Socializing Pre Vaccinated Puppies

You may have heard “don’t take puppies out until they have had their shots”. And yet, puppies need to get socialized. So what do you do? The American Veterinary Association position statement is essentially that the benefits of socialization outweigh the risks.

There's more though. If you know the risks they can be greatly mitigated, especially here in MN. You can do a bang up socialization job without taking too much risk. 

The exposure risks to well bred puppies in MN are not particularly high, especially relative to the risks to their mental health and behavior of under-socialization. Part of it is just that people don’t want a vet bill cutting into their profits or adding to their expenses. I'm sorry but you don't create an animal on purpose and then cheap out on its welfare.

Still, it's a complex issue and no two situations are the same. Here are the factors and considerations I use in that balancing act. 

1. As breeders we created these animals on purpose and they have no say or power or control in their own lives. We owe it to them to do ANY and EVERY thing possible to give them the best long term welfare possible. And that means socializing them and teaching the families to continue the socialization work.

2. Carrying the puppy vs walking on the ground mitigates the majority of the risk right there. But below are the details on how to safely socialize your puppy and how to think through and mitigate the risks. You can use this same thought process in different regions but keep in mind the prevalence of different illnesses varies. (We are pretty spoiled here in MN). 

I go into a lot of detail in this blog. So, TLDR as they say:

For Minnesota Puppies:

• Avoid the ground where there are a lot of unknown dogs. For toy breeds just use a pouch or a stroller. (I personally have a purse that holds wine and a puppy.)

  
  

• Socialize at dog friendly stores other than PetSmart. Michaels, JoAnn, Home Depot, Ace, Sheels, Barns and Noble, Cabelas, most liquor stores, smoke shops and a number of other stores are all dog friendly but not as dog trafficked as Pet Smart.

• Introduce to known dogs only (vaccinated and good tempered). 

• Take things at the puppy’s pace. Do not encourage them to interact with a dog if they seem reluctant and don’t throw them into the arms of every Karen who wants to admire them.

• Recovery time is everything. They need a ton of exposure but a ton of breaks and rest in between too. Breeders usually post the pictures of socializing but the puppies are resting a lot in between too. 

• Do not allow big dogs on leash to greet your puppy. If the dog is friendly, pick your puppy up and let the big dog sniff their butt from your arms. Do not allow the Karen walking the big dog to tell you to put the puppy down or that you are “babying” them or you “have to get them used to it.” No Karen. I don’t have to throw them in overwhelming situations that can cause long term trauma. How would you like a giant you’ve never seen before to swoop down on you? Besides, how do I know your dog isn’t a jerk?

I have a 5 pound dog who is so dog socially skilled and confident he has helped me train a German Shepard. Toy breeds can absolutely be extremely dog socially skilled. But you don’t get there by throwing them into situations that are too much for them.

If you are the type that wants to know specifically how I got to those for guidelines you can read the details below. 

Risks 1 - Parvo

Parvo is deadly. It is a virus that spreads fecal/orally and even a microscopic speck on someone's shoe (for instance if they walked on ground that had a trace amount of poop on it) can infect a puppy. It can live in grass and dirt for over 10 months and doesn’t die when frozen. This can stop people in their tracks. But it shouldn’t. You can still safely socialize your puppy.

Puppies have maternal immunities from nursing. So if mom is protected they should be too. These immunities die off as time goes on but the recommended vaccination schedule is accounting for that and attempting to minimize a gap in coverage. 

If this is a foster litter where the momma is sick or came from a disreputable source, contact your veterinarian and ask for the vet in the office who sees behavior cases. Determine your course of action with that vet. Your puppies may be vulnerable or a risk to other dogs. If so you may need to avoid dog/dog socialization which isn't the end of the world. There is still much you can do.

Minnesota has a low parvo rate. In MN we don’t have a street dog population and we are leaders in low cost vet care. So, the overwhelming majority of our dog population is vaccinated. The cases that do happen are almost always brought in by dogs that come from out of state. But parvo isn't lurking in people's private property.

Additional precautions I take and recommend:

1. Only introduce the pups to known dogs. As long as you know the dog and know they are vaccinated and not infected you are taking negligible if any risk. 

1. Avoid the ground in places with unknown dogs. I use a stroller and pouch to carry/move the dogs around as I socialize them. If you take the puppy anywhere such as a brewery or pet store where many unknown dogs have walked, carry them in a stroller, your arms, or a pouch so they don’t accidentally come into contact with parvo. I always socialize toy breeds in a pouch anyway. 

1. Socialize at dog friendly stores other than PetSmart. Michaels, JoAnn, Home Depot, Ace, Sheels, Barns and Noble, Cabelas, most liquor stores and a number of other stores are all dog friendly but not as dog trafficked as Pet Smart. I actually very rarely take my own dogs to PetSmart. It is a germ bath. 

1. Avoid dog parks. I do not suggest dog parks for toy breeds anyway. But for the love of God don’t do it before they are fully vaccinated. 

Risk 2 - Airborne Virus such as Kennel Cough or Canine Influenza

Airborne viruses are hard to contain (as you may know.) 

Kennel Cough is a virus similar to a human cough that travels dog to dog on moisture particles in the air. It isn’t fatal and certainly worth the price of socialization, but I still try to avoid it. 

Meeting other dogs outside and meeting only known dogs who you know haven’t been exposed lessens the risk.

Keep your time in vet clinics and groom shops to a minimum. 

Canine Influenza is a little more serious. If there is an outbreak I’d be really cautious about the vet and would not bring my puppies to a groom shop at all. But outbreaks aren’t that common. Call your vet to determine if there is an outbreak going on. 

Both kennel cough and canine influenza can be vaccinated as early as 8 weeks. So if families are concerned they can always vaccinate right away. It is more the breeder who has to be careful. 

Risk 3 - Fleas and Ticks

I would MUCH rather deal with fleas and ticks than shortchange a puppy on socialization that will make so much difference in their long term welfare and behavior. 

Although because of our cold winters fleas aren’t much of an issue here in MN. So out of state breeders may be quick to point out that it is easy for me to say when it probably won’t happen.

We do have plenty of ticks in MN. As long as the tick is removed within 24 hours it won’t transmit illness. This is why tick protection such as frontline kills the tick within 24 hours. As long as you are handling your puppies a lot and checking them over a few times a day you should be able to catch any ticks before they transmit tick borne illness. Using preventatives on the other dogs in the home helps too so there are less “vessels” to transfer the ticks to the puppies. 

Worms and Parasites

Puppies are going to get worms whether you socialize them or not. That’s why we treat them. And yes, the families probably will have to continue the treatment once the pup goes home. It's gross. I hate it too. But it is just part of having a dog. The wormer they take as newborns tastes good to most of them. Panacur, the one they frequently take after 6 weeks, is strong and bitter. So I hide it in heavy cream. That masks the flavor and they (usually) lap it right up. 

Giardia - Puppies can contract this parasite fecal/orally or from standing water. There are different variations and some transmit easier than others and some transmit to humans. So the same precautions as preventing Parvo apply. (Avoid the ground where there are unknown dogs). I also try to discourage my dogs from drinking from puddles on walks. Giardia is in most MN lakes so if they get it that way they get it. It is treatable. Humans can get it from lakes too. Is what it is. We in MN live and breathe lake life. And dogs love lake life.

Rabies - A puppy would have to get bit by an infected animal such as a squirrel or raccoon. This isn’t a big risk for indoor dogs in a state with a high vaccination rate. Again just avoid the dog park, which I would do for toy breeds anyway. 

And lastly, can a dog get “over socialized”? No. That isn’t a thing. What people are usually describing is a dog with very high sociability and low impulse control and poor social skills. So they pull wildly trying to get to every dog they see and then if they do meet, the encounter often goes poorly. This would be unlikely to happen if you are buying a dog from me and following my recommended protocols. But if it does, they aren’t “over socialized”. Just call me and I’ll help you work through it.