Vaccination and allowed to go outside??
- Thread starter Awkward Angel
- Start date
Second set is fine. Puppies need to get out with other puppies BEFORE 16 weeks. There is such a short time for primary socialization. The risks of contracting a puppy illness from other vaccinated, healthy puppies is not worth not socializing babies.
Patricia McConnel says "But the first and most important period of socialization is over around week twelve to thirteen, so you need to balance medical risks with the behavioral risks of keeping your puppy isolated until the sensitive period of socialization is over." Source: "The Other End of the Leash" by Patricia B. McConnel, PhD. She does also go on to say avoid dog parks and those type of "high traffic" areas, but get the puppy out.
I can't find my notes, but I remember Suzanne Clothier saying that primary is as Patricia McConnel says, with secondary being to week 25, then a third at around age 6 months. Get those puppies OUT!
Patricia McConnel says "But the first and most important period of socialization is over around week twelve to thirteen, so you need to balance medical risks with the behavioral risks of keeping your puppy isolated until the sensitive period of socialization is over." Source: "The Other End of the Leash" by Patricia B. McConnel, PhD. She does also go on to say avoid dog parks and those type of "high traffic" areas, but get the puppy out.
I can't find my notes, but I remember Suzanne Clothier saying that primary is as Patricia McConnel says, with secondary being to week 25, then a third at around age 6 months. Get those puppies OUT!
Absolutely. If you don't get your puppy socialzied from now to before 14-16 weeks, you'll hve a mal-adjusted, fearful, shy and unhappy dog. Take reasonable pre-cautions such as not going where a lot of unknown dogs are; dog parks, pet stores or other highly populated places. Find friends with healthy puppies or friendly adult dogs or a puppy class where vaccinations are required and healthy dogs are the norm. You must be careful that your puppy doesn't have a bad experience with a grumpy dog.
If you've heard of a Parvo outbreak in an area, stay away from that area. But your puppy must be exposed to other puppies, friendly adult dogs that you know, all kinds of people of different sizes, age groups, traffic sounds, all kinds of environments and objects, machinery, different ground surfaces etc.
If you keep your puppy inside, the chance of disease is almost nil. If you take your puppy out, there is a slight chance of disease even when you take reasonable precautions. If you do not socialize your puppy now until 14-16 weeks, it is not a chance that he'll be mal-adjusted. It is a given. There is nothing more important to your puppy than socializing her. And she needs an ample number of weeks for these exposures. The experiences must be happy and pleasant, not over-whelming but steady....every day she should meet different kinds of people and see different places and things.
At 16 weeks, the socialization doesn't stop. Keep making a real point of taking her to different places, meeting more people and dogs. Pour it on until she's a year old and then you can slack off a little bit. But don't isolate her completely ever.
I recommend taking your puppy once or twice a week to the vets just for a weight and a cookie, a little attention from the staff and/or the vet. Just a 5 minute social call. See if the vet will pop out into the waiting room if he's not too busy ask him to pretend to listen to her heart or look at her teeth. He'll appreciate helping to condition her to liking him and trusting him. Have your friends at home or a stranger "examine" her. Start clipping nails regularily, associating it with treats and a good time, ear cleaning, bathing....anything you want to do to her later, do it now and keep doing it.
Good luck.
If you've heard of a Parvo outbreak in an area, stay away from that area. But your puppy must be exposed to other puppies, friendly adult dogs that you know, all kinds of people of different sizes, age groups, traffic sounds, all kinds of environments and objects, machinery, different ground surfaces etc.
If you keep your puppy inside, the chance of disease is almost nil. If you take your puppy out, there is a slight chance of disease even when you take reasonable precautions. If you do not socialize your puppy now until 14-16 weeks, it is not a chance that he'll be mal-adjusted. It is a given. There is nothing more important to your puppy than socializing her. And she needs an ample number of weeks for these exposures. The experiences must be happy and pleasant, not over-whelming but steady....every day she should meet different kinds of people and see different places and things.
At 16 weeks, the socialization doesn't stop. Keep making a real point of taking her to different places, meeting more people and dogs. Pour it on until she's a year old and then you can slack off a little bit. But don't isolate her completely ever.
I recommend taking your puppy once or twice a week to the vets just for a weight and a cookie, a little attention from the staff and/or the vet. Just a 5 minute social call. See if the vet will pop out into the waiting room if he's not too busy ask him to pretend to listen to her heart or look at her teeth. He'll appreciate helping to condition her to liking him and trusting him. Have your friends at home or a stranger "examine" her. Start clipping nails regularily, associating it with treats and a good time, ear cleaning, bathing....anything you want to do to her later, do it now and keep doing it.
Good luck.