Hi guys, I've been enjoying reading through this forum and will be using it a lot probably! I have a question and wondered if anyone else had been in the same situation. Picked my lab x puppy up 2 weeks ago at 11 weeks old. Booked him in for his first jabs but then had a worm problem that needed sorting, so injection was postponed. Had his injection last week and now have to wait until the 20th for his second. I'm panicking that he's going to be so far behind. I'm carrying him out on walks, but at 5'4 and 7st with back problems I'm not the strongest of people haha. He's going to socialisation classes on the 21st so that'll be great for him. I really want him to be as brave as he can be. Brought a clients dog to see him last week (lovely old black lab) and he went and hid behind our other dog Any advice?? Is he doomed Thanks for reading!
I had a similar problem with my pup he did things later too. He's fine. I got friends to bring vaccinated gentle dogs to help him and had 2 dogs myself who helped him. I stood by my gate with him in my arms and just let him watch the world by. I would also take him for walks in my arms When I could manage it .When I could take him to puppy training my trainer put him in the young dogs class and he was fine. I just did everything I would normally do but obviously later. I Just took my time with him and let him experience things gently.hes 4 now and just the same as my other dogs. also found Pippa's book total recall really useful because there's stuff I could work through with him while he was at home. Just tiny little sessions of 2 or 5 minutes. I played lots of games and like puppy to come and just games to focus his attention on me. He trusted me before he got into the world so it made a lot of thing easier. So hi and hello from both of my dogs Rory and Moo.
Have a read through the vaccination guidelines from WSAVA: http://www.wsava.org/WSAVA/media/PDF_old/WSAVA-Owner-Breeder-Guidelines-14-October-2015-FINAL.pdf You'll see that it's not the number of the vaccinations that your puppy needs that is the crucial part, it's the age at which he has them, combined with his individual immune system. Puppies get antibodies from their mothers and these cover them against the nasty diseases until they "run out". However, there is no way of knowing when they will run out, which is why the pups have a series of vaccinations. Let's say a puppy has his jabs at 8, 12 and 16 weeks, and his maternal antibodies run out at 10 weeks, that means he is without any protection between 10 and 12 weeks. That's why it's so important not to put him down on the ground in places where there is a risk of disease. Whilst the maternal antibodies are in his system, the vaccination won't work. Meaning that, if they stay in his system until 12 weeks and one day (OK, I'm over-simplifying, but you catch my drift), he'll be vulnerable between 12 weeks 1 day and 16 weeks. Most pups will have lost their maternal antibodies by 16 weeks, which is why that is generally the final age at which they are given a booster. Not all, though - so there are some pups who are still vulnerable afterwards - that's why some vets recommend a six-month booster or titre test. People make the mistake of thinking that their puppy is more robust so less likely to get infected. However, that's absolutely not the case. In fact, the less robust puppies tend to "lose" their maternal antibodies sooner, meaning they will be covered by an earlier vaccination. So, to summarise, go ahead with your vaccination schedule as it is now, but have a chat with your vet about when it would be appropriate to put him on the ground, given the above. As Swampy says, it doesn't mean your pup can't socialise with other dogs, just do it in a "safe" place such as your house or garden and only with dogs you know are up to date with their vaccinations.
We were late vaccinators too as our needed have the first but our vet used a different make so had to start from scratch. We didn't do a lot of initial socialization either and somehow have ended up with a reasonable dog! Don't worry!
Phew! Thank you for your replies! I'm glad to know that he's not going to be doomed haha and other dogs have turned out OK! I've asked people if they can bring their vaccinated dogs round but no one has taken me up on the offer yet, so he's only seen dogs whilst we've been out walking and our dog. We went out yesterday and he got lots of fuss off different people, saw cyclists in hi-vis and the usual traffic. It always seems to be quiet now when I take him, but guarantee I go without him and there'll be loads out for him to see. We kept having to swap carrying him! Roll on the 20th. The vet said he could go out a week after next vaccs just avoid the rivers and farms etc. He's a bit of a funny looking boy as he has no tail but still gives it a good old wag. I've been practicing recall especially when he chases after the cats in the house.. In the garden he's easily distracted so doesn't go quite as well! Hello to Rory and Moo from Spud
Aw, what happened to it? He's not alone, we have @Dexter on the forum who had to have his tail amputated after injury. Spud is a great name for a dog! I can recommend the Total Recall book which has a full programme for teaching a reliable recall at all stages
The breeder said his mum probably took it off! Ooh glad there's someone else with a tailless dog - in the nicest possible way of course, it's a shame he had it amputated! Have seen a lot of good reviews about the book! Definitely going to look into getting it
Just want to update that finally, at 15 weeks Spud has had his last injection and was allowed to walk home. I carried him down to the vets and my arms are still shaking, for a 5 minute walk I had to stop twice! The fun starts now he's at socialisation classes starting tomorrow night and he's still shy with dogs but once he's warmed up he has a blast
