Dewclaws Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Hi all . I will ask my breeder this when I pick pup up on a couple of weeks but I was curiose to get varied opinions, i was wondering if dogs should be kept home until 12 weeks when immunization schedule is finished ? The thing is I still have my other two dogs who need daily walks, wouldn't they possibly bring back nasties on paws Ect? Also wouldn't our own shoes also potentially carry disease ? Is there certain places that need to avoided such as parks? I normally walk my own dogs around the neighborhood. It's been nearly 10 years since I had my last pup so I am a bit rusty with the current way things are done . Also how about puppy preschool m should that wait until 12 weeks . Our local one accepts pups from 8 wks . When is the best time ? Cheers . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*kirty* Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 I have a breed that is prone to shyness and timidity. I personally believe it is better to get pup out and about as soon as possible to maximise social skills. My litter started coming to work with me at 5 weeks of age, and my own puppy has been going everywhere with me ever since. I avoided public parks and beaches and also general vet clinics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyspazz Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Smartly - at 8 weeks. All breeds need to experience the world during the critical period 8-16 weeks. Don't take to places with high dog traffic before 13 weeks but get that puppy out and about - train stations, busy shopping centres etc etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casima Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 I have a 10 week old pup at the moment and she has been going somewhere every day for socialisation, it is great to see her getting more and more confident in all these different environments. I choose where to take her carefully but it is sooo important for them to get out of the house I think it is worth the risk. Maybe check with your vets to see if they have had any parvo cases lately or if you are in a high risk area first but the 8-12 week period is really important for them to have a ton of experiences with all sorts of people, kids, old people, uniforms, umbrellas, traffic, sounds, different surfaces to walk on, indoors, outdoors etc Some examples of where my pup has been in the past 2 weeks or will go before her 2nd needle at 12 weeks. - Friends houses, especially friends with healthy dogs to meet - Cafes, on leash under the out door tables in low dog traffic areas only. - Primary school gates at home time, on leash at my feet meet lots of kids. I take treats and get the kids to all give her a lollie. - Local ferry, allows dogs - Train station at peak hour - Nursing home, my Grandpa's one allows dog visitors, the residents love it - Bunnings, take a bed, put bed and puppy in trolley and wheel her all around (keep a leash on to make sure she doesn't jump out, might be too much for some puppies because of the echo) - Walk in the bush, we have a small area of bush near the house where not many dogs are walked, great for her coordination to run around on uneven surfaces and practise our recalls. - Outings at night time, everything is different in the dark for them, good to experience it young, we take little walks around the block, see people walking, getting out of cars, putting bins out. - Christmas parties at peoples houses. - Traffic, go and sit at a busy road or intersection, especially one that gets trucks/buses. (choose a quieter intersection if puppy is worried about sounds) - Outdoor Shopping centers (if they arn't too doggy) - Underground car parks (brave puppies only) - Christmas Carols in the park No matter how careful you are there is always a small risk but I believe it so just so important to make good use of this socialisation period from 8-12 weeks that it is worth it. Just don't overwhelm the puppy, some of these places may not be suitable for a more nervy pup, I am lucky my girl has quite a solid temperament. Here is a photo of her in Bunnings yesterday :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*kirty* Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Great post Casima! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dewclaws Posted December 22, 2015 Author Share Posted December 22, 2015 Thanks Casima luckily its the school holidays so I will make a a point of taking pup out aND about each day . Was bunnings OK with pup in trolley ?. Do you think puppy play school is OK from 8 wks ? If all the pups have been vaccinated ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casima Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Thanks Casima luckily its the school holidays so I will make a a point of taking pup out aND about each day . Was bunnings OK with pup in trolley ?. Do you think puppy play school is OK from 8 wks ? If all the pups have been vaccinated ? Even just small outings eg drive to the local shops, stand with pup on lead near your car for 5 mins so puppy can watch the world go by and then back in the car to go home is great, especially when they are just starting out socialising. All these daily outings also give you a good oportunity to reward good behavior too, manners and calmness when out and about. Noone at Bunnings complained about the puppy in trolley and we have done that twice so far, plenty of staff saw her, many came and gave her pats. I think if you are sensible about it and your pup looks safe and happy there shouldn't be a problem. I'm not sure how I feel about puppy preschools, from a disease point of view it would depend on where it is held, how well it is cleaned and if they have had any diseases there and if the other puppies have been to high risk environments or may be carrying a disease, I think I would probably prefer to wait until 2nd Vacc. From a socialisation and training point of view having a puppy that young may not be the best depending on how much playtime they get and what the other pups are like and how big they are, if the people running it are experienced and make sure only suitable pups play together I am sure they can be great, but watch out for ones that run them all together or let full on or larger pups rough house with smaller or more timid ones. I don't take my dogs to puppy school, I am confident in my ability to train and socialise my own pups especially since I raise mine for competitive sports I prefer they mostly meet "boring" adult dogs for socialisation rather than fun pups, it is better for my needs that they are confident around other dogs but think dogs are boring rather than everyone is their best play friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyspazz Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 Vets are where all the diseased/sick dogs go to get better! Not the place I'd be taking a young puppy if I had a choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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