Did you know that there are many different dog friendly farmer’s markets in Sarasota where you can browse local foods, arts and crafts, while also being great opportunities for socialization training for your puppy?
In this blog, we will provide some socialization training tips as well as discuss some of our favorite dog friendly farmer’s markets in Sarasota.
Why is socialization training important for your puppy?
So why is it important to socialize your puppy? Socialization is exposing your puppy to a wide variety of smells, sights and sounds to help them become comfortable and well adjusted to stimuli and different environments.
Why go to a farmer’s market?
Farmer’s markets are good places to practice socialization because of the many different smells, sounds and sights that includes:
- Noisy children, such as kids running and crying babies
- Adults of different ages, ethnicities, heights and sizes
- People wearing different clothing including hats, sunglasses and bright clothing
- Passing cyclists and cars
- Crowded areas for advanced training
- The sounds of different machines including food processors and coffee machines
- Many different dogs passing on leash
Making socialization training into a positive experience
Whether you are taking your puppy out to places like a farmer’s market, park or hiking trail, it’s important to make these enjoyable experiences. Socialization training is not just about exposing your puppy to stimuli and environments. It’s also about helping them develop positive associations with these experiences.
So how can you help your puppy have a positive experience? You can use treats and praise to make it a more fun experience. Some of our favorite treats to use include jerky, kibble and peanut butter. You can check out our suggested treats list for some ideas.
Using treats for socialization training
So how can you use treats for socialization training? You can give your puppy a treat when they meet new dogs, people or are exposed to unfamiliar smells, sounds and sights such as passing vehicles, bicycles or noisy children.
It’s important that your puppy has positive experiences with children. After all, you want your puppy to grow up to be comfortable around them. While taking your dog out to the farmer’s market, if a child wants to greet your puppy, you can give them a treat to give to your puppy. This can help your puppy to develop positive associations with children.
Safety notice
You should always take precautions when taking your puppy out who is not fully vaccinated. We recommend that you discuss this with your vet, and that you follow appropriate precautions including:
- Wiping your puppy’s paws off after going out
- Keeping them off grassy areas
- Avoid taking them to dog parks
- Not letting them put anything in their mouths that they may try to pick up
- Only letting them interact with fully vaccinated dogs
Now that we have discussed puppy socialization, let’s talk about some of our favorite Sarasota farmer’s markets.
Dog Friendly Farmer’s Markets in Sarasota
Markets that are open on Wednesdays
Phillippi Farmhouse Market
The Phillippi Farmhouse Market is a seasonal market that is open on Wednesdays from 9 am to 1 pm, between October and April. Dogs are welcome as long as they are on leash.
They have over 50 vendors that includes fresh produce, artisanal goods, food, and beverages. They also have live music and offer free tours of the Edson Keith Mansion and the Keith Farmhouse.
Open on Saturdays
Sarasota Farmer’s Market
The Sarasota Farmer’s Market allows dogs on leash and is open on Saturdays from 7am to 1pm in downtown Sarasota. They have a variety of vendors who sell goods including fresh produce, plants, baked and artisanal goods.
For more information, you can check out their list of vendors and events pages.
Open on Sundays
Farmer’s Market at Lakewood Ranch
The Siesta Key Farmer’s Market located in Siesta Village is open on Sundays from 9am to 2pm. They have a wide variety of vendors including fresh produce, arts and crafts, food and beverages and other locally made products.
We recommend checking out their Facebook and Instagram pages for more information.
We are here to help
Does your puppy love to jump on people to say hello, pull on the leash or have any other naughty behaviors you would like to address? Or perhaps your puppy is scared of strangers or is reactive towards other dogs on leash?
You can contact our Pet Behavior Team for a free consultation, where we can chat with you and provide a personalized recommendation that meets your needs. We also recommend you check out our puppy training blog or our Tik Tok channel.
Beyond the Dog Sarasota offers personalized one-on-one training sessions. Including training at your home and local Sarasota neighborhood, board-and-train programs, and virtual training programs. We also offer in person training in Tampa Bay, Houston, and Dallas, as well as Board and Train Programs and Virtual Training Programs for clients nationwide.
We use scientifically proven training methods, backed by over 20 years of hands-on experience. Beyond the Dog Sarasota is led by our co-founders, Dr. Kristyn Echterling-Savage, a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB) and Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), and Sean Savage, a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC) and Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA).
