New puppy - few questions

BrookieD

Hi Guys,
So myself and the family got a new puppy and he is amazing, Little "Charlie" a Cavalier King Charles is 11 weeks old, in great shape and is fitting in well to the family house and the limited training. Vet check with a clean bill of health and finished with vaccinations in two weeks so being very careful when out not to get to close to other dogs etc..

Crate training going amazing and he is pretty much sleeping through the night. Settling himself at night with no crying and really is great. I have spent three full days with him, but this morning the wife noted he is not as bright and seems a little subdued,

Q1 - Could he just be missing myself?

Q2 - Charlie has a mad 30 mins and goes bonkers which is fun however with his toy bear chew toy he seems to hump it - normal behavior or should i correct it? did not expect that!

Q3 - Walking on a lead - Charlie seems to walk very slowly with many pauses awy from the house - however if i pick him up and carry him he walks back pretty much no problem? is this normal and will he get used to walking in both directions. In fairness he knows our house already which i thought was cool.

Photo of Charlie

muddypaws

You shouldn't be walking him outside if he hasn't finished his vaccinations. You can carry him around to help with his socialisation, but not walk him.

I wouldn't worry about the humping, its just play.

When he is ready to go out for walks, there is a general rule of thumb of 5 minutes per month of dog's age per day for walking. So a 5 month old pup will get 25 minutes walking. You can wear them out with playing at home. Its to help prevent joint issues in later life.

DBB

Hi Op,
Congratulations on your new pup!
Have a read of the document attached from Merial, one of the vaccine manufacturers.
It's OK to bring pup out and about, but as Muddypaws says, not out walking and coming into direct contact with either the bodily fluids of dogs of unknown vaccination status, or dogs of unknown status themselves.
Fire away with bringing him to visit friends who have friendly, vaccinated dogs, or have them visit you. Also carrying him about to let people of all shapes and sizes meet him would be good, also to let him look at traffic, other dogs, and other things that the world is full of that can be scary... Just make sure he's enjoying it. If he seems overawed, take heed and give him some space, and try again at an easier base.
Also, go easy on the on-lead exercise, as Muddypaws said.
With the humping, don't "correct" it with any force... Distract him with something far more interesting before he gets really into it... It is investigative behaviour, there's nothing sexual to it at this point in his young life.

BrookieD

Thanks guys, he is being carried an awful lot with very light walking but will carry a bit more for a few weeks just in case.

will take a look at the PDF also. He seems a very happy pup so wanting to make sure this continues.

cheers again

muddypaws

BrookieD wrote: »

Thanks guys, he is being carried an awful lot with very light walking but will carry a bit more for a few weeks just in case.

will take a look at the PDF also. He seems a very happy pup so wanting to make sure this continues.

cheers again

Hey OP, the bit about carrying until after he is fully vaccinated isn't about protecting his joints, its about him not coming into contact with anything that he isn't protected against. He shouldn't be on the ground out in public areas at all yet. Even going to the vet for vaccinations, he should be held and not put on the floor in the waiting room.

Best of luck with him, look forward to hearing about his adventures as he grows up

BrookieD

brilliant, will restrict public walking and he can play in the garden until he is ready to head outside. It might give him time to grow a little to fit his harness! - just slightly too big

seems to have come around this morning. and is a little more sprightly with the wife.

tk123

At least he's small and light! My retrievers were like carrying sacks of potatoes over to the vets and it's only 5 mins away lol!

BrookieD

@tk123 - little fella is 1.95kg so light as a feather - still very healthy though

aonb

OP, great to hear that your new pup is settling so well

It will be interesting to see who he bonds most with. He could easily have been missing you if you had spent most time with him when he arrived. Remember he is very young, and probably missing his littermates and mother, so any change/anything new will be a bit worrying til he settles.

As mentioned until his vacc's are complete you cant have him out where he can come into contact with diseases that could literally kill him. But, as soon as that is done please please please remember that socializing him, while he is still young, is SO important. Get him into contact with every friend family member and their dogs cats hens horses gerbils hamsters whatever as soon as you can. Socialization when you will really make a huge difference to the dog he will become. Stop and 'talk' with every dog on a leash you meet out on walks. (taking into consideration your pups safety of course) Introduce him to people (not letting him jump up is really a good lesson) introduce him to the car early, introduce him to every new situation - he will be more confident later on if he is shown new things are not scary, and its made into a game.

Cant see the photo you posted earlier btw!

Cookie_Monster

You can bring him to the beach safely if you are on the coast, since it's washed twice a day there is virtually no chance of catching anything he needs vaccines for, as long as you stay below the high tide level. It's a great way to get them used to big outdoor space and dogs too if you get the right location.

BrookieD

great stuff guys, as it happens we have had him in the car a number of times as the wife is colelcting the boys from school, not left alone in the car as the wife waits for the eldest to come over then he waits in the car while she collects the youngest. He is already getting used to it.

I am walking him in my arms to get him used to the area, noises kids, sights and sounds but not letting him down only in my garden.

He did decide to get brave yesterday and tried to jump from my chest to the couch i was leaning on as i was sat on the floor. he bounced and face planted into the floor and cried and yelped for a few seconds. Bloody heart stopped as both myself and the Mrs thought he was hurt but all was good and after a little cuddle was running around again in the garden......

Great night in the crate last night - down at 9:45 after a toilet in the garden - slept all night and only woke as i got up for work so i let him out at 5:30 and then after a toilet back into crate and after a 2 min look around he was settled and asleep again.

Wife reports he was brilliant yesterday in the crate and he was also brilliant as we crated him when we had dinner and not a whimper he just settled down and had a nap.

Working each evening now to get him used to his name, Sit, Lay and come when called. I would love to walk him with no lead so need to research this at some point.

All in all - he is bloody amazing - already a big part of the family

Jayop

Great info in this thread. We're getting a pup in the next few weeks we've been over yesterday to see the litter and have our girl picked out a little Shih-tzu/mini poodle cross. The mum is just the nicest friendliest shih-tzu I've ever seen and the dad is apparently a super poodle, very smart. My wife has seen the dad too.

The funniest thing for the kids is the name of the cross, a shihpoo.


Anyway, is there a general advise thread on here anywhere for new owners?

aonb

sounds like a nice cross. Photos please!
There are some great general and specific info threads on here - worth a browse. The more information you have the better.
Is this your first puppy? Most important thing is to supervise the kids with her - dont let them overexcite her. Having a calm household when it comes to handling etc usually helps produce a calm dog. Oh and socialization is really important from a young age! Good luck

Jayop

That's her. The first isn't a great photo because I couldn't use the flash on my phone as she'd look away with the preflash brightness. Tiny little thing and that's very close up.

Not the first pup we had and I always had dogs as a kid. We rescued a pup about 7 or 8 years ago and were told that it would be a small dog but as with many of these things it turned out to be far too big for us and our lives so after about a year of destroying our house and having completely dug up our garden he went to live with family who have a large house in the country and he's getting on great up there. Really good mannered, just mad as a box of frogs.

This puppy will be well used to kids as the house it's coming from has several and they're all mad about the pups so they'll be used to a lot of that. My own kids are a teenager and a 8 yo so they'll be fine but we have a lot of small kids in the house during the day that she'll have to get used to. Having her calm is vital for the house she's coming into with small kids being in and out and if you're advise is to limit their contact with her initially I'll do that!!

A lot of our friends have dogs that I would know have been immunized so we can have her around them from a young age going by what I've read on here. Socializing won't be a worry, especially once all her own immunizations are complete as she'll be walked as much as she's able for as often as she wants.

As for training and feeding I suppose I was hoping for advise there. I'm told cage training is the best way for these because the shih-poo is supposedly not the easiest to house train. I never liked the idea of the cages but if it's the best thing then I could be persuaded to try it. Clearly given the breed it's going to be an indoors dog so getting that sorted is my first priority. The food I read so many contrasting opinions. A friend has a lovely Shih-tzu and they feed her kibble measured 3 times a day. I know that's too much for a puppy but is that kind of regime recommended over a once or twice daily feed?

cocker5

Jayop wrote: »

That's her. The first isn't a great photo because I couldn't use the flash on my phone as she'd look away with the preflash brightness. Tiny little thing and that's very close up.

Not the first pup we had and I always had dogs as a kid. We rescued a pup about 7 or 8 years ago and were told that it would be a small dog but as with many of these things it turned out to be far too big for us and our lives so after about a year of destroying our house and having completely dug up our garden he went to live with family who have a large house in the country and he's getting on great up there. Really good mannered, just mad as a box of frogs.

This puppy will be well used to kids as the house it's coming from has several and they're all mad about the pups so they'll be used to a lot of that. My own kids are a teenager and a 8 yo so they'll be fine but we have a lot of small kids in the house during the day that she'll have to get used to. Having her calm is vital for the house she's coming into with small kids being in and out and if you're advise is to limit their contact with her initially I'll do that!!

A lot of our friends have dogs that I would know have been immunized so we can have her around them from a young age going by what I've read on here. Socializing won't be a worry, especially once all her own immunizations are complete as she'll be walked as much as she's able for as often as she wants.

As for training and feeding I suppose I was hoping for advise there. I'm told cage training is the best way for these because the shih-poo is supposedly not the easiest to house train. I never liked the idea of the cages but if it's the best thing then I could be persuaded to try it. Clearly given the breed it's going to be an indoors dog so getting that sorted is my first priority. The food I read so many contrasting opinions. A friend has a lovely Shih-tzu and they feed her kibble measured 3 times a day. I know that's too much for a puppy but is that kind of regime recommended over a once or twice daily feed?

Pups should be fed 3/4 times a day until around 6 months then reduce down to 2 times per day.. But at the moment once / twice per day is far too little.

Personally I'm not in favour of any dog only being fed once per day- how would we feel being fed once per day - we'd be starving.

Jayop

cocker5 wrote: »

Pups should be fed 3/4 times a day until around 6 months then reduce down to 2 times per day.. But at the moment once / twice per day is far too little.

Personally I'm not in favour of any dog only being fed once per day- how would we feel being fed once per day - we'd be starving.

Cool thanks.

And what's your thoughts on crate training?

cocker5

Jayop wrote: »

Cool thanks.

And what's your thoughts on crate training?

Photos are gorgeous btw - lovely pup.

Look I'm going to have to be honest and say I'm not in favour of crate training personally.. I don't want a crate in my kitchen they take up a lot of space etc and I didn't want to have to Rely on crates to train etc.. I can leave my cocker In the house (he has the run of downstairs) he's 11.5 and I know nothing will be touched when I get back etc.. I didnt want to have to put him in his crate each time I went out or at night etc. I just don't like the idea of locking him in.

BUT what worked for me may not be for everyone .. Lots of people have great reviews with crate training so don't go by me.

Plus crate training will help with toilet training and chewing etc..

It's not for me to be honest. But it does work wonders for many!

Jayop

cocker5 wrote: »

Photos are gorgeous btw - lovely pup.

Look I'm going to have to be honest and say I'm not in favour of crate training personally.. I don't want a crate in my kitchen they take up a lot of space etc and I didn't want to have to Rely on crates to train etc.. I can leave my cocker In the house (he has the run of downstairs) he's 11.5 and I know nothing will be touched when I get back etc.. I didnt want to have to put him in his crate each time I went out or at night etc. I just don't like the idea of locking him in.

BUT what worked for me may not be for everyone .. Lots of people have great reviews with crate training so don't go by me.

Plus crate training will help with toilet training and chewing etc..

It's not for me to be honest. But it does work wonders for many!

I had only thought of using crate training for the toilet training and then just going with a dog bed once that's sorted. Not overly concerned about the look of the crate, just don't like the idea of locking them up in such a confined space.

BrookieD

OK so puppy ownership just got interesting not in a good way.

Charlie has runny stool with a tiny amount of blood / grass (undigested)

had him at vet yesterday and in terms of health he is in good shape, temp normal, eyes bright, heart good, tummy no pain and feels good, Vet overall very happy and we have put it down to a few doggie treats and eating bloody grass. Doggie treats now removed as these could be too rich for him.

He has been on a puppy biscuit food which to be honest he has not been hoovering up but coming too throughout the day. Have a different food now from vet which is like chicken paste, put out the qtr tin in his bowl and he hoovered this up like he was never fed???? Also have a tube of brown caramel like goo to give him daily. hoping this settles him and his tummy

he is bright in himself but we are worried as new owners. Anyone have experience of this with a pup? :ermm:

Going to buy a little misty spray bottle and use it to dissuade him from eating the grass.

DBB

The grass eating is a symptom of an upset tummy, not the cause. Unless he's eating it to a huge degree, it's not really anything to worry about.
It's far more likely not that the new treats were too rich as such, rather they were simply new, and your pup's digestive system isn't ready for novelty. By all means give him treats (in exchange for doing good stuff), but keep them small and build up the amount gradually over days/weeks, from a tiny amount, to give his system a chance to "get used" to them. Generally, the more diverse a puppy's diet, the better they become at coping with new stuff as they mature... Which is why only feeding pups boring old dry food is a problem, for me anyway.
I think your pup is telling you the same
What brand of food is he on?
The brown paste you got from the vet is a probiotic paste, good for getting a sick tummy back on track.

BrookieD

@DBB
Thanks for the reply, I am kind of 99% that the treats are too rich for him so when he is back on track we shall only have maybe chicken as a treat and leave the biscuit types for a while. Cannot remember the brand of food in work at the moment.

any idea on how long it takes for a little pup to become settled? very much realize this is a very open ended "how long is a piece of string" type question.

We are more than happy he is in good health apart from the upset tummy/runny stool - just looking for him to get back on track asap.

DBB

I don't know what you mean by "too rich"... If they're biscuity treats, they're more likely to be "too full of crap that isn't particularly suitable for dogs". If you mean they're too rich in protein, then you're contradicting yourself by saying you'll give him chicken instead.
In any case, unless a dog has compromised liver or kidney health, you really can't feed too much protein to dogs. So if "too rich" means "too much protein", then it's not a problem.
Sorry op... I think it's more a case that the treats are "too much (for him), too soon", and/or "too full of crap".
For the record, I don't like using biscuity shop-bought treats at all (for reasons stated above). Chicken or other meats are far healthier and far more effective for training purposes for most dogs.

DBB

One other thing... Are you proposing to use the spray bottle to spray at him if he tries to eat grass? If so, where did you get this idea from?
It's not a good idea.

BrookieD

a dog owner in the office was saying that - if not a good idea will not do that..

njs030

BrookieD wrote: »

a dog owner in the office was saying that - if not a good idea will not do that..

No don't spray water at a dog. There's nothing wrong with eating grass in small amounts.
If you need to distract him a noise works well- I use a bottle filled with coins or small stones (like an old fashioned child's rattle). It catches their attention enough without scaring them.

Chicken is a good reward for good behavior, as DBB said avoid shop bought rubbish-it's the same as rewarding your children with a mars bar really.

bmwguy

cocker5 wrote: »

Pups should be fed 3/4 times a day until around 6 months then reduce down to 2 times per day.. But at the moment once / twice per day is far too little.

Personally I'm not in favour of any dog only being fed once per day- how would we feel being fed once per day - we'd be starving.

My lab chooses to eat once a day, big bowl of food put down in the morning she won't touch it. I have been working from home recently just watching her habits. Go for a long walk at lunchtime she will eat the whole lot shortly afterwards. If I put more down later she won't eat it, even after the evening walk.

As a puppy she was eating 3 times daily.

She will look for human food all day though but doesn't get it regularly, just the odd scrap.

DBB

BrookieD wrote: »

a dog owner in the office was saying that - if not a good idea will not do that..

Be very, very, very careful of assuming that anyone who has owned a dog(s) has any real clue about what they're doing when it comes to fixing unwanted behaviours! Many owners are fab and have great instincts about how to teach their dog to do stuff, but there is SO much bad information out there too, much of it from people who think that their previous ownership of a dog(s) makes them some sort of expert.
Spraying water at a pup often goes wrong... Either the pup thinks it's hilarious and views it as a game, or the pup becomes frightened by what it means when he sees you approaching him.

Look, there's nothing wrong with a pup eating grass... They do it to make their tummies feel better, it's a very effective and natural remedy to clear out a dodgy tummy. As I said above, it's a symptom of a sick tummy, not a cause of it. Punishing it is very misguided... You need to investigate why he's eating grass, and assume it's because his tummy feels a bit off. You address the latter, and the symptoms will abate. That said, eating a bit of grass regularly is quite normal for dogs even when they're feeling good! Don't get hung up on it unless he's eating ridiculous amounts.

Old-fashioned training relies heavily on punishing the symptoms of unwanted behaviour, not the underlying causes of it... Remember this, and use it to assess the quality of information being given to you. Don't take people's advice as gospel... Analyse it and critique it to make sure (a) that they're not suggesting you punish a symptom, (b) that they're not suggesting that you deliberately do anything that could frighten your pup, and (c) that you feel comfortable about doing it and that it makes sense.

If you want to stop him from doing stuff, divert him. Distract him and get him to do something else more constructive. If he's humping a teddy, distract him with a squeaky toy and have a game of chase the squeaky toy. If he's jumping upon you, ask him to sit instead, and make a big fuss of him when he does. If he's chewing on your skirting boards, distract him with a positive, upbeat voice, and give him a food-filled chew toy instead Get the idea? There's no punishment in there, yet you're stopping unwanted behaviour and promoting good stuff.

Cookie_Monster

BrookieD wrote: »

a dog owner in the office was saying that - if not a good idea will not do that..

Weve used it a bit to keep them off the couch. Works really well with one pup, the other loves it and wants to be sprayed so he can lick it up

DBB

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Weve used it a bit to keep them off the couch. Works really well with one pup, the other loves it and wants to be sprayed so he can lick it up

An alternative is to lift them or lead them off the couch every time they get up, and to have them stay in their beds instead. If you're consistent, they'll get the message very quickly.

Jayop

Is allowing them on the couch a huge no no? I had always thought it was but I see more and more people with the small dogs allowing them up with no problems.

njs030

Jayop wrote: »

Is allowing them on the couch a huge no no? I had always thought it was but I see more and more people with the small dogs allowing them up with no problems.

It's your house you decide!!

njs030

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

and wants to be sprayed so he can lick it up

I can't turn on the outside tap without a line of dogs trying to catch it!!

Jayop

notjustsweet wrote: »

It's your house you decide!!

I'm not bothered or worried about the couches, the point was more about it leading to behavior problems.

BrookieD

Charlie is allowed on the couch - no issue there as he is well behaved other than trying to chew the thing but a quick spray off anti-chew stuff i got has pretty much stopped that in its tracks. also got a new chew toy that he seems to love yesterday so a good distraction.

DBB

Jayop wrote: »

I'm not bothered or worried about the couches, the point was more about it leading to behavior problems.

It can, sometimes. Some dogs can get protective of their little spot on the couch. However, many don't... So if it's not a problem, it's not a problem!
That said, if you let a puppy up from the outset, and he develops protective behaviour, then you have a bad habit to undo... To get him to stay off the furniture when he's very used to using it.
Generally, I wouldn't give pups free rein to the couch, I'd only allow them up by invitation only. This means there are rules attached to the whole concept of being up on the couch, which itself tends to minimise problems appearing.

njs030

Jayop wrote: »

I'm not bothered or worried about the couches, the point was more about it leading to behavior problems.

Oh OK. I've always let my dogs on the couch and corrected any bad behavior. If they misbehave they get down.

VonVix

I think the biggest trigger of a problem that comes from allowing a dog on the couch is when the humans tend to frequently disturb (push off, move or generally annoy without invitation) their dog whenever he/she is on the couch and is sleeping.

But yeah, I have seven four legged, fluffy creatures in my home, all of which are allowed to use the couch as they please and I have had zero problems.

notjustsweet: Not sure what you would be correcting, but be sure to NOT "correct" growling. You can cause a world of problems if you tell a dog off for communicating.

njs030

VonVix wrote: »

notjustsweet: Not sure what you would be correcting, but be sure to NOT "correct" growling. You can cause a world of problems if you tell a dog off for communicating.

No of course not. I have 4 dogs and rescue fosters at different times. Sometimes they decide to play on the couch (rolling snapping etc) and get pointed to the floor. Other times they wiggle behind us and stretchhhhhhh the legs until we slide off. Though I usually just sit on the floor then

I posted in the dog bit the child thread about how my 8 year old lab/rottie had recently growled at having her head moved during a nap and was left alone. Grumpy old lady!!

BrookieD

Hi All,
Another quick question for you, My puppy Charlie is now finished his canned food after a tummy bug and is going back onto Science PlanTM [font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]VetEssentials[/font] Puppy biscuits. I have been introducing these into the last few feeda dn this was working well however no more canned food this morning and just the biscuits but he is not happy with these.

I read on the bag i can mix with warm water to make a paste and then peel back the water in time. Question is i have never mixed warm water and puppy biscuits and although it may be really simple I have no idea if i am doing this right.

I had very tepid water mixed with a few biscuits and it did not look right and was taking aged to soften the biscuits. should the temp of the water much hotter and then when mixed into a paste and cooled present to pup?

i cannot find anything on the required consistency online so really at a loss and dont want the little tyke to go hungry

Cheers
D

aonb

BrookieD, naturally your puppy is going to turn his nose up at boring old dog biscuit, after having lovely yummy smelly wet food. If you are determined that your dog will eat kibble rather than wet food, now is the time NOT to give in

First of all Science Plan is a pretty poor quality food. I would plan on phasing this food out when its used up - and get a very good quality replacement. There are dozens of thread on here about better quality kibble. Go to your feed supply place and see what they have that is good quality - your puppy will benefit from a decent quality food - better and less stinky poo and farts, better skin/coat, better general health.

As for making the biscuit more tempting, yes you can put HOT water onto the kibble, then let it cool to puppy temperature. The hot water soaks into the dry biscuit easier than just tepid water.

How old is your puppy, and what breed? (Wont assume king charles just because his name is charlie )

BrookieD

@aonb
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel......... 8-)

He seemed to take the kibble after i left in fairness after the wife got up and back from the school run. I did see some threads on different puppy food and will be looking more closely when this bag is on the way out.

was looking at James Wellbeloved Puppy food?



Thanks for the reply ;-)

VonVix

Lots of small breeds can be grazers, just be sure you're not over feeding. I wouldn't worry that he will "go hungry" even though food is out, it's unnatural for a puppy/dog to starve themselves unless something is medically wrong or you're giving him table scraps. Some dogs will ignore their kibble and wait for you to give them something nicer off the table, that's when you can have issues with them eating their own food. Then some other dogs/puppies will eat when they want to, not just because their food is out.

My German Shepherd is a semi-grazer, he NEVER over eats, he is nice and lean, I can feel his ribs without too much trouble.

BrookieD

Scraps from the table are a 100% big no no in the house. so he seems to be a little grazer and will make sure to monitor the food intake. weight gain is good at present and he is growing well so want to keep it up.

Next milestone is his 2nd vax on Friday so itching to get him walking ASAP as he has so much energy to burn.

cocker5

BrookieD wrote: »

Scraps from the table are a 100% big no no in the house. so he seems to be a little grazer and will make sure to monitor the food intake. weight gain is good at present and he is growing well so want to keep it up.

Next milestone is his 2nd vax on Friday so itching to get him walking ASAP as he has so much energy to burn.

Just keep in mind the 5 minute rule for walking pups - otherwise he will end up with joint issues later on - IME

BrookieD

@cocker5 - agreed - as i understand we can walk 15 mins x 2 per day as 12 weeks old? and increase 5 mins per month

DBB

BrookieD wrote: »

@cocker5 - agreed - as i understand we can walk 15 mins x 2 per day as 12 weeks old? and increase 5 mins per month

Half that op... The rule of thumb for walks is 5 mins per month of life until physical maturity.
At 12 weeks, that means 15 mins once per day.

Jayop

DBB wrote: »

Half that op... The rule of thumb for walks is 5 mins per month of life until physical maturity.
At 12 weeks, that means 15 mins once per day.

Wifey will be very disappointed in this lol. She's mad looking forward to some company for her walks.

So 6 months before you can go for a half hour walk and even then it's going to be slow going. This puppy is tiny so even that could be too much for her.

DBB

Jayop wrote: »

Wifey will be very disappointed in this lol. She's mad looking forward to some company for her walks.

So 6 months before you can go for a half hour walk and even then it's going to be slow going. This puppy is tiny so even that could be too much for her.

Nothing to stop her letting pup walk along for a few minutes, then carrying her for a few minutes. It'd be good for pup to get out and about.

Jayop

DBB wrote: »

Nothing to stop her letting pup walk along for a few minutes, then carrying her for a few minutes. It'd be good for pup to get out and about.

Yeah, I especially think the socialisation thing is vital from a young age. The lat thing we want is a dog that goes ape**** every time it meets another dog when we go for a walk so we'll be introducing her to as many dogs as we know are fully immunized once we can. After she has all her jabs like you say she can be carried and then allowed down to investigate other dogs.

DBB

Jayop wrote: »

Yeah, I especially think the socialisation thing is vital from a young age. The lat thing we want is a dog that goes ape**** every time it meets another dog when we go for a walk so we'll be introducing her to as many dogs as we know are fully immunized once we can. After she has all her jabs like you say she can be carried and then allowed down to investigate other dogs.

She can and should right now be meeting other dogs that you know to be vaccinated. The vaccine manufacturers have given the go-ahead for pre-vaccinated pups to meet and socialise with vaccinated adults in safe places, such as your garden, or dog-owning friends' gardens.
Just bear in mind... Whilst best advice has always been to gently expose pups to other dogs (and everything else) by 12 weeks, there's actually strong evidence now that suggests that the process of exposing pups to other beings and novelty should be well advanced by 8 weeks of age. I have to say, this is borne out anecdotally amongst behaviourists when treating adult dogs for undersocialisation-related behavioural problems.
It puts almost all of the socialisation onus on the breeder.

Jayop

DBB wrote: »

She can and should right now be meeting other dogs that you know to be vaccinated. The vaccine manufacturers have given the go-ahead for pre-vaccinated pups to meet and socialise with vaccinated adults in safe places, such as your garden, or dog-owning friends' gardens.
Just bear in mind... Whilst best advice has always been to gently expose pups to other dogs (and everything else) by 12 weeks, there's actually strong evidence now that suggests that the process of exposing pups to other beings and novelty should be well advanced by 8 weeks of age. I have to say, this is borne out anecdotally amongst behaviourists when treating adult dogs for undersocialisation-related behavioural problems.
It puts almost all of the socialisation onus on the breeder.

We haven't got her yet, she's only 6 weeks tomorrow and the person we're getting her from doesn't want to let her go for another week or two. They allowed us to take her to our home (about 3 minutes away) on Saturday for a few hours just to get her used to us and the place, we're taking her again this week and might introduce her to another dog this time if they're cool with it. At the moment she has her 5 siblings and her mum to pay with. That family have 3 other dogs also but they're outdoor dogs and very large so I don't think she's been in contact with them yet.

So with your 8 week warning in mind I'll def try to push having her introduced to a few other dogs this week when we get her. They'll all be small Bichon's or Shih-tzu's so should be safe enough.