Socialisation Vs Health Risk Of A Pup

[DogsLover]

Hello All,

Not sure if this is the right place to post this thread. We are expecting our Doberman pup next week and really looking forward to it. We would like to begin socialising her to as many stuff as possible during the critical period but at the same time we are concern with health issues as she is not fully vaccinated yet. Is there anyone/vet know the risk of parvo and other virus that might harm the pup before her full course of vaccination? What do most of you all do?

Thanks in advance for your advice

Edited to correct some spelling errors.

Edited April 13, 2008 by DogsLover

[Cosmolo]

Congratulations on the impending arrival of your new puppy! The first thing i would be doing is calling all the vet clinics in your area and asking how many cases of parvo they have seen in the last 12 months. This will give you an inidication of the risk level in your area. Remember that dobes, Rottweilers and black labs (to my knowledge, i'm sure someone will correct me if i am wrong) can be more susceptible to parvo virus.

Consider ways to socialise your pup within your yard to surfaces, noises etc as well as taking advatage of the short time your pup will be small enough to sit on your lap in busy cafe strips etc. I took one of my pups to telstra dome before the start of the footy as i have never seen another dog around there and it was a great opportunity to socialise him with children, crowds, flags etc and no one stopped to pat him- all rushing to get to the footy which was great.

Enrol in an organised puppy pre school class run by a qualified trainer that can help you to socialise your pup in a safe environment.

And ask your vet about the new vaccine that has pups fully covered at 12 weeks of age.

Edited April 13, 2008 by Cosmolo

[DogsLover]

Congratulations on the impending arrival of your new puppy! The first thing i would be doing is calling all the vet clinics in your area and asking how many cases of parvo they have seen in the last 12 months. This will give you an inidication of the risk level in your area. Remember that dobes, Rottweilers and black labs (to my knowledge, i'm sure someone will correct me if i am wrong) can be more susceptible to parvo virus.

Consider ways to socialise your pup within your yard to surfaces, noises etc as well as taking advatage of the short time your pup will be small enough to sit on your lap in busy cafe strips etc. I took one of my pups to telstra dome before the start of the footy as i have never seen another dog around there and it was a great opportunity to socialise him with children, crowds, flags etc and no one stopped to pat him- all rushing to get to the footy which was great.

Enrol in an organised puppy pre school class run by a qualified trainer that can help you to socialise your pup in a safe environment.

And ask your vet about the new vaccine that has pups fully covered at 12 weeks of age.

Thanks for all the advices. With regards to carrying big dogs, is it actually advisable? When the pup is older, will he thinks that he is still a pup and wants to jump on your lap?

[The Spotted Devil]

I carried my Dalmatian pup around for several weeks - the only result was that I had arms of steel by the end of it. We went everywhere - cafes, driving, supermarket etc. Zig is definitely too big to be a lap dog and I had no problem encouraging him to use his own 4 legs

[BC]

No they dont think they're lap dogs when they get bigger if you carry them as a pup, after all, you will only be carrying them for a few weeks and when you are out and about. They have four legs and are quite capable of using them so at home just make sure you dont have them up on your couch on your lap etc all the time :wink:

I do as SD did, take them everywhere, but if the area was not suitable for the pup to be walking around on I would carry. She also came to dog training with my older dogs and just stayed in the car and watched until I was done and then carried around for a bit. Puppy preschool is also great for socialisation but make sure you find one that is well run and not just an all in play time for the pups as this can end in tears.

A good puppy school chould also give you information on what you can do at this age to socialise your puppy in regards to noises, trains, garbage trucks, other dogs, people with hats, beards, loud voices etc

Congratulations on the new addition

Edited April 13, 2008 by BC

[Mystiqview]

To some parts I disagree and in some parts I fully agree. I hope that makes sense.

Socialise your pup with common sense. One place I would avoid like the plague is the off lead parks until full vaccination protocols have been done. And even then, keep and ear out about kennel cough (KC) /parvo outbreaks in your area/s. Even vaccinated dogs can get kennel cough/parvo and carry those viruses.

Vaccination does not prevent you from getting the virus 100%. It's there to set up the immune system to be able to fight it with already recognised antibodies made when the dog was vaccinated. If the dog gets the virus, it is hoped that the dog will not get a killer dose of it, rather a mild form. You may not even know the dog has parvo as all it may have is a slightly runny nose/eyes for example.

You can bring parvo/KC into your yard yourself through shoes/clothing. They are air borne component, so the person walking along the front footpath can bring it to you. Direct contact with other dogs makes it easier for your pup to pick it up.

I would still take the dog for car rides, to the local shopping centre etc. Just be vigilant to make sure the pup does not go sniffing other doggy bottoms and vice versa.

Puppy school: just because this is held at a vets or other establishment, what is stopping other puppy owners from not being vigilant in where they go? If held at the vets, the person may not have been as careful to sterilise the area where you do puppy school, and if at private establishment, how do you know if a dog infected/carryign the virus has not walked through only minutes before you got there?

You can get paranoid about it. Or you can be sensible. I do not let my dogs live in cotton wool here as I believe there is a greater risk of a dog being PTS due to poor socialisation then disease/virus. But just use some common sense where you socialise your pup.

[Lablover]

I kept 3 pups from a litter once. Nearly killed me, walking each separately, every day.

Did not visit any doggie areas, walked on concrete paths, and stayed away from any faeces. I used a light check chain as well, due to one slipping a leather collar (in a busy street). Mind you, it was for safety, not training.

[arawnhaus]

I carry them about and use concrete paths etc I'll take them into a main street but no sniffing bins poles those sorts of things were other dogs most likely have been.

[DogsLover]

Hello Everyone,

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

Currently, we are carrying her for a walk and she is heavy Don't think we can do that for long as she grows bigger. She has also travel in a car in a crate.

We socialize her with our other dogs and to as many stuff in our home as possible i.e. hair dryer, TV, crying baby and so on......

Some friends will be coming over to our place tonight and we will take that opportunity to socialize her to other people. We will be looking for a puppy socialization class around our area.

Are there anymore creative ideas out there on how we can socialize our pups without putting their health at risk?

This is a photo of her at 8 weeks old and she is 9 weeks old now.

[Cosmolo]

She looks beautiful!! What area are you in? Can you create a tunnel or mini ramp- think about different surfaces and sounds- machinery from a safe distance etc!