when you first start socializing your8wk old pup for instance at the supermarket,how do allow for toilet breaks when out and about, if you cannot put the pup down?
Your socialisation experiences don't need to be (shouldn't be) long. Ten minutes here and there, that's all. So, let's say with travelling time it ends up as half an hour, your pup shouldn't need to go. Just make sure she's empty before you go and let her out as soon as you get back
He won't go when you are carrying him about (I don't think) so make sure he goes before you go out and don't stay out for too long at a time. If he becomes uncomfortable during your time out then I would shorten the trip. There is quite a bit of timing and planning involved with puppies but as they get older and bladders get stronger it does become easier. I got Maisy to go to the loo, then popped her in a bag, took her on the bus on my lap and then to my destination, which was about an hour. Some say that a pup may need the loo (wee) every 20 minutes but I think this must vary a lot, you need to judge what your pup is capable of. You will soon become an expert in toilet habits - how often, where, when, how much, what's in it .. etc. I often come home and tell my other half how many times Maisy has been - I am very excited about it but I don't think he is really that bothered!
Can someone point me in the right direction? To the information that is making everyone so concerned about an 8 week old puppy having contact with the ground in strange places? I am serious, never heard of this before? I hate having gaps in my information.
In the UK vets advise owners not to let puppies on the ground where other dogs have been until a week after their 2nd vaccination due to the risk of parvovirus. It could well be different in the US.
Thank you, I was wondering what was going on. Probably makes a lot of sense here too. Especially if a person is in a city where access to open spaces is limited.
I was told only if other dogs frequently used the place. I took my pups to a nearby county forest where very few others walked. I let Oban down on the floor in my Aunt's nursing home. I know other dogs, family and therapy dogs, visit there but staff are always cleaning that floor. Definitely NOT down on the floor at the Vet's as was allowed a tiny 9 week old Pomeranian at my Vet's this morning. I kept my mouth shut.
You're nicer than I am. I seem to be the parvo police in Spain especially. Drives me nuts when people put their puppies/kittens down at the vet or at the beach - two of the worst places to catch EVERYTHING. I was really interested to learn, though, that parvo is really location-dependant as I used to think it was everywhere. When I thought I was getting a puppy in Germany, I went to my vet to ask advice because I have a basement flat with no garden. Where is the poor puppy supposed to eliminate if I can't put him down on the ground? I had visions of using those wee pads and then having to re-housetrain him once his vaccinations were finished. My German vet looked at me like I was crazy. OF COURSE I needed to let him outside on the ground from day one, not just to wee but for socialisation. What was I, a doggie novice? My vet then explained to me that she'd not seen a case of parvo in over 10 years in Regensburg and that since everyone vaccinated against it, it was perfectly fine (and in fact encouraged) to let your tiny puppy to romp around wherever. To be honest, I still don't think I could do it as "death by parvo" has been so solidly stuck in my American mind, but I thought it was interesting how varied veterinary advice could be depending on locale. And lest you think my German vet is a bit of an uncautious loose cannon, I also asked her when I could take my puppy safely to Spain and she replied, "Maybe by the time he's six years old it might be ok."
thankyou for your help,our nearest super market is15 mins away so a round trip would be45mins with socializing. I have got a strip of artificial grass, wondered if I took that with us that might work? ruth.
thankyou so much for your help, I think we are going to take a patch of artificial grass with us,as we are going to try and use this at home as well.ruth
I wouldn't bother, to be honest. Keep some newspapers in the car by all means, but you're not likely to need them. In general, puppies instinctively don't wee when being carried. When I brought Willow home at 8 weeks, she went four hours without needing to go. With Luna, it was nearly six hours. It's very different to their day-to-day toileting needs. Remember that just being in the car and watching different types of traffic is socialisation, too. Watching the dustbin lorry that comes to your house (I assume). Seeing the postman on his rounds. Going to visit local livestock, which I assume you have in droves where you live! Sniffing tractors, hearing them rattle to life - watching someone sat on it when it's moving. Yes, schools, supermarkets and things like that are definitely important, but you have to consider her everyday life; I covered all those bases with my dogs as puppies, but they don't come into our daily routine as we live in the middle of nowhere, so it's impractical to keep up with ongoing socialisation of these things. Meaning that, even though I "ticked them off" as puppies, they can still struggle with them now. More important to me is introducing my puppies to a wide variety of things they will be exposed to throughout their lives. For us, that was very different to someone who lives in the centre of a town. I don't mean you have to exclusively stick to the things that will be part of her life; the broader her base of experiences at this age, the better. I just mean, don't kill yourself taking her to the supermarket on a regular basis now if she's realistically never going to go there
I wouldn’t worry about wees when out socialising and carrying the pup. I used to take a puppy pad for them to use by the car - they never did. Wee just before leaving and immediately on return is fine. Don’t take artificial grass, you’ll end up with a smelly wet mess!
Our Guide Dog pups have to be carried in areas where other dogs have been until 17 weeks! They have three vaccinations 6, 12 and 16 weeks. Of course, they are allowed in shops, shopping centres and all other places too, so we are not doing *that* much carrying ‘tho Keir was a very heavy monster by then! They meet plenty of other Guide Dog pups and guide dogs in class and at fundraising events, so dog socialisation isn’t and issue either. Their first free run on grass is at 17 weeks - a great occasion .
