[CharlieRC]

Hi all,

I will be getting a pup next week. I am very concerned with parvo, but am also concerned about proper socialization. Any advice on protecting from parvo, but getting enough socialization?

Thanks,

Charlie

 

[Gsdmama79]

Make sure your pup ones through the complete series of shots, not just one set before even considering socialization. Your pup can pick parvovirus up from anywhere! Before my guy had his full series, I didn't even let him walk on the floor at the vets office. He only went potty in our yard and I never took him in public. You have PLENTY of time for socialization after the vaccines are completed.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App

 

[erfunhouse]

There are puppy classes that sanitize and don't allow shoes, etc


Sent from Petguide.com Free App

 

[Belmont]

Finish the shots, then socialize. Your puppy is still too young to even worry about aggressive behavior.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App

 

[boomer11]

if you keep your dog inside from 8-12 weeks you are missing out on the peak fear imprinting stage. puppies are more acceptable of new experiences up till 12 weeks of age. at this stage they dont really know what to fear and if you introduce a variety of things in a positive manner, your pup will be comfortable when introduced to new things when grown.

before my pup got his second round of shots he's already been exposed to dogs that i know are vaccinated, cars driving past him at 40mph, fireworks, chickens, lawn mower, cats, doors banging, gravel, driving in the car, swimming,etc. if he experiences all of these before he really knows what fear is, he'll only take away the fun stuff from these experiences. my dog swam at 11 weeks. he just jumped right in the lake towards me and swam. at this age pups dont really think for themselves yet and if they see you having fun then they will also think its safe and fun. people worry about parvo too much. just dont let your dog stop and sniff poop. i walk my pup every day starting at 8 weeks. i just kept on walking. i never stopped to let him sniff anything! keeping your pup inside between 8-12 weeks is missing out on a VERY important socialization period in your pups life imo

 

[boomer11]

i also carried my pup while at the vet. letting your pup on the floor to sniff around at the vet is probably the best way to get parvo.

 

[Cschmidt88]

I plan to socialize my puppy as soon as possible, he will be my service dog so getting used to odd things like elevators, heights, and escalators are important (amongst other things).

I plan to have a tub with a bleach soaked cloth in it in front of my house for people to step in prior to entering (although shoes should be taken off outside). A friend of mine uses bleach wipes after going out. Not sure if this will work well or not, but I might try it. As well as having people use hand sanitizer before petting the pup and not allowing the pup down unless it's a must for the socializing activity and also staying faaar away from places frequented by dogs. Socialize with uncontaminated yards and well vaccinated dogs.

That may sound excessive but parvo is bad here, and we have a mutated form as well with a higher kill rate, so extra precautions are a must

 

[doggiedad]

i got my pup when he was 9 weeks old. after his 2nd round
of shots he was in a puppy class and we were out and about
but with care.

 

[doggiedad]

not allowing the pup down, are you going to carry the pup
everywhere?

I plan to socialize my puppy as soon as possible, he will be my service dog so getting used to odd things like elevators, heights, and escalators are important (amongst other things).

I plan to have a tub with a bleach soaked cloth in it in front of my house for people to step in prior to entering (although shoes should be taken off outside). A friend of mine uses bleach wipes after going out. Not sure if this will work well or not, but I might try it. As well as having people use hand sanitizer before petting the pup and

>>>>> not allowing the pup down unless it's a must for the socializing activity and also staying faaar away from places frequented
by dogs. <<<<<


Socialize with uncontaminated yards and well vaccinated dogs.

That may sound excessive but parvo is bad here, and we have a mutated form as well with a higher kill rate, so extra precautions are a must

 

[Gsdmama79]

The risk of getting that horrible disease is not worth the inconvenience of waiting a bit longer to take the dog wherever and allowing him/her to walk everywhere. The dog will have access to lots of things in the meantime. There are noises on TV, experiencing any other pets in your home, exploring his/her own yard, meeting people that come over, experiencing the vets office, etc. In the grand scheme of things, this is such a brief period that it is just not worth it to take the risk. It's better to be safe than sorry. I may not be able to say with certainty that my guy would have picked it up had I not taken the precautions with him that I did, but I can say with certainty that he did not get it and I know it's because of how careful we were. It's all in how you look at it


Sent from Petguide.com Free App

 

[mspiker03]

My pup came home at 10 weeks and we took her everywhere from the day she got here. Obviously, we didn't go to the dog park or any large dog/pet store - but we took her on walks all around (including the hiking trails where other dogs are). She also started puppy classes at 11 weeks (because that is when they started classes). She met lots of dogs that I have met before (and some that I hadn't) and we just made sure how the other dogs were with puppies before they got introduced. I think getting your dog out and socializing him is really important - just be smart about where you go!

We took this same approach with our older dogs.

 

[erfunhouse]

Our old vet said it really depends on where you live. In our old place the houses all around were very affluent and that goes hand in hand with vaccines and clean property...he said the prevalence of parvo was so low that he wasn't concerned (they maybe saw 1-2 cases a year and they weren't from our neighborhood). Same situation here, well to do, responsible pet owners and minimal cases of parvo.

 

[FoxyMom]

It depends on who you talk to. Some say that socializing your pup early is crucial. Missing out on socialization until they are fully vaccinated can be detrimental to their future. I tend to agree with that. We held back on socialization with our first dogs and it affected their and our lives forever. They were never good around other dogs so we couldn't take them anywhere. With Strider, our 7 month old GSD, we socialized any and everywhere with caution, of course. He now is great with all sized dogs.

erfunhouse has a good point. Talk to your vet and see how prevalent parvo is in your area. Our vet hadn't seen a case in over a year, so that made it a little easier. We did puppy play classes at Petco which he still goes to and loves!


Sent from Petguide.com Free App

 

[Cschmidt88]

not allowing the pup down, are you going to carry the pup
everywhere?

Not everywhere, no. Parking lots, yes, dogs and humans pass through often there even if it's not a dog friendly store. Homeless individuals aren't uncommon in parking lots asking for food, with their dogs. Hiking trips? No, puppy can be down. As it is necessary for the puppy to be down during most socializing activities, as I mentioned I would let them down during such. And as I mentioned, parvo is veeery bad here, we have a mutated form that even vaccinated adults were getting. They do have a new parvo vacc that covers it though, thankfully.

 

[Gsdmama79]

Not everywhere, no. Parking lots, yes, dogs and humans pass through often there even if it's not a dog friendly store. Homeless individuals aren't uncommon in parking lots asking for food, with their dogs. Hiking trips? No, puppy can be down. As it is necessary for the puppy to be down during most socializing activities, as I mentioned I would let them down during such. And as I mentioned, parvo is veeery bad here, we have a mutated form that even vaccinated adults were getting. They do have a new parvo vacc that covers it though, thankfully.

Then yes, be extremely careful!! It is not worth a few hours or maybe less of fun to go through the expense and heartache of watching your beloved go through such an agonizing disease (assuming the pup survives!!).


Sent from Petguide.com Free App

 

[ten3zro]

Socialization should mean exposing your pup to new people, dogs and environments but NOT permitting the pup to interact with every person or dog. It should be about the pup learning how much fun you are in all of those environments. Michael Ellis has some great material on how misunderstood socialization is as a concept and how risky it is to expose a pup to people and dogs that you don't know and trust. One bad experience at that age and you'll have a lifetime of dog aggression, etc.

 

[battleborn]

I didn't walk my dog on public streets, parks, or in areas where there were lots of dogs until he had his full set of vaccines.

But this didn't mean that he was locked up in the house along. I had friends come over, took him everywhere I could with me, and gave him to a lot of new experiences, including kids of all ages, car trips, and so on. A friend of mine owns a bar where dogs aren't allowed and I would take him in there once in a while (with her permission) because it was a noisy environment with lots of strangers. Took him to the gun range with me too...obviously didn't let him get close enough to worry about the noise level being damaging and made it fun with treats and so on. Now at 7 months he enjoys watching fireworks with me...not scared at all.

Plenty of socializing that you can do without exposing them to Parvo.