When Can I Safely Socialize My Puppy?
Naturally, you want to keep your new puppy safe - but you of course also want to make sure that they are well socialized to different environments, seeing people, accepting the existence of other dogs and learning how to deal with them, and more. Let’s take a look at the current safety recommendations formulated by the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) and the American Association of Veterinary Immunologists (AAVI) - so we’re definitely going to the experts here.
Before the First Vaccine and Deworming
Before your puppy has been vaccinated, all of their socialization should happen in the home. You can still do a lot by bringing different scents into your home, wearing silly costumes around your dog, playing loud movies and music, etc., but it should not be outdoors to prevent your puppy from getting sick.
The First Vaccine and Deworming
The first vaccine should not be given before the age of 6 weeks. When puppies are still nursing, they receive antibodies from their mom, and these antibodies can actually negate the antibodies from the first vaccine. This is actually the reason why puppies are vaccinated multiple times when they are young but don’t require the same frequency of vaccination later in life.
7 days after the first vaccine, several activities become safe to do:
Puppy classes in a building designated for classes (not in a park or yard, though)
Outings with your dog in a stroller, backpack, or your car
Visiting outdoor locations on a tarp or other safe surface
Happy vet visits (remember: the first visit should not include any poking or prodding!)
Introductions to healthy, vaccinated dogs in your home or another safe location
The Second Vaccine
Due to the antibodies from mom being super efficient (and, let’s face it, a bit overly efficient sometimes), we can’t always fully trust the first vaccine. That’s why we can’t open up our puppy’s world until after the second vaccine.
7 days after the second vaccine, you can do the following - in addition to continuing the activities listed above:
You can also bring your dog into yards that have a known “no Parvo” history for the last 7 years
You can walk your dog on hard surfaces, such as asphalt and concrete
Careful, though - don’t let puppy sniff or otherwise interact with random poop!
The Third Vaccine
The third vaccine means FREEDOM! 7 days after the third vaccine, your puppy has built up enough antibodies to safely go anywhere. Yee-haw!
Wanna read more?
The AVSAB Puppy Socialization Position Statement details why early socialization is so important for your puppy and how to safely go about it.
