I am about to get a new lab puppy in June and have been doing a lot of research on them. I have heard that you should not take your new puppy out in public until they are fully vaccinated, unfortunately I am going to be living in an apartment until August. I have heard that using a puppy pad makes the puppy think it is okay to go potty in the house and I have heard that the letting them on the ground in public before they are fully vaccinated is very risky. Does anyone have any advice/experience for my situation?
Hi and welcome to the forum How exciting to be getting a puppy. Plenty of people make apartment life work just fine with a dog. In fact it's the norm in some cities. Before vaccinations are complete its best to be choosy about where you put your puppy down in the ground and it's also best to make sure any other dogs are vaccinated before your puppy meets them. It is also really important to take your puppy to new places and to meet new people so s/he can learn to be calm and relaxed in these new situations. Most people just carry their puppy and when the puppy gets bigger and heavier they use a backpack (with the puppy's head poking out the top). When I got my first Labrador puppy we didn't have a car so my pup went everywhere in a backpack. We put towels in the bottom of the backpack for him to sit on. I see no problem with using puppy pads for toileting when your puppy is out and about. If you're unsure about the available surfaces, just pop down a puppy pad. In your apartment you can use a pen with puppy pads up one end. Start with covering half the pen in pads and then gradually reduce the size until it's just one pad. Later when your puppy is fully vaccinated you can work on training him/her to pee on grass or other surfaces.
I am in the same situation at the moment. We have a 12 week old pup ATM and we are due to move out of the apartment in the next few weeks. When we got him he had had his first injection. In the two weeks before his second injection I had a pee pad set up on the balcony and used some pee pads as well. When we went out I carried him. I also took him down into the underground car park and walked him there and let him play around a bit. He got lots of pats from other people and met my parents sausage dog and my brothers German short haired pointer. This happened at my parents place. I felt comfortable letting them interact because I knew they were vaccinated and healthy. I got his second needle done and still limited his outside play. Carried him for the most part of a week still. Then I started walking him on the boardwalk across from our apartment. It's concrete and I know the dogs that go there. They are all local and healthy. I still don't let him on the grass areas because I can't manage that properly. I know there's no feces on the boardwalk itself, but can't be so sure about the grass areas. When we walk I have him on leash. I know it's not ideal but I am working with what I've got at the moment and I think that if you're smart about it and try and minimise risk you are doing the right thing.
I still limit his immediate interaction with the local dogs tho, although I have said they are healthy, it's one of the variables that I can't manage. I know par I can be contracted from seemingly healthy dogs, so until I am sure he stays close, however, the trade off for socialisation and seeing people, dogs and new things is priceless to me. If you know your own area well enough and can trust it, then make an educated decision about where he can and can't go. Life isn't ideal. Sometimes we gotta work with what we got.
Hi Coyle and welcome. I agree with Oberon's comments regarding getting your puppy out and about for socialisation - we all build up muscles as we carry that little bundle around and the use of puppy pads. The best person to answer your concerns around the risks of your puppy being allowed on the ground, and at what point after vaccination, is your vet as they have the knowledge of the risks of infection in your area.
This is the protocol we follow for all our (Guide Dog) puppies - "Guidance on socialisation of puppies prior to completion of primary vaccines. It is vital our puppies are able to socialise in different situations from an early age however it is important to also ensure the risk of exposure to any infectious disease is minimised. The aim of this information is to advise what is considered a low or high risk area and at what age the risk of taking puppies into these areas is considered minimal. Low risk areas; as a general rule these are considered to be areas where pet dogs do not go e.g. supermarkets, café’s, quiet rural locations where there is little or no pet dog traffic. Guide Dogs organised puppy classes or ‘doggy day care’ at a guide dog site. High risk areas; public parks, town centres, routes frequently walked by a high number of pet dog owners, dog exercise areas, areas frequented by stray dogs or areas where there is a large amount of un-cleared dog faeces. Puppies aged between 7-13 weeks should avoid high risk areas If they are being taken out on public footpaths these puppies should be carried where possible or routes should be chosen where there is minimal pet dog traffic. Puppies can be taken to low risk areas and confidently allowed on the floor, they can attend guide dog puppy classes/doggy day care if carried in and out. Puppies aged between 13-17 weeks should continue to avoid areas where a large number of pet dogs are exercised (local parks, exercise areas) but are able to walk on public footpaths. Puppies aged from 17 weeks are able to exercise and socialise freely. Previous research we conducted showed that ~6% of puppies at 12 weeks of age had not responded sufficiently to the Parvo virus component of their primary vaccines. This means that if those puppies came into contact with the disease they would be susceptible to it. The insufficient response to the vaccine is normally due to the puppies still having high levels of maternally derived antibodies (MDA). By giving our puppies a further vaccination at 16 weeks of age we ensure that those with residual high MDA levels at 12 weeks are able to develop sufficient immunity by responding to the 16 week vaccine." .... I know it's different for our pups as they meet safe dogs at least weekly. But it's a balancing act for all of us. But none of them have any free runs until 17 weeks old. Does this cause a problem with recall? No - not at all. We do a lot of recall work around the house and garden and at puppy class. Then on free runs after 17 weeks. By 6 months old our dogs have to be able to sit in the middle of a circle of dogs and run out of the circle straight to their owner! I followed my vets advice to the letter with my pet dog Tatze. All the dogs she met pre 13 weeks belonged to friends and I knew they were up to date with vaccines. Even then it's a risk as they will have been free in potentially infectious areas. When I've got a pup that's under 17 weeks I give Tatze a good hose down after every walk and we leave our shoes at the door. .
