# Socializing puppy before full vaccinations?



## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

This is a big topic for debate. I come down on the side of careful socialization. There are some truly nasty bugs out there that can hurt and kill a puppy. With that said, there are some messed up, fearful dogs out there that were isolated as puppies. 

I took Tucker as many safe places as possible. We went to homes of friends, and they came to me, who had well cared for, healthy dogs. We went to puppy class--all pups had to be at right level of vacccs to participate. We went to puppy socials held at a doggy day care on the weekend. Again, all pups' owners had to show proof of current vacccs. There's a lot you can do that is safe and good for your puppy, IMO.

Places to avoid: dog parks and other places where many dogs congregate, including the grass and sod at public parks (stick to the concrete walkways), pet stores unless you carry him or put him into the cart, etc. Walk him in your neighborhood on the sidewalk. 

My vet said regarding strange dogs that "nose sniffs are OK, butt sniffs are not"  but I'm not sure all vets would be even that liberal on the topic. 

In the end it's your call.


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## Vhuynh2 (Feb 13, 2012)

I walked Molly on concrete (but not in parks) before she got all of her shots. I told everyone with a dog we ran into that Molly was not fully vaccinated and they all had been very understanding. I also put her in puppy play and puppy classes that only required the first set of shots.


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## Deber (Aug 23, 2011)

I agree it is very important to socialize from an early age, but we must be careful of our babes. Go wherever you want, but if it is a place that other dogs go, carry your babe and have him/her sit in your lap. Go to stores and malls and sit outside with him/her beside you on the bench to see and react with strangers. Go to the Home Depot/Lowes and put a blanket in the cart and let him/her ride around.

Follow Outwest advice about puppy classes and all she suggests - Good advice. Use your immagination and bet you can come up with lots to do without actually putting him/her in danger. It is honestly a balancing act, but pups NEED the socialization, but we must protect from Parvo and other nasty things. You can find a field or woods and walk him/her on leash. Lots to do even being careful! 

Have fun, always screen areas for problems, but get your pup out and about. Parvo is a huge killer of our babies, but with planning and being very overly cautious you can do a lot to socialize and still protect your babe.


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## Becka (Apr 17, 2012)

This is something im interested in too, my pups 8 weeks and ive been tryin to come up with some things to do without putting him at risk, im sure hes bored of the house and the back yard!! Was thinking of taking him out to friends houses just for a change of scenery! Hes also only been in the car once when i brought him home and i wanna get him used to that, do you guys crate yours in the car or what way do they travel??


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## Deber (Aug 23, 2011)

Beka, when mine were really little, I just sat in the back seat and let DH drive and held them. When they got older we put crates in the back of the car and they to this day ride there. Hubby installed "stoppers" (metal pegs) in the rear area and crates are clipped to this so they do not move around. Not the best idea, but feel my dogs are safer there than free to run around. For short trips to the Vet or Petstore I just put them on the car seat in their halters clicked to the seatbelt, but any trips longer than a couple of hours they ride in their crate.


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## Shalva (Jul 16, 2008)

My vet clearly states that more dogs die from lack of socialization than from pathogens. 

I get all my puppies out on a regular basis as young puppies... the chances are that if you get a puppy from me that puppy has been exposed to visiting dogs and other animals 

I do not .... 
go to dogparks
go to stores frequented by dogs (petco petsmart) 
public parks where there are alot of dogs 

I do 
go to home depot and other such places 
visit friends and family who have dogs that I know are safe and vaccinated
parks that are mostly people and not dogs
walk downtown 

You have to use common sense.... if you know the dogs are healthy and vaccinated then fine those are the perfect dogs to expose your puppy to... 

go to places with your puppy where there are not alot of other dogs... like we have two parks here one downtown where alot of people walk there dogs... another on the other side of town where there are few dogs and its just a quieter park... we go to that one


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

I start mine in PK as soon as they are 7 weeks old and have had their first vaccinations. And they go everywhere. Have for years, and never had any sick puppies. We now know that our vaccinations overlap immunity from mom, anyway.
I have never kept puppies under glass, expose them to lots and lots of things, and firmly believe that they are ultimately stronger, and certainly better socialized for doing so.


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## toliva (Nov 24, 2011)

I believe that socialization before 18 weeks is critical, so we did as many things as possible with our puppy when he was little. I didn't worry too much about sickness. Before I did something that maybe was questionable, I asked our vet, and he always said go for it. Some of what we did has been mentioned above, but here is a list of some of the things we did when our pup was very little (I'm sure I'm missing some things)

puppy class
doggy day care
dog groomer
dog-friendly restaurants & stores
dog park at 16 weeks
playgrounds with lots of kids
state parks/busy walking paths
walks on busy, loud roads
walks near train tracks
training outside grocery stores (carts & people going by)

I am sure we took some risks that others may not have. That was our choice, and I'd do it the same way again. If it had been warmer when we first got our puppy, we'd probably have done even more things. IMO there are a LOT of first-year (and beyond) behavior problems that can be avoided by early socialization, at least that has been my experience with my previous dogs.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

Shalva said:


> My vet clearly states that more dogs die from lack of socialization than from pathogens.
> 
> I get all my puppies out on a regular basis as young puppies... the chances are that if you get a puppy from me that puppy has been exposed to visiting dogs and other animals
> 
> ...


My vet told me almost exactly everything in this post!

I saw one trainer bring her puppy to a drive in movie, strategically found a spot where almost every person walking by would stop to socialize her puppy. She was trying to have the puppy meet one hundred types of people.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

One of the owners of my dog training school was a paraplegic in a motorized wheel chair. He would always make a couple appearances at the puppy kindergarten class and give all the puppies treats and get them familiar with the chair. It was really amazing how many puppies were afraid of him.

I would really recommend puppies being socialized to wheelchairs if you have a chance.


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

Castiel said:


> The books tell you that the period 6 - 12 weeks is critical for your puppy. Therefore it comes as no surprise that I want to socialize him with other dogs and animals.
> 
> *BUT my vet told me that Cas should avoid making contact with other dogs until after all the vaccinations are complete,* which will be near the 12 week date (his last booster) and the 16 week date (rabies shot)
> 
> Any opinions and advice?


Your vet probably means other strange or unvaccinated dogs. No dog parks, common areas around buildings where dogs toilet, walking around Petsmart, etc. Play dates with dogs that you know are up-to-date on vax. would be fine.


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## Jige (Mar 17, 2011)

There is so much more to socializing a pup than having play with other dogs. There are many different types of people and settings that you should be exposing your pup too. Think about flooring there is concrete, vinly, carpet, wood, ceramic. There are tons of different noises that you might not even think of them all. If you dont have children around take him to a park so he can hear children laughing and screaming. Toot your car horn every once in awhile, How about a firecracker, a balloon pooping. I brought home a helium balloon for the found puppies. Blow bubbles just clapping your hands. So much for them to experience.


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## goldhaven (Sep 3, 2009)

http://woofology.com/DrYinPupSocializationList%5B1%5D.pdf

I just posted this link on another thread but it may apply here.


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## toliva (Nov 24, 2011)

General V said:


> There is so much more to socializing a pup than having play with other dogs. There are many different types of people and settings that you should be exposing your pup too. Think about flooring there is concrete, vinly, carpet, wood, ceramic. There are tons of different noises that you might not even think of them all. If you dont have children around take him to a park so he can hear children laughing and screaming. Toot your car horn every once in awhile, How about a firecracker, a balloon pooping. I brought home a helium balloon for the found puppies. Blow bubbles just clapping your hands. So much for them to experience.


Excellent advice and so true! I wish I would have thought of the balloon popping, that's a good one!

Thunderstorms are good too, but not much control over that, lol.


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

My pups always play with other dog who are fully vaccinated.


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

I believe that you can take him to specialty places where only inocculated dogs are allowed like puppy socialization classes. Just avoid places like Petsmart and the park where the general public congregates.


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## Becka (Apr 17, 2012)

Unfortunately the puppys classes in my area the puppies have to have had theyre full vaccinations so another month to wait before we can go there! My sisters b/f has 2 dogs who unfortunately dont have theyre vacs up to date which is a pity as they are very well trained so would have been good for Bailey to meet them! i guess i should just go visiting to friends and get him out to noisy places with no dogs in the mean time! Im terrified of him catching something...i wouldnt forgive myself if he did!!


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## Vhuynh2 (Feb 13, 2012)

Becka said:


> Hes also only been in the car once when i brought him home and i wanna get him used to that, do you guys crate yours in the car or what way do they travel??


Molly used to ride in a size 500 kennel until she no longer fit inside comfortably. The breeder required that we transport her in a vari-kennel or crate for the ride home, and our Prius could not fit such a large crate in the back seat, so we bought a vari-kennel and used it for the first several weeks.

Now, we use a hammock to protect the leather seats, and we installed a zip line which Molly is secured to with a very padded harness. It looks like a bullet proof vest. : That way, she gets full roam of the back seat while also being protected in case of an accident. And, with the hammock, the leather seats don't get scratched up and stays clean and deters her from getting to the seat belts and chewing on them (although she has gotten to them). Win win!


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## Wyatt's mommy (Feb 25, 2011)

Becka said:


> Unfortunately the puppys classes in my area the puppies have to have had theyre full vaccinations so another month to wait before we can go there! My sisters b/f has 2 dogs who unfortunately dont have theyre vacs up to date which is a pity as they are very well trained so would have been good for Bailey to meet them! i guess i should just go visiting to friends and get him out to noisy places with no dogs in the mean time! Im terrified of him catching something...i wouldnt forgive myself if he did!!


Have get togethers at your house. Take him for car rides. I am one who waits until they get their final shots before exposing them to strange places. I witnessed a puppy go thru a horrible death due to parvo. Your pup won't die from not being out and about before final shots and certainly won't be socially inept if he has plenty of entertainment at home. The time flys by and before you know it he will be in puppy classes. So relax and have fun with him


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