Labrador Socialisation Vs Vaccination Quarantine

[Luffy]

Dear All,

Having read and watched a whole plethora of puppy info, I'm at a loss as to whether I should be taking my puppy, whom is now 11 weeks, out and socialising him.

I've been told by my vet that I shouldn't take him out until one week after he he's had his second shot of vaccinations which is on the 18th of his month. I've repeatedly have read articles that state that the socialising window ends at around 12 weeks, so I'm rather fearful of my pup developing behavioral problems later on in his life.

So far we've had a few people come and visit him (mainly adults), we've taken him on car rides. He's been introduced to the neighbor's cat. But that's about it. I've tried locating puppy classes near me to no avail.

There's a childrens school and nursery nearby that I probably could take him to, but owing to the filthy roads I'm not sure it would be worth taking the risk as there are dog owners on my road that allow their pets to foul the road.

Any thoughts on this matter will be greatly appreciated.

[Snowshoe]

We played it safe as we could by avoiding dog intensive places like a dog park (or a park heavily used by dogs) and carried pup at the Vet's. We live in a rural area and had access to acres of bush where few other dogs walked, off we went to those. We met with known dogs at our house, their house and for these walks. We visited a ski resort parking lot and the foyer which presented a wide range of sights (lots of the big bugaboo, hats) sounds and smells, people wanting to pet puppy and not one other dog. My Aunt's nursing home was another great spot, wheelchairs and eager puppy petters. We didn't do puppy classes, they just didn't work out time wise. Lots of car rides too, even short ones to pick up a loaf of bread or litre of milk. He might not get out of the car but the ride itself was part of the process.

You can probably do similar things. Just check your health contract to make sure you are not voiding it. Remember, socialization with people and other animals is important but habituation to sights, sounds and smells is also important and you can do these latter in places where there are no other dogs. Have fun.

[Tanya]

sounds like you have a good start! Inviting people over for puppy parties is great, plus easy to find volutneers to come cuddle the puppy ensure interactions are happy and positive and the puppy is happy. As many different kinds of people as possible is great (young, old, tall, short, hats, canes, crutches, rain jackets...).

Ideally if you have friends with social and friendly dogs you want to set up some private meet and greets (at your home or theirs). ideally a dog that isn't going to the dog park per say. And up to date on their vaccintanations.

A school is great if you can work that out - but do ensure you don't overwhelm the puppy - watch the body language and speak up if he needs a time out.

you can visit dog friendly stores (that are NOT pet stores). You can either carry the puppy or have him in the cart on a blanket you bring.

You can drive him/carry him places. One thing people recommend is going to a patio for a bite to eat/drink/coffee wtih the puppy. you can have them on their blanket or pad so they are not on the ground.

And as mentionned above, not only people and dogs (other animals) - but sights, sounds, textures, feels...thing winter clothes, hats, noises around the house, grooming tools, etc.

Socialisation means making things happy and positive not overwhelming the puppy.

some places have some lists which can help:
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtu...ing-your-puppy

Dog 101 | Training & Behavior | How to Socialize Your Puppy
(i took a puppy class adn we did "pass teh puppy" - so fun! make sure to not push the pupy, some puppies in teh class were not ready for some of the touching/holding so we kept it a level lower for them to keep it positive).

Puppy Training | Ahimsa Dog Blog

At the bottom of this link there is a link to a checklist: Puppy Vaccinations vs Socialization

[Jeff]

I agree, with what Tanya said, your pup needs socialization from the start. It is very important. However, you have to do it intelligently. Don't go where lots of unknown dogs frequent. But get them out. I was walking Hemi on leash at that age too, just walking to the neighbors house and the neighbor would come out and pet them. We would wait out on the porch in the morning on Garbage day and walk out and greet the garbage man. To this day Hemi knows when the Garbage man comes and watches him out the window and as long as it is the same guy not on vacation or something he waves to Hemi. We met the mailman a few times too. I took him to the fire station to meet firemen. There are plenty of places you can go and things you can do. Look into a 5 star puppy course somewhere they will let you come and that is great socialization.

You want to avoid dog parks and pet stores parks and trails where lots of dogs poop and so on. However you want to have a happy outgoing social people loving lab, start now.

[Luffy]

Thanking you all kindly for the advice. I will be dusting off an old backpack and aim to go a trekking with him everyday

[Snowshoe]

Not too far, he's just a baby. I wouldn't think you'd need a backpack for the time and distance appropriate at his age. Or, are you going to carry him? LOL, I met people cross country skiing with their Sheltie pup in a pack but a Lab pup would be a lot heavier.

[zd262]

Better yet, dust off your weight set! When Bubba was young I carried him a lot and boy did my arms get tired! Especially as he quickly grew into a not so little puppy.