Wednesday, March 27, 2013

One Stop Shopping

Currently we are enjoying a week off in celebration of spring break.  So far our break has consisted of many Athena related activities.  Yesterday we decided to take a trip to Home Depot, not because we needed anything there, but just because they allow dogs in the store.


Usually when we want to get out of the house, we either head to the park or to a pet store because they are the only places that we know of that allow dogs.  Home Depot is one of our go-to places for extra special Athena outings because they also allow dogs in the store.  We first learned about the possibilities for dogs at Home Depot from our good friends at Two Pitties in the City who often take Miss M and Mr. B to the store during the snowy Chicago winters.


The particular Home Depot that we frequent is very dog friendly (and I've heard that most of them are) and it's not uncommon for us to see other dog shoppers around the store.  Many employees will stop to talk to us about Athena and will often share stories of their rescue dogs at home.  Athena also gets lots of exposure to new people because there's always a few people who ask to say hi to her.


Our favorite thing to do in Home Depot is to practice Athena's down-stay.  We pick an aisle with very interesting materials (such as the light fixtures) and think of all of the possibilities for our dream home while Athena quietly lies next to us.  This is great practice for Athena to work on her training commands in a place other than the living room that.  Home Depot is filled with distractions such as people, rolling carts, loud noises, and different smells.  This is a great environment for a Canine Good Citizen in Training!


Not only do we do training exercises while in the store, but we also allow Athena to sometimes lead the way with her nose.  She is always eager to sniff around and poke her nose into different corners and onto different shelves.  You won't ever find her sniffing around the rolls of carpet though.  For some reason, she's completely terrified of those big rolls.


What are some places that you take your dog for extra special training?  Have you ever taken your dog to Home Depot?
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16 comments:

  1. What a great adventure!

    I read on Two Pitties about Home Depot, too! We're doing some improvements around the house and have been spending alot of time there - I've been wondering if Tess & Ed could tag along!

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  2. We've not been to Home Depot yet but our local Tractor Supply store was a regular Sunday stop for Ray. He has quite the fan club there and if we miss too many weeks, I get "the look" from the cashiers.

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  3. We LOVE taking Nola to Home Depot! (We had one bad experience with a kid one time, but that's another story). Glad you discovered it too!

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  4. I used to take Polly Pocket to Home Depot (after I found out they were dog friendly) and I would get so many inquiries about her. So....if you and B ever decide to foster, maybe that can be the place where you take your adoptables too! :)

    PS - I would love to run into Athena at Home Depot... ;)

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  5. That is so cool that you take Athena to Home Depot and you're right it's good practice for her! I'm wondering if the ones in Wichita allow dogs... hmmm... have to look into that.

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  6. Hey, my mom and dad take me to Home Depot too! Although they haven't in a little while. Thanks for reminding them about this place! Athena looks like she is having a great time there :)

    Where I live we have some little shops (not for pets) that allow pups. Plus lots of restaurants (outside). And there are a few big outdoor shopping places that dogs can visit too.

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  7. How fun! Sadie went with me to Lowe's today and was a superstar! It was her first trip (I've hesitated before because of her tendency to bark at people). She was amazing, loved meeting new people and didn't freak out at the cart. I'm so grateful that we can use hardware stores as another special outing!

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  8. Thanks for the mention! We love taking our pups to unexpected places and it is such good practice for them and for people to realize how great our pups are. And I can't imagine anyone can resist Athena! We're discovering all kinds of places to take our pups, including our downtown Nordstroms mall (who knew??)

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  9. Looks like a fun trip for Athena... Shiner has never been to Home Depot, but then again I don't really go there very often...

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  10. Gambit gets to go to Tractor Supply and sometimes the bank. I like Tractor Supply and PetSmart for the opportunities to work on walking nicely - especially PetSmart, where we'll walk through every dog aisle, watch the shelter cats, and work on not chirping/jumping at the birds.

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  11. I've been meaning to take Lilee to Petsmart more often but I'm always wary because she's dog reactive. This sounds like a great place to practice with less dogs!

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