Oh thats a shame I am sorry! Yes please do.

__________________

well I have always taken out after 1st vaccination just round the block not in well dog populated areas, but tbh they don't need more than this when 8 weeks old! Plus like ceearot I have only ever done 1st sets of vaccinations apart from when I took my bitch over seas for breeding. I have nearly lost both of my dogs through vaccinations and had some hefty bills of over £5000 on 1 dog! but thats a whole different story enjoy your new baby

owwww a staffy ^_^ they are so cute

my dogs staffy x foxy weird mix huh?

R K Anderson DVM, MPH, DACVPM, DACVB.
Puppy Vaccination and Socialization Together?:
What Are The Risks and Benefits? (an open letter)
http://www.sicsa.org/pdfs/rk-anderso...ion-letter.pdf



Dr. R. K. Anderson's Socialization Letter:
_____________________________________

Robert K. Anderson DVM
Diplomate ACVB and ACVPM
Professor and Director Emeritus, Animal Behavior Clinic and
Center to Study Human/Animal Relationships and Environments
University of Minnesota
1666 Coffman Street, Suite 128, Falcon Heights, MN 55108
Phone 612-644-7400
FAX 612-644-4262



PUPPY VACCINATIONS AND SOCIALIZATION SHOULD GO TOGETHER

TO: My Colleagues in Veterinary Medicine:

Common questions I receive from puppy owners, dog trainers and veterinarians concern:
1) what is the most favorable age or period of time when puppies learn best?
2) what are the health implications of my advice that veterinarians and trainers should offer socialization programs for puppies starting at 8 to 9 weeks of age.

Puppies begin learning at birth, and their brains appear to be particularly responsive to learning and retaining experiences that are encountered during the first 13 to 16 weeks after birth.

This means that breeders, new puppy owners, veterinarians, trainers and behaviorists have a responsibility to assist in providing these learning/socialization experiences with other puppies/dogs, with children/adults and with various environmental situations during this optimal period from birth to 16 weeks.

Many veterinarians are making this early socialization and learning program part of a total wellness plan for breeders and new owners of puppies during the first 16 weeks of a puppy's life -- the first 7-8 weeks with the breeder and the next 8 weeks with the new owners.

This socialization program should enroll puppies from 8 to 12 weeks of age as a key part of any preventive medicine program to improve the bond between pets and their people, and keep dogs as valued members of the family for 12 to 18 years.

To take full advantage of this early special learning period, many veterinarians recommend that new owners take their puppies to puppy socialization classes, beginning at 8 to 9 weeks of age.

At this age they should have (and can be required to have) received a minimum of their first series of vaccines for protection against infectious diseases. This provides the basis for increasing immunity by further repeated exposure to these antigens either through natural exposure in small doses or artificial exposure with vaccines during the next 8 to 12 weeks.

In addition the owner and people offering puppy socialization should take precautions to have the environment and the participating puppies as free of natural exposure as possible by good hygiene and caring by careful instructors and owners.

Experience and epidemiologic data support the relative safety and lack of transmission of disease in these puppy socialization classes over the past 10 years in many parts of the United States.

In fact; the risk of a dog dying because of infection with distemper or parvo disease is far less than the much higher risk of a dog dying (euthanasia) because of a behavior problem.

Many veterinarians are now offering new puppy owners puppy-socialization classes in their hospitals or nearby training facilities, in conjunction with trainers and behaviorists, because they want socialization and training to be very important parts of a wellness plan for every puppy.

We need to recognize that this special sensitive period for learning is the best opportunity we have to influence behavior for dogs and the most important and longest lasting part of a total wellness plan.

Are there risks? Yes.
But 10 years of good experience and data, with few exceptions, offers veterinarians the opportunity to generally recommend early socialization and training classes, beginning when puppies are 8 to 9 weeks of age.

However, we always follow a veterinarian's professional judgment, in individual cases or situations, where special circumstances warrant further immunization for a special puppy before starting such classes. During any period of delay for puppy classes, owners should begin a program of socialization with children and adults, outside their family, to take advantage of this special period in a puppy's life.

If there are further questions, veterinarians may call me at 651-644-7400 for discussion and clarification.

Robert K. Anderson DVM,
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine
and Diplomate of American College of Veterinary Behaviorists


____________ END COPY _________________________



The Rule of Sevens

http://www.lrcgb.org/files/rules_of_twelve.pdf

______________________________

American Veterinary Medical Association
see JAVMA Index, JAVMA online; article titled
"Evaluation of Association between retention in the home
and attendance at puppy socialization classes"; pubd July 1, 2003

Abstract
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
July 1, 2003, Vol. 223, No. 1, Pages 61-66
Doi: 10.2460/javma.2003.223.61


Evaluation of association between retention in the home
and attendance at puppy socialization classes


Dr. Margaret M. Duxbury , DVM; Julie A. Jackson, DVM; Dr. Scott W. Line, DVM, PhD, DACVB; Dr. Robert K. Anderson , DVM, MPH, DACVPM, DACVB;
Center to Study Human Animal Relationships and Environments, College of Veterinary Medicine and School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455.
(Duxbury, Anderson);
Present address is College of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN 55108.
(Duxbury);
Animal Humane Society, 845 Meadow Ln N, Golden Valley, MN 55422.
(Jackson, Line);
Present address is 2100 Creek Top Way, Richmond, VA 23236.
(Jackson);
Present address is Merial Ltd, 3239 Satellite Blvd, Duluth, GA 30096.


Objective:
To evaluate associations between retention of dogs in their adoptive homes and attendance at puppy socialization classes and other factors.

Design: Epidemiologic survey.

Animals:
248 adult dogs that were adopted as puppies from a humane society.

Procedure:
Owners completed questionnaires regarding demographics, retention of the dogs in the homes, and the dogs' early learning events.

Results:
Higher retention in the homes was reported for dogs that participated in humane society puppy socialization classes, were female, wore headcollars as puppies, were handled frequently as puppies, were more responsive to commands, slept on or near the owner's bed, or lived in homes without young children.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance:
Results suggest several practices that veterinarians may recommend to enhance the likelihood that puppies will remain in their first homes, such as enrolling 7- to 12-week-old puppies in early learning and socialization classes.
The lower rate of retention of dogs in homes with children emphasizes the importance of helping owners develop realistic expectations, knowledge, and effective tools to manage interactions between their children and dogs. (JAVMA 2003; 223:61-66)


___________________________________________

Interdisciplinary Forum for Applied Animal Behavior:
ABSTRACTS FOR IFAAB 2005 MEETING

R. K. Anderson, DVM, MPH, DACVPM, DACVB

Puppy Vaccination and Socialization Together?:
What Are The Risks and Benefits?

Some veterinarians tell clients that puppies should not be exposed to other puppies or dogs until after 16 weeks of age when regular vaccination is usually completed. Some want clients to keep puppies isolated in their own house and yard without benefit of any socialization or learning in puppy classes or even with other individual puppies and dogs. They believe the risk of infectious diseases is too great and unacceptable.
This has made it very difficult for trainers and behaviorists who are concerned with the need for early learning and socialization to convince owners of puppies to enroll in classes or even have puppy interactions with friends.
For several years, I have been working with colleagues to collect data that would be useful to better document the risks of disease and the benefits of early learning and socialization for puppies. These data may be helpful to promote the concept among veterinarians that vaccination and early learning/socialization go together.
_______________________________________


many trainers feel that U do pups + their families a disservice if U wait -- that 9-WO to 10-WO is fine, they just need their first-shots. there is research that shows aggression is much higher in dogs who did not attend a puppy class.

pups have PASSIVE * IMMUNITY per the antibodies that cross the placenta,
and those ingested via the dams breastmilk, particularly in the colostrum - the first flow, 24 to 48-hours post-birth, when large molecules can pass thru the gut-wall of the neonate. AFTER 48-hours, the neonate bowel closes that Swiss-cheese barrier from bowel to body to further absorption, and the opportunity for an initial passive acquired-immunity has evaporated; the pup has aged-out of that window of potential.

in Australia, *puppy-preschool* is pups from 8-WO to 16-WO *only*.
post-16-WO, pups move into normal group-classes, with teen + adult dogs.

cheers,
--- terry

__________________
terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, TDF
*wolves R wolves, dogs R dogs, + primates R us.*
tmp, sept-2007