Actually, we took Malone with us the first year. He was 10 weeks old, and he had a blast! He has never been afraid of loud noises, or thunder or anything since then. He was so excited about people petting him, that I think it distracted him from being scared of the loud noises.

But if you know your dog is afraid of loud noises and crowds, then I would definitely leave them at home.

Last night, we saw a Cocker Spaniel, and he did awesome. The whole show, he just layed there alert, but not spooked or anything.