rooster78 Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 I am so confused. I have heard that puppy pre-school is for dogs 8 weeks to 16 weeks and is often run by vets. I would like to start socialising our lab as soon as possible / healthy (we get him in 10 days!) but have been warned against letting him play with other dogs before 16 weeks when he has had his final parvo jab. Some people say no, wait until he has been fully vacinated whilst others encourage puppy school as soon as possible - however these two things don't go together. Is it safe to take a puppy to school? Is it safe to take the puppy places before 16 weeks? I have to go and visit my parents who have never had a dog at their place - is it ok to have him there for the weekend? Is it safe to take him to family's places who have dogs but are fully vacinated? or can these dogs carry Parvo without anyone knowing? Many thanks for your comments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blacklabrador Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 Puppy schools are held inside vet surgeries (rather than on the ground where Parvo can live) and your puppy is socialised with other pups who have been vaccinated. It is the safest possible place to socialise your puppy. You are right - socialisation is essential! The 12 week vaccination will convert 97% of puppies to being immune to parvo and the other diseases we vaccinate against. Most people will take their dogs out ten days after that 12 weeks vaccination. Many people show their baby puppies at that time and some people don't even bother with the 16 week vaccination. It's really up to you and what you decide after consulting with your vet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miranda Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 All the puppies I run on attend puppy pre-school two weeks after their first vaccination, I start taking them to shows at 3 months of age. I've never had a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 I will disagree to one point the vets isnt the safest place,after all thats where you take sick dogs,they walk /poop in the carpark.If parvo is around the dogs are at the vets or sat in the waiting room.Not all owners will phone prior to or leave the dog in the car they sit in the waiting room without saying what the dogs symptons are.So many do this with KC by which time it may have infected other clients. We dont enecourgae or puppy owners to go but its there risk. When ever we have to have a dog in the vets we always phone that morning to see if they have any cases of parvo/carona/gastro .Our vets are great & always inform us & if it isnt urgent we will hold off. Going to your parents is great but remember parvo is spread by faeces & when you walk you can tread on it & bring it home.This is why everyone should pick up after there dogs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rooster78 Posted February 14, 2007 Author Share Posted February 14, 2007 I will disagree to one point the vets isnt the safest place,after all thats where you take sick dogs,they walk /poop in the carpark.If parvo is around the dogs are at the vets or sat in the waiting room.Not all owners will phone prior to or leave the dog in the car they sit in the waiting room without saying what the dogs symptons are.So many do this with KC by which time it may have infected other clients.We dont enecourgae or puppy owners to go but its there risk. thanks Showdog - what do you suggest instead in terms of socialising the puppy? Would you wait until they are 16 weeks old? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 You need to be aware that dogs have a critical period between 6- 16 weeks of age- there is a great thread that may give you some insight into critical period issues in the training section. It is up to you to take both sides of the arguement and choose a happy medium that you are happy with and you feel keeps your pup safe- not just in terms of parvo virus. If you decide not to take your pup out- you will need to do a number of other things inside the home to try and have a well balanced confident dog. If it was my dog, i would be socialising as much as possible without going to areas like off lead dog parks or letting my pup near faecal matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blacklabrador Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 Showdog - puppy schools are held in vet surgeries after hours generally. The floor can be mopped to kill parvo (bleach isn't it?). The area that I saw to be the greatest risk was the ground outside the vet surgery. I always carry my pups into the vet until after their 12 week vaccination. Rooster I think you should do your research and come to a conclusion about what is best - talk to the breeder from which you are getting your pup and then relax. Be wary but not over stressed about this. Your pup does need socialisation - it's imperitive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kool Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Some puppies are puppies until they are 6 months old, some are puppies forever. Why anyone would risk their baby puppies life for the sake of a couple weeks is very hard to fathom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blacklabrador Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Kool it has nothing to do with how long a mature dog acts like a puppy. It has everything to do with vital stages during which a puppy must be socialised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gottalovealab Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Some puppies are puppies until they are 6 months old, some are puppies forever.Why anyone would risk their baby puppies life for the sake of a couple weeks is very hard to fathom. Socialising at a young age is essential so the dog, as an adult, has a stable temprament. Puppies go through an imprint period, during this time what they learn then, will carry it through the rest of their lives. During those few weeks, owners need to expose puppies to all sorts of surrounding and different circumstances. That is why socialising at this young age is so vital. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kool Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 It is more to do with the vital time when a puppy must be immunised. Parvo doesn't care if a puppy is social or not. The couple of weeks between final vaccination & socialising could mean the difference between life & death. And that is not being melodramatic, it's a fact. A puppy is still a baby at thirteen weeks. Plenty of time for socialising after that. Personally, my puppies never, ever, touch the vets floor until after they are fully vaccinated. Hopefully that is twelve months down the track when they have their first annual vaccination. You wouldn't let kids play on the floor of the infectious diseases ward of a hospital with other kids you know nothing about. Same thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blacklabrador Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 (edited) Kool the vet's floor isn't the biggest risk to your dog. It's the soil where Parvo lives for years in a dormant state. Are you saying you don't allow your dogs anywhere until after their 12 month vaccination? The 12 month vaccination is merely a booster...rather than a completion to your dog's vaccinations. As I mentioned earlier, the majority of dogs (97%) gain immunity from the 12 week vaccination. The 16 week one is just a "safeguard". Nope I wouldn't allow my child to play on the floor of a hospital, nor would I allow it to chew a raw bone. They aren't really in the same category. Edited February 15, 2007 by blacklabrador Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gottalovealab Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 So Kool, are you saying that you wouldn't allow your puppy out for a period of 12 months? how do you think the dog feels when its comes out for the first time at that age. You have missed the VITAL stages of a dogs life where it needs to learn as much as it can! The risks are always there, yes, there is never 100% guarantee, but nothing is. IMO the risks are much lower if you can be in a situation that you can control and a place where all puppies have been given their first shots is certainly a start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Kool- how much research have you done into a dogs critical period? Just wanting to know if your decision is an informed one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kool Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 More informed than most. I said my puppies don't touch the vets floor until they are fully vaccinated. Hopefully, there is no reason they should touch the vets floor for 12 months after their 12 weeks booster. As in no reason to vist the vets for 12 months. At which time they can walk right on in. If people want to do puppy pre school, go right ahead. The chances of your puppy catching parvo or something else are slim. But not unknown. People should be aware of the risks. If they think the risk is worth it, for a couple of hours of puppy romping that,if not followed up on are really worthless in the scheme of things, go ahead. I don't. That's just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Kool- how do you socialise your dogs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gottalovealab Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 To the OP, the risks are always there, wherever you go and whatever age your dog is. Many people, such as myself, would risk such things (of course within reason, i mean im not about to take my 10 week old puppy to the local park) in controlled situations. Diseases can be picked up anywhere. Unfortunatley you are caught between a time when your puppy is at a higher risk of catching something and also when your puppy needs the most socialisation. If you are leaning towards not going to puppy pre-school then there are certainly different avenues to take. How about having a doggie get together at your place with friends? Making sure that each dog is vaccinated of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kool Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Kool- how do you socialise your dogs? I take them ice skating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gottalovealab Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Wow kool, you have some excellent pointers there for the OP, dont you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blacklabrador Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Kool what makes you think the floor in the vet surgery is so bad? Do you take your 12 week puppies for walks on the footpath? In the park or the beach? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now