# Fun ideas of things to do before 2nd jabs to socialise puppy?



## char&percy (Jul 12, 2017)

Hi Everyone,

I posted yesterday but am new to petforums!

Just wanted to get some opinions and ideas on what we can do to best socialize our 9 week old puppy. Both me and my partner have a couple of weeks off together to settle puppy in and just wanted some fun/different ideas of things we can do with Percy before his 2nd jabs (as he wont be able to walk on the floor yet) 

I have planned the standard trip to the pet shop, meeting friends and family/families dogs, playing in the garden...
Is there anything else you would recommend?

Have seen some posts on here that it is ok to walk dogs in some areas after 1st jabs but am nervous to as cant seem to find any info about Parvo in my area.

Thank you!


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## JoanneF (Feb 1, 2016)

Some basic training - responding to his name, recall, sit, obviously toilet training?

Where do you live - maybe someone could advise on parvo or safe places?


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## char&percy (Jul 12, 2017)

JoanneF said:


> Some basic training - responding to his name, recall, sit, obviously toilet training?
> 
> Where do you live - maybe someone could advise on parvo or safe places?


Thanks for your reply.
Definitely toilet training! 
I live in Hampshire - plenty of woods and beaches but am feeling like it is better safe than sorry and may go for walks there with him in my arms.


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## Siskin (Nov 13, 2012)

Do some lead training whilst in the garden. It's amazing how people don't do this then can't figure out why their puppy objects to the lead when they do the first walk.

Have you spoken to your vets about the incidence of Parvovirus in your area? You could phone up several vets to get an average opinion


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## JoanneF (Feb 1, 2016)

If you can find a quiet beach as the tide is going out you could walk along the water edge - as i understand it, the sea will have washed the area?


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## char&percy (Jul 12, 2017)

Siskin said:


> Do some lead training whilst in the garden. It's amazing how people don't do this then can't figure out why their puppy objects to the lead when they do the first walk.
> 
> Have you spoken to your vets about the incidence of Parvovirus in your area? You could phone up several vets to get an average opinion


I'll give the vets a call.
Lead training makes sense... will attempt to get him used to a harness too.



JoanneF said:


> If you can find a quiet beach as the tide is going out you could walk along the water edge - as i understand it, the sea will have washed the area?


Is this true? Any body else heard this?
We love the beach and so want to pup to get used to it early (would be sad if our dog didn't enjoy walks along the seafront as much as we do)


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

char&percy said:


> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I posted yesterday but am new to petforums!
> 
> ...


His not too young to begin some basic training several short 10 minute or so sessions a day is best to start teaching him the basics, in fact training often wears them out more then a short on lead work anyway as they have to concentrate and use their brains so you often find they get more tired.

You can also use Kongs robust rubber toys with a hollow centre that you can fill with wet food if he is on wet and all sorts of treat things, there are also kong wobblers that you fill with small kibble and they have to nose and paw the about so that bits of food drops out as a reward these are both physical and mentally stimulating and gives them something to do.

You can get him running around chasing a ball or toy too, and even begin teaching him to bring it back and drop it starting the foundations for a retrieve teaching him commands.

Puppy safe chews are a good wind down and relaxation tool too and gives them something to chew.

It may even be worth teaching him some scent games and get him to use his nose and find things, there are some on the link starting with a very basic easy one.

http://suzanneclothier.com/pdfs/Scent Games.pdf

Another good website on the socialisation front and introducing him to new things is the Puppy Plan, it explains why socialisation is so important and there is a plan to follow for 0/8 weeks that the breeder should have done and a new owners section 8 to 16 weeks. Socialisation goes on way beyond this time of course but its a starter plan for the first 16 weeks of a pups life where they go through many critical stages of devleopement

http://www.thepuppyplan.com/


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## 1290423 (Aug 11, 2011)

I don't know if this information I am going to give is correct, perhaps sledge dog would confirm.
But last year I brought an ess pup here that was just eight weeks old. I took it to the vets for vacs and was concerned about it being around my dog .

My vet told me that as there had been no reported outbreaks of parvo in the area that the puppy would be fine with my dog and in my garden , under supervision of course, providing that there had been no un vaccinated dogs in there, she also told me I was fine taking the pup to our other daughters providing the same applied there. I did wonder if this was correct as I was always of the understanding that you pretty much kept them off the ground where any other dogs had been vaccinated or not.


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## lullabydream (Jun 25, 2013)

DT said:


> I don't know if this information I am going to give is correct, perhaps sledge dog would confirm.
> But last year I brought an ess pup here that was just eight weeks old. I took it to the vets for vacs and was concerned about it being around my dog .
> 
> My vet told me that as there had been no reported outbreaks of parvo in the area that the puppy would be fine with my dog and in my garden , under supervision of course, providing that there had been no un vaccinated dogs in there, she also told me I was fine taking the pup to our other daughters providing the same applied there. I did wonder if this was correct as I was always of the understanding that you pretty much kept them off the ground where any other dogs had been vaccinated or not.


No that sounds no different to bringing a puppy into a multi dog household.

I took one of my pups once to my friends house..she met her dog, pre completion of vaccinations. I didn't have time to walk my son to school, fetch puppy and go to the vets so I walked my son to school, went to my friends drank a quick cuppa and went to the vets, as her house was close by! I knew her dog was fully vaccinated and garden secure so was not worried!


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## lullabydream (Jun 25, 2013)

Twitter has Parvo Alert to check for updates.


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## Jamesgoeswalkies (May 8, 2014)

char&percy said:


> Is this true? Any body else heard this?
> We love the beach and so want to pup to get used to it early (would be sad if our dog didn't enjoy walks along the seafront as much as we do)


Once the sea has washed over the sand you will more than often find at least one pre inoculation puppy being walked there ....perfect place to start a love of the beach in my opinion.

Everyone has a different opinion on where to take pups ....mine join a pack of six and are down in the garden/field from day one.Until fully inoculated, I just avoid dogs I don't know and places that are liable to have unknown dog faeces etc.

J


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

This is what I did the first week my current dog was home

· *Tasted/eaten* liver, kidney, duck, lamb, beef, tripe, chicken, kibble, DUCK, heart, banana, yoghurt, shrimp, strawberry, peas, potato, sweetcorn, brussel sprouts, almond butter, cashew butter, egg, Corn on the cob, ham, bread, tomato, turkey, pork, broccoli,

· *Walked on* wood, woodchips, shavings, carpet, tile, astroturf, cement, tarmac, grass, gravel, uneven surfaces, on a table, on a chair, stubble, plough, marble, rubber, leaves, vet bed, been on boat on water, Tyres, slide, water trough, steps, polystyrene, sand, paving slabs, hot ironing board

· *Played with* many different objects: fuzzy/hard/soft/noisy toys, big & small balls, wooden/ paper/ cardboard/rubber/metal/ plastic items,

· *Visited* front garden, back garden, lake, pond, river, lift, car, garage, kennel, zoo, shops , train, phone box, bus shelter, tunnel, crate, park,

· *Encountered* children, adults, people in wheelchairs, walkers, mobility scooters, people with sticks, crutches, hats, sunglasses, beards, high viz waistcoats, uniforms, cyclists, smokers, vet, streamers, hides, builder netting

· *Heard* doorbell, door knockers, children playing, babies screaming, lorries, motorcycles, skateboards, washing machine, shopping trollies, train station tannoy, reversing beepers on refuse lorry, walking beepers on pelican crossing, clapping, singing, whistling, washing machine, horses neighing, vacuum cleaner, lawnmowers, strimmer, car horn, bicycle horn, bicycle bell, gunshots, fireworks, emergency service sirens, tambourine, tv, radio, clicker, smoke alarm, Accordion Player, wind chimes, hairdryer, pan pipes

· *Exposed to* skateboards, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, people running, scooters, vacuums, children running, children playing soccer, horses running, train, torches, lions, camels, zebra, meerkats, prairie dogs, penguins, giraffe, gibbons, otters, owls, stork, wood pigeon, cows, dogs, monkeys, tractor, Fork Lift Truck, car wash, an automatic sliding door, umbrella, balloons, bathtub, Rain, thunder, lightning ,Cat, rabbits, dogs, guinea pigs, fish

· *Climbed on*, in, off and around a box, gone through a cardboard tunnel, climbed up and down steps, climbed over obstacles, go in and out a doorway with a step up or down, A frame, dog walk, wooden pallets, rubber mats, balance disc, wobble-board, balance pad,

· *Held* under arm, held to chest, held on floor, held in-between legs, held head, looked in ears, mouth, in-between toes, held like a baby, trimmed toe nails, held in lap, habituated to needless syringe,

· *Eaten* from metal, cardboard box, paper, china, plate, plastic, Kong, Wobbler, spoon fed, paper bag, plastic bag, hand, in back garden, front garden, crate, kitchen, bathroom, car, bathtub, elevated, under umbrella,

· *Left* entirely alone for periods up to 30 minutes

· *Worn* a collar, harness and lead

· *Retrieved* branches from water, various toys, paint roller, ball, tug


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## paulareno (Jul 10, 2017)




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## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

The beach at low tide should be fine. 
I'd also carry the pup into town, including into shops. They will get loads of fuss so be sure they don't get overwhelmed.


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## char&percy (Jul 12, 2017)

smokeybear said:


> This is what I did the first week my current dog was home
> 
> · *Tasted/eaten* liver, kidney, duck, lamb, beef, tripe, chicken, kibble, DUCK, heart, banana, yoghurt, shrimp, strawberry, peas, potato, sweetcorn, brussel sprouts, almond butter, cashew butter, egg, Corn on the cob, ham, bread, tomato, turkey, pork, broccoli,
> 
> ...


Thank you so much for this! I think it's made me realise when they say get him to experience everything, it really does mean everything.

Just an update we picked Percy up yesterday and so far he's been an absolute dream! Took him to the pet store (in my arms) through the car wash (in the car of course lol!) and to visit friends who have children.

For him I'm sure it was a hectic day but I think thanks to hat he settled down in his crate about 10pm and slept right the way through with no accidents

Thanks for everyone's advice so far, we're going to pick a quiet day to go to the beach and I'm going to keep a list of things he has encountered so I can make sure to keep building on his experiences


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## char&percy (Jul 12, 2017)

Sled dog hotel said:


> His not too young to begin some basic training several short 10 minute or so sessions a day is best to start teaching him the basics, in fact training often wears them out more then a short on lead work anyway as they have to concentrate and use their brains so you often find they get more tired.
> 
> You can also use Kongs robust rubber toys with a hollow centre that you can fill with wet food if he is on wet and all sorts of treat things, there are also kong wobblers that you fill with small kibble and they have to nose and paw the about so that bits of food drops out as a reward these are both physical and mentally stimulating and gives them something to do.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the links I printed the guides off they are great!


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## char&percy (Jul 12, 2017)

Burrowzig said:


> The beach at low tide should be fine.
> I'd also carry the pup into town, including into shops. They will get loads of fuss so be sure they don't get overwhelmed.


Totally see what you mean, everyone wants to say hello. It's funny to see how he reacts to different people - was not fussed at all by children and barely acknowledged them petting him but absolutely loved a little old lady.


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## Biffo (Mar 14, 2016)

Some puppy classes will take pups from after their first vaccination I believe.

I used to carry my pup out at 3pm ish so we could meet the school run folks - and the scooters and push chairs and bicycles. But we stood a couple of streets away from the school, so it wasn't too hectic for him.


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## MiffyMoo (Sep 15, 2015)

Going back to Parvovirus - I found this

http://www.virbac.co.uk/parvoalert


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