Did you hike in the Sandia Mountains and are now ready to get into the inner city?
Taking your dog out and about in the city of Albuquerque (and anywhere else) can be a valuable and fun addition to your training and exercise routine. Make sure that your dog is comfortable around many people before you take him to the following places – you never want to overwhelm or “flood” them with experiences to a point where they just shut down. If your dog hasn’t been around crowds yet, start out slow, maybe at the local park.

As with the freedom of off-leash running (see the post Off-Leash Dogs and Beginner Drivers), the novelty and excitement of being in busy places will wear off with continued exposure and leave you with a dog that is calm and confident in crowded environments.

Having a dog that you can take along to outings with friends, to a lunch on a restaurant patio or having (and sharing!) an ice cream with is funk, convenient, and allows you to spend. more quality time with your four-legged friend.

Read on to find the best hidden places for dog training in Albuquerque!

1. The Big Hardware Stores

Those were my own puppies’ indoor playgrounds. Both Home Depot and Lowes allow you to bring your dog for training and socializing in Albuquerque. Hardware stores offer you to expose your dog to a multitude of different people, with very different looks. From kids shopping with their parents over contractors in overalls, sunglasses and hats (a classic dog scare) to wheelchairs, there is probably no other place that offers the same variety of human experiences. Let your dog observe, sniff and greet (after making sure the human counterpart is up for it) as many people as you would like to.

But then, oh then there is the actual stock. It is all my dreams of dog exercise equipment come true. You can have your dog walk around paint cans, paw touch boxes, do handstands on empty low shelves, stand on 2x4s and practice stays in empty aisles. Be creative and see what all you can find and use to challenge your dog’s balance and coordination.
So many ideas, so little time in a day to spend at Home Depot!

2. Flying Star Patios

Albuquerque’s quaint signature coffee shop, Flying Star, allows dogs on their patios. If your dog has learned how to relax in public, take him here. He will be treated to a bowl of water and a cookie from the staff. Their patios are shaded and quiet. Often you will meet other dogs that are brought along by their owners.
If you visit the Rio Grande Location, you can take him for a walk in the Bosque beforehand.
These patios often have a lot of other dogs there, so only take your dog if he is reasonably social. If your dog does not like the company of other dogs, this is not a perfect location for him. On a recent visit with a friend (and our combined 4 dogs), I counted 7 other dogs (so 11 in total!) on our patio.

3. Uptown

Fancy Uptown doesn’t seem like a go-to place to take your dog. However, just like the hardware stores it offers both a variety of people as well as many different surfaces and objects for your dog to train on. Have him do 2on2off on the curbside, try out the elevator and let him experience the changed acoustics in the parking garage.
Walk along the shops and have him meet and greet people politely, as well as watch motorcycles, get to know kids and train some stays, heeling and other skills.

Afterwards you can treat both of you to an ice cream! Dogs can have a little bit of ice cream as long as it does not contain anything that is dangerous for them (no chocolate, citrus fruit, raisins, almonds, etc.). You can get your dog his own little vanilla cone at the local gelato store, or you can head over to Starbucks and get him a Puppucino (a cup with a little bit of whipped cream inside).

4. The Airport

The airport is another one of my favorite dog training locations in Albuquerque.
It is huge, it is constantly busy and offers a variety of different sights, sounds and smells to expose your dog to.
Whenever I pick up or drop off friends or relatives at the airport, I make sure to take a dog or two along. It is a small effort for me, and will make a big impact on your dog’s enrichment and social skills.
You can train your dog to ride an elevator and escalator with you (he might be scared at first – go slow and don’t force him to do anything he seems apprehensive about), get him used to the sound and view of big suitcases rattling across the floor, let him hear planes arriving and departing and, of course, get petted a lot.

A favorite of mine also are the big cleaning carts that are used to clean bathrooms and floors. They are very different from most objects a dog encounters in daily life, so your dog may be scared when first seeing them (my dog Kix which you see in the above picture certainly was!). Walking around them at a distance and praising and treating your dog will help him overcome his anxiety and add another unique experience to the airport adventure!

Take your dog out in the world – remember, they are experience junkies.

Happy training!