Old enough for a visit?

[MamaZiggy]

Hi all

Ok so my cousin is having a little party in about two weeks time. And she invited me over. But........ There wont be any1 at home to stay with Ziggy. He will be 15 weeks old then. So my question is, will he be old enough to come with me to her house?

My concerns are: I dont wanna stress him and have him get sick; there are two kids (5 & 7) and im not sure if they'll be there- if so im not going; its a party; so there will be like a million people there! Im just stressing about this, coz she already postponed this party since i said i aint comfortable with bringing him so young. So she pushed it to this date..

Any opinions will be welcome please? i dont wanna hurt her feelings and maybe im being over protective, but i just rather be safe than sorry...

Any thoughts?

[tattooeddolly]

I hope I am not giving bad advice, since I am here mostly to learn right now.

When Eleanor came to live with me, I gave her a week to slowly meet the important people while in the comfort and security of her new forever home. After that, I took her see her ew human friends at their home (my parents and my best friend), with few distractions. Now she does great at either house (by great I mean she thinks she owns the place

I would suggest talking with your relative and see if you and your baby can come over to visit a couple of times before the party. If your baby gets a couple of positive experiences before the house is full of new people, they will be far more relaxed. Also, if you are crate training, bring baby's room with you! That way they have not only a place to watch everyone, its a safe place for napping, and it has smells from your home that will make them feel safe.

It makes me sad that small children and yorkies dont always mix. I have a few in my family and I make them sit on the floor with Eleanor, and taught them how to do tricks with her and they are very good. There is no reason kids shouldnt spend some time with your baby. The big thing is that beyond supervising, you should be on the floor with them the whole time, and keep things fun and safe.

Whether your furbaby goes to or not, have fun at the party!

[Valenie]

If kids where there I would leave him at home if he's not use to kids. My Yorkie Tibbs loves my son 3 years of age but other kids really seem to stress him out because well kids love dogs . But it can be a little scary for your puppy :s I agree that you should slowly introduce him to people you visit often I hope this helps!

[MamaZiggy]

No worries, i really appreciate any opinions.. Ill look into bringing him over befor the party to check out the house, thats a good idea, thanks.

Im really nervous about kids because i dont want anyone dropping him, stepping on him while playing, dropping any food or giving him food without my permission etc. I know they wouldnt do anything bad on purpose, but anything can happen, but i hope that wont be a concern since it'll be a party, maybethey'll be shipped off for the night, lol (to their gran's house)

Thats the other thing, the crate and Ziggy arent ther best of friends, lol. Ziggy spent about 48hrs in hospital when i first got him due to stress. So i know he is sensitive. But at the same time, he's older now so maybe i should try.. arg this is such an impossible decision! Im taking him to the vet on friday, for his next shots, so maybe ill ask his opinion too..

Thanks for the advise

[MamaZiggy]

Originally Posted by Valenie

If kids where there I would leave him at home if he's not use to kids. My Yorkie Tibbs loves my son 3 years of age but other kids really seem to stress him out because well kids love dogs . But it can be a little scary for your puppy :s I agree that you should slowly introduce him to people you visit often I hope this helps!

The youngest person he's met is my 12 yrd sister. I dont want to leave him alone over night (ill have to sleep over) so leaving him isnt an option. so confused!lol

[tattooeddolly]

I agree, dont wait till the party to introduce the kids. if there will be more than mentioned in the original post, I wouldnt bring the little one.

[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.

[maddieadoptedme]

Imo, if your already stressed over this, its probably not a good idea. eveyone will want to hold and pet your baby, and that is alot for them to deal with. not to mention the strange place and so much going on. if it were me--- i would either stop over for a short visit (without your baby) or find someone to pet sit. it neither of those are a option, then id probably stay home.

And 1 other thing to think about. you dont know where all these other people have been, and what they may have touched or come in contact with--before touching your baby. have the been exsposed to any pet viruses/ illness that could be transfered to your baby? your baby is young and isnt stong enough to fight alot of things off.

again this is just my opinion---but i wouldnt.

[MamaZiggy]

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.

yeah, if i do go, this is what i will do. he will be contained in one of the bedrooms. im so nervous though, but i think its normal, seeing as this will be his first outing..

[MamaZiggy]

Originally Posted by maddieadoptedme

Imo, if your already stressed over this, its probably not a good idea. eveyone will want to hold and pet your baby, and that is alot for them to deal with. not to mention the strange place and so much going on. if it were me--- i would either stop over for a short visit (without your baby) or find someone to pet sit. it neither of those are a option, then id probably stay home.

And 1 other thing to think about. you dont know where all these other people have been, and what they may have touched or come in contact with--before touching your baby. have the been exsposed to any pet viruses/ illness that could be transfered to your baby? your baby is young and isnt stong enough to fight alot of things off.

again this is just my opinion---but i wouldnt.

OMG, thats exactly what i've been thinking! i dont want anyone being too hectic or ruff or picking him up! thank goodness the kids wont be there. But then i feel bad coz she really wants me there. So ima just ask the vet on friday for his opinion.. If he thinks he'll be fine, ill just have to be strong, set rules for everyone to follow, and keep him confined to the room..

[yorkietalkjilly]

To me that is really young and even if only adults, there was recently a member of YT who had his pup dropped by an adult family member and the doggie broke his leg as I recall. Many adults are just not used to holding and wrangling wriggly small dogs and I would be very cautious about making my young dog available to those who may not know much about safely holding young dogs. I think I would tend not to take my dog to a large function until he was a bit older and more grounded, not to mention the safety issue.

[addevo]

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.

[111lily222]

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.

exactly what I was going to say

[Ahis_Mama]

I have already gone to several parties and camping for a whole weekend with Ahi. I bring all her basic necessities and her crate and playpen. The people i'm around are very good with my no touching policy. I do let them touch her if they sanitize.(And depends who it is.lol) But my baby loves kids. When we were camping I put her crate in the playpen and she could go inside her crate if she wanted to rest. She is really tiny too at 10 1/2 weeks she's only 1lb. 1oz. so I do get worried at too much carrying esp. from a child. But the playpen is a life saver for me. My Ahi didn't get sick when we went camping,(and it was regular hardcore camping..no cabins) I just used common sense with the weather. And I think it helped with getting her used to the sights, sounds, and multitude of people. I hope you get to enjoy this party. Just my thoughts.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Unless your pup is comfortable in a crate as others are around, he may yelp and be very uncomfortable during the party. If you choose to go that route, prepare him as best you can so he and you won't both be miserable during the party. Puppies can come to look at a crate as their safe den and don't mind spending reasonable amounts of time in it. Should that crate be in another room, he might protest the estrangement. In the room, all the noise and hubbub could stress him. Try to replicate as best you can all of those conditions and set him up for success by preparation. Good luck and I hope all goes well.