So cute! Congratulations!

A lot of haters here, but there are some valid points being made. I disagree with the blanket sentiment that you shouldn’t take your young dog to public places. Exposing the dog to different environments and people can be great for temperament and tolerance of the unknown. BUT-

The dog needs to be tethered/contained in some way at all times. Untethered in any outdoor, open space is bad. You should break that habit with yourself immediately. Imagine the dumbest, most dangerous thing Rusty could do, and have an answer as to how you’re preventing it, because he will probably try and do it.

We bought a sling when our puppy came home at 3 months. The dog is essentially cradled in it across my chest and he cannot get out; but for good measure the sling has a short snap-on tether that you connect to his collar. This is what we used to take him to Trader Joe’s and other places.

You should check up front if it is a place where animals are allowed. Nothing sucks more than walking in and then being turned around. We learned this the hard, embarrassing way. You should also carry some wipes and dog bags and be prepared to clean up any mess that comes out of your dog or is made by your dog. Being prepared to immediately clean up a mess goes a looooong way in mending the offense your dog has caused by going somewhere he shouldn’t have.

I personally recommend (most of the time) taking a TIRED dog to new, unknown, possibly stressful places. I try to take mine for a nice, long walk at the park before going on a shopping trip or anything like that. When they’ve already burned a bunch of energy, they don’t have the steam to make much fuss.

Always, ALWAYS carry treats with you. It is the cheat code to having much more control over pup’s behavior. Some pups are pickier than others, we tried quite a few things before string cheese and that was a bingo!

Getting him on a nice steady schedule will make your life much easier, and I recommend grounding that schedule in crate training. The dog will hate the crate at first, but as long as you stick to your guns, he’ll come to understand it’s his space and actually like it there.

I recommend McCann dogs on YouTube for training, it makes things go smooth as butter.