog out of their comfort zone and visiting somewhere new, even if it’s a 10–15 minute trip. Check out the different shops and restaurants, reinforcing your dog’s impulse control training!Jerry’s Dockside Bar and GrillEvery active dog owner loves the idea of taking their pup out to restaurants for a casual bite to eat with friends. Once your dog has proven to be able to settle in a down position for longer amounts of time, try taking them out to a spacious patio for some exposure training! Always check with the establishment online or over the phone, but most patios are welcoming to well-behaved dogs. Jerry’s Dockside also offers live music, so prepare for a crowd!
