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socialisation how did you do it?

1K views 18 replies 13 participants last post by  keeleyjane19 
#1 ·
just want to make sure we get this right!

Is it ok to take puppy down to my mum's and friends to meet their dogs - who have both been fully vacinated and allow them to play in the garden etc. What if the dogs are carrying germs on them from outside from their walks, etc?

Also when we carry Hurley outside to show him the world :) - how can we put him down if he needs to 'go' with out knowing if the grass / floor has been infected by other dog germs??

Basically how did you get around all this for 3/4 wks :confused::
 
#2 ·
you could take them to puppy parties etc. its good socialisation.
with mine i usually time things so they dont need to go while we are out, so they are always carried in my arms until all vacs have been completed and i get the ok from the vets.
I never put them down outside before this time.
Hope this helps
xx
 
#5 ·
i took ollie to my godmothers house who had a young dog. he loved it, and personally, it's better they get good socialisation at a young age with other dogs, than the small risk of the pup getting a disease from a vaccinated dog. I carried ollie around in my arms for walks to the shops. It's great if you can sit outside schools when they are coming out, you'll get loads of attention and its good for the pup to get used to children and loud noises. I would make sure the pup had toileted before you left for your walk and he/she shouldn't need to go again.
 
#6 ·
I always take mine to visit family members and friends who have vaccinated dogs as i think it is great socialisation that they need. I took Blade sunday to my mum and dads to meet their cocker and then my brother bought their 13week old ckcs pup round too! (see my other thread!).

Today i carried him up to the post box and round to a friends house to meet her 2 year old daughter and her jack russel. He had a lovely time playing with them both.

I always get him to go to the loo before we go out, we are never really out for more than half an hour even when i carry him to the park with the big ones on our walks, we just do a short walks on the nights we take him.

I NEVER put them down in public places before their jabs only in peoples gardens who i know have fully vaccinated dogs! As for the risk of germs i guess there is as much risk of us bringing germs in on our shoes??

Hope this helps. :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
#7 ·
Its fine to take him down as long as dog have been done the dog must be out as much as you can seeing diffrent people and other dogs your doing eveything wright well done, there critical period of learning is between 7 and 12 weeks get this right now and you have cracked it let him see the world men with hats walking sticks beards shopping trolleys children.

Good luck kepp up with the hard work :D
 
#8 ·
I got Heidi at 9 weeks and took her straight for her first vaccination. Vet said to get her out as much as poss because its great to get them used to as much as possible before 12 weeks. OK to take her places to see other dogs but avoid areas where lots of dogs have been until after her second vaccination.

I carried her to everywhere I could think of. Local garden centre, Supermarket and stood outside. Stood at the bus stop etc etc. As soon as she was ok to go out, I took her to our local nature reserve where she met and socialised with lots of dogs and still does. She is v submissive, sometimes a bit too much but I would rather that than confrontational.

Good luck with socialising yours.:thumbup:
 
#9 ·
I carried mine everywhere.

I stood at the bus stop and let the buses go by, by the library and chatted to the OAP's in their mobility scooters, by the kiddies park and school gates meeting all the kids and teenagers, and I stood at the horses field, byy busy roads, out side the shops. I walked everywhere with them in my arms along the beach etc etc etc to get them used to the sights and smells of the big wide world.

I visited anyone and everyone who had vacinated dogs for them to meet.

I attended puppy classes, where I went takes them as long as they've had their first injection.

And I went to weekly socialisation - ie puppy romp, or puppy play. Young puppies played together under the supervision of the trainers as they got older/more confident they moved up into the next play group and then into a more structured play group where we would recall the puppies and give them permission to play all under the guidance of the trainers.
 
#10 ·
Same as everyone else really, took Trigger to friends houses whose dogs were all vaccined.

He has been up to my mother-in-laws just about everyday, she stays on a busy road with lots of buses going by. At first he was wary of the noise from the buses but now he doesn't bat an eyelid. She also has a dog who can be grumpy so it is good for Trigger to learn that not all dogs want to play 24/7.

We also let him out the front where all the kids in street lean over the fence to pet so he is used to people of all ages.
 
#11 ·
erm...either I was unlucky, or I was carrying Rosie wrong when I used to carry her before her injections.

One Thursday morning I took her with me when I went to open/unlock local village hall (I'm caretaker), only a few mins walk, but we were nearly there when a big lorry thundered by, Rosie panicked at the noise and tried to jump out of my arms, I prevented her from doing so, but in the process she scratched my lip.

I calmed her down, and she was fine after a couple of minutes, but I arrived at the hall (with people waiting to be let in) looking a right state, with blood running down my chin onto my top :eek6: I didn't carry her out after that.

Is there an ideal secure way to carry a puppy?
 
#12 ·
Dogs I have had from puppies have always been well socialised (getting them used to new people and animals) and habituated (getting them used to new environments) in my arms even before vaccinations are complete. Sitting on a seat near a bus stop, at a train station, in a car park etc. Also taken out regularly in the car and introduced to vaccinated dogs in their homes. Also introduced to people outside the family as well as introduced to cats. If they show fear, I make no reaction but reward them when they don't show fear and talk to them in a confident, happy tone. If they show fear, I fall silent and calm. I continue socialisation and habituation for several months after innoculations are all done as well, just to reinforce that the world is ok etc. Never had a problem. :thumbup:
 
#13 ·
puppy-socialization per pups + dogs, Vs risk of contagion; cost : benefit - Pet Forums Community

i was not nearly so paranoid about literally *carrying* a pup -
:eek: my pups have all walked on all-4s anywhere there was not a big-risk of dog-waste (currently or in the past 12-mos or more) -

while i could not let the puppy sniff about in the grass, alongSIDE the bike-path / ped-path, due to the heavy dog-use
and LOTS of dog-stool (no longer visible, but still possibly viable contagions), we could walk on the paved bike/ped path :thumbup:

we did cookie-visits to the vets,
we went to elementary-schools as the kids were departing,
sat outside the library to meet folks entering / exiting,
went to the beach or a stream to let the pup wade in moving water,
took car trips, bus rides, rode the ferry, etc - anything, everything.
 
#14 ·
i was not nearly so paranoid about literally *carrying* a pup -
It's not being paranoid LFL it's taking sensible precautions against contagious fatal diseases, which if everyone followed, and everyone had their puppy's injections would eventually eradicate the diseases.

(Only just woke up, hope that makes sense, I know what I mean ;))
 
#15 ·
I carried them everywhere if that's akward you could get a bag or something to put them in. It's no problem taking them to other people's houses to meet vaccinated dogs in fact it's a really good idea. Introduce them to as much as possible sights, sounds smells but don't let them get overwhelmed
 
#16 ·
Even if your mums dogs are vaccinated there is a small chance of them passing something to your puppy. I think the benefits outweigh the risks but think you should know the risks before you decide what to do.
A good place for socialising is outside a large supermarket. If you can sit them on a bench here they can watch cars and lories, children running around, people in wheelchairs, people carrying bags, shopping trolleys rattling along. men in high viz coats,
Mine have always been introduced to everything I can think of at an early age and it wasn't untill I bought this foster girl home and saw some of the silly things that upset her that I fully realised how much easier it makes things.
 
#17 ·
It's not being paranoid LFL it's taking sensible precautions against contagious fatal diseases, which if everyone followed, and everyone had their puppy's injections would eventually eradicate the diseases.
hey, emily! :--)
please read post #1 of the socialization sticky -
an open-letter from a DVM on the dangers of under-exposure to the world,
vs the relatively low-risk of exposure to lethal contagion.

the primary *contagious fatal disease* that everybody worries about is Parvo -
since i have never taken a pup underage [meaning under 56 days old], the pups chance of being killed by Parvo is low;
fatality is a function of age, with Parvo virus - the younger the pup, the more potentially fatal.


since i take reasonable, simple precautions - avoid the pup walking or sniffing where dog-feces may have been-
since the nose or mouth are the likely points of entry - i greatly reduce the risk of exposure, without keeping my pup indoors or in very limited environs -
like my yard.

i also WANT * MY * PUP to walk - on a leash, and briskly - for 3 reasons:
* the world looks very different from pup or dog level
* i want my pup habituated to the leash + very-comfy with it
* i want my pup to EXERCISE regularly - on + off-leash

walking on sidewalk immediately reduces the risk of exposure to a stool-borne virus.
the beach below the tide-wrack is another safe area; a tennis-court is good for both leashed + off-leash play.
U don;t have to carry a puppy to keep them safe; just choose where U go, and particularly where Pup SNIFFS.

happy training, :)
--- terry
 
#18 ·
I puppywalked three Guide Dog puppies and you take them out asap as they ascertain that the early socialisation benefits outweigh the tiny risk of the pup catching something. As long as the pup is not walked anywhere where dogs frequent and toilet in of course. Having never seen a pet dog walking round Tescos' or shopping centres I suppose it is fairly safe! :p But you are encouraged to have them out and about (sensibly) soon after you get them, which is at just over six weeks old following a primary vaccination and vet check up at the breeding centre. :)
 
G
#19 ·
Puppy parties, puppy socialisation classes, you could speak to your local dog walker and see if you could meet up on a walk with them to socialise with the dogs whom they may be walking? This is what I did, and the benefits out weighed the risks of them picking something up.

All the best xxx
 
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