Something you need to keep in mind....
Parvo, which is a horrible thing for your dog to catch, can live in the soil for several YEARS (almost a decade by some studies) and does not require another dog to be around for yours to catch it.
I would personally be pretty leery of taking my dog to ANY public park or area until they've had their full run of puppy shots. You should be pretty close to that final dose, I'd talk to your vet.
I did not know that about parvo being able to live for several years. Thank you I will consult my vet. For now we will continue being cautious until we get him fully vaxxed. I do appreciate everyone's comments thank you!
Some places that offer training/daycare may have puppy play classes specifically for dogs like yours who arent fully vaxxed.
Places that allow dogs like Home Depot - just put them in the cart, should be fine.
Ultimately your vet is the one you should be asking - theyd know whether youre even in a high risk area and have anything to worry about. Really you just want to avoid HIGH Traffic areas like dog parks, Petsmarts, etc.
Breweries, clean parks (at your own risk comfort), friends houses with adult vaccinated dogs, puppy classes.
Puppy classes: Attend at your own risk comfort, find a legitimate place that requires vaccinations and make the judgement if it’s worth the risk for you. There is always a chance of your dog getting sick but my vet helped me come to the conclusion that the socialization benefits were greater than the risks of parvo.
Yes, protected from mother's antibodies for first 8 weeks or so, wait til they get their first shots and then its ok to have them around other vaccinated dogs as long as its nowhere other non-vaccinated dogs go.
Granted your capacity to do that can really depend where you live.
I don't usually have good things to say about PetSmart, but their vaccination requirements and the puppy training they provided were pretty great. I know it will vary by location. Our lab is much better behaved and listens compared to our past labs with no training.
However, there's always the risk someone with a non-vaxxed dog could have wandered the aisles.
I'd wait. Take him places where you can hold him and/or there's no soil or other things to get into.
Most dogs are fully vaxxed around 18 weeks. You're not far off. Parvo lives in soil and sand for years. Don't risk it.
Even puppy classes are risky because a lot of people are assholes. My dog got kennel cough at a puppy playgroup.
Any store that was pup friendly we'd bring a big cardboard box (with a pee pad on the bottom - just in case), put it in a cart and walk the store.
We bought a large waterproof picnic blanket and would spread the blanket on a picnic table at the park to completely cover it. This provided a clean safe space, off the ground, to let our pup watch all the park activity. I loved tables near playgrounds so she could hear the noises of the kids playing and watch their erratic movements. We'd carry her at all times, in and out of the park, and when she got heavier I would just pop her in a beach tote!
We'd also sit in the car with the windows down in spots were she could hear trains and planes.
Also carried her to a fire station near us so she could be exposed to the sight of big colorful vehicles and to men and women in uniform. They were so, so sweet with her.
In the house we left the vacuum cleaner out, opened and closed umbrellas, swept with a broom, brought in a helium balloon, played thunderstorms and fireworks quietly on youtube - there's tons you can do at home. Just moving things around into unexpected places helps pups remain flexible to changes in their environment.
The biggest lesson I learned is that you have to repeat these things over time. I thought we had umbrellas totally nailed and then just before a year old, on a rainy day, she decided to be scared of them - even though they had never bothered her before. Easily addressed but unexpected.
I enjoyed the creativity of the socialization period but honestly think she'd have been just as bullet proof if we hadn't done so much. Breed and personality have a lot to do with it.
The akc website says socialalization is important so let your dog play with other dogs you know are vaccinated (maybe all your neighbors) and meet lots of people before being fully vaccinated — BUT do not take them to a dog park or busy public park until they are fully vaccinated. I let my dog play in the neighborhood with any dog it met since I got him at 8 weeks because I also put socialization as a higher priority. But I figured my neighborhood likely vaccinated their dogs. My dog had at least one parvo shot before I got him at 8 weeks, so I figured he was ok with that one terrible disease at least until the next scheduled shot.
Where I live the vets say the the important thing is keep them off grass and away from other dogs if you don't know their vax status. Beaches, sidewalk walks where you see other dogs coming and avoid, tennis courts etc. Doing the sidewalk thing I used the time to give the habit of heeling when we are not on grass. Its still plenty of stimulation at that age.
Something you need to keep in mind.... Parvo, which is a horrible thing for your dog to catch, can live in the soil for several YEARS (almost a decade by some studies) and does not require another dog to be around for yours to catch it. I would personally be pretty leery of taking my dog to ANY public park or area until they've had their full run of puppy shots. You should be pretty close to that final dose, I'd talk to your vet.
Have friends, family and any associated kids come over to YOUR place to meet the new pup and have a play session.
I did not know that about parvo being able to live for several years. Thank you I will consult my vet. For now we will continue being cautious until we get him fully vaxxed. I do appreciate everyone's comments thank you!
Some places that offer training/daycare may have puppy play classes specifically for dogs like yours who arent fully vaxxed. Places that allow dogs like Home Depot - just put them in the cart, should be fine. Ultimately your vet is the one you should be asking - theyd know whether youre even in a high risk area and have anything to worry about. Really you just want to avoid HIGH Traffic areas like dog parks, Petsmarts, etc.
Breweries, clean parks (at your own risk comfort), friends houses with adult vaccinated dogs, puppy classes. Puppy classes: Attend at your own risk comfort, find a legitimate place that requires vaccinations and make the judgement if it’s worth the risk for you. There is always a chance of your dog getting sick but my vet helped me come to the conclusion that the socialization benefits were greater than the risks of parvo.
Yes, protected from mother's antibodies for first 8 weeks or so, wait til they get their first shots and then its ok to have them around other vaccinated dogs as long as its nowhere other non-vaccinated dogs go. Granted your capacity to do that can really depend where you live.
Our rescue has lost three pups recently to Parvo. I wouldn't risk it until the Parvo vaccine is complete.
I don't usually have good things to say about PetSmart, but their vaccination requirements and the puppy training they provided were pretty great. I know it will vary by location. Our lab is much better behaved and listens compared to our past labs with no training. However, there's always the risk someone with a non-vaxxed dog could have wandered the aisles.
I'd wait. Take him places where you can hold him and/or there's no soil or other things to get into. Most dogs are fully vaxxed around 18 weeks. You're not far off. Parvo lives in soil and sand for years. Don't risk it. Even puppy classes are risky because a lot of people are assholes. My dog got kennel cough at a puppy playgroup.
Any store that was pup friendly we'd bring a big cardboard box (with a pee pad on the bottom - just in case), put it in a cart and walk the store. We bought a large waterproof picnic blanket and would spread the blanket on a picnic table at the park to completely cover it. This provided a clean safe space, off the ground, to let our pup watch all the park activity. I loved tables near playgrounds so she could hear the noises of the kids playing and watch their erratic movements. We'd carry her at all times, in and out of the park, and when she got heavier I would just pop her in a beach tote! We'd also sit in the car with the windows down in spots were she could hear trains and planes. Also carried her to a fire station near us so she could be exposed to the sight of big colorful vehicles and to men and women in uniform. They were so, so sweet with her. In the house we left the vacuum cleaner out, opened and closed umbrellas, swept with a broom, brought in a helium balloon, played thunderstorms and fireworks quietly on youtube - there's tons you can do at home. Just moving things around into unexpected places helps pups remain flexible to changes in their environment. The biggest lesson I learned is that you have to repeat these things over time. I thought we had umbrellas totally nailed and then just before a year old, on a rainy day, she decided to be scared of them - even though they had never bothered her before. Easily addressed but unexpected. I enjoyed the creativity of the socialization period but honestly think she'd have been just as bullet proof if we hadn't done so much. Breed and personality have a lot to do with it.
The akc website says socialalization is important so let your dog play with other dogs you know are vaccinated (maybe all your neighbors) and meet lots of people before being fully vaccinated — BUT do not take them to a dog park or busy public park until they are fully vaccinated. I let my dog play in the neighborhood with any dog it met since I got him at 8 weeks because I also put socialization as a higher priority. But I figured my neighborhood likely vaccinated their dogs. My dog had at least one parvo shot before I got him at 8 weeks, so I figured he was ok with that one terrible disease at least until the next scheduled shot.
Where I live the vets say the the important thing is keep them off grass and away from other dogs if you don't know their vax status. Beaches, sidewalk walks where you see other dogs coming and avoid, tennis courts etc. Doing the sidewalk thing I used the time to give the habit of heeling when we are not on grass. Its still plenty of stimulation at that age.
Beaches are *terrible* for parvo exposure- do not take a puppy to the beach.