Quote:
Originally Posted by ArmaniMan  I would bring the pup but keep them contained in a back room in a crate for the duration of the party. There are too many things a pup could get into at a party, not to mention people possibly dropping him or stepping on him. Once the party is over you could introduce him to your family slowly. Your pup is only a baby- this is a great time to start crate training, there are many instances where it comes in handy for a pup to understand a crate is a good place. |
Introducing your puppy to new people and environments is a very important part of his socialization. It's critical to a puppy's development to be exposed to new things. Otherwise you can end up with a shy, fearful dog who overreacts to new people and situations. So with that in mind it might actually be good for him to take him to the party. However, you have to balance that with his safety. Is there a way you can take him along and introduce him to a few trusted people while they are being closely supervised, but then "hide" him in a crate for the rest of the time? Maybe if you go early, he can meet only the host and her family. But if your puppy barks or whines when he's in a crate, he may blow his own cover and then you'll be confronted with every new mother's worst nightmare - dozens of well meaning admirers "mauling" your baby.
We started taking our puppy out in public when he was about 10 weeks old, but we would never let anyone else hold him. When little kids were in the mix, I'd hold our puppy backwards so that they could only stroke his back.