Puppy Socialising
Why does my puppy need to socialise?
It is extremely important
that any pup learns to socialise with other dogs and people, from an early
age. The more experience they get of the big wide world the better.
How soon should they
be socialised?
In dogs, the critical
period is from 3 to 14 weeks. This is the period during which we have
traditionally
kept pups in isolation because of the risk of infectious
diseases. A pup that sees few other dogs and humans before this age (e.g.
if left alone in breeding kennels) will never be as confident and friendly
as it could be, no matter what it experiences after this time.
So how do we overcome
the vaccination problem?
New vaccines are highly
effective. The vaccination regime used by Wright & Morten involves two
injections, the first at 8 or 9 weeks, the second at 10 weeks. Each
vaccination includes cover against Distemper, Hepatitis, and Leptospirosis.
When can my pup meet
other dogs?
A week or two after the
first injection, virtually all pups will have a good level of immunity
against the above diseases. We recommend that pups meet other vaccinated
dogs from this time, and that they are exposed to a wide variety of
environments and places. High risk areas where lots of other dogs go (e.g.
the local park) are best avoided.
Is this totally risk
free?
No, but the risks of
disease in this manner are very small. This risk must be balanced against
the tremendous benefits to be gained from early socialisation. Since
advising this policy over the last 2 years, the practice has had no cases
of disease in vaccinated pups that could be attributable to early
exposure.
My puppy has had his
first injection with a neighbouring practice. Is it safe for him to go
out?
No, not necessarily. Some
practices just vaccinate against Leptospirosis at the first injection, and
the pup will have no protection against the other diseases until several
weeks after the second injection.
Wright & Morten guide to: