Puppy socialisation
Check out the COLLECTIVE, OFFICIAL advice from the New Zealand Veterinary Association, the Companion Animal Veterinarians, the Companion Animals NZ and NZ Vet Behaviourist Dr. Jess Beer:
Please watch the following video:
Also check out our Puppy Socialisation: Click here!
BUT MY PUPPY ISN’T FULLY VACCINATED YET AND THE VET SAID THERE’S PARVO RISK…
PARVO IS A TRUE RISK, BUT…
While you absolutely do need to protect your puppy from catching any diseases, it is absolutely crucial to keep socialising them in their critical socialisation period. The risk of dogs losing their lives due to being improperly socialised and developing behavioural problems is great! Remember though that the 2 most common misconceptions with ‘Socialisation’ are that a) your puppy needs to meet whatever they’re getting socialised with/to and b) the focus needs to be on meeting other dogs. Please see the info graphic below to understand what socialisation is actually all about.
There might be some areas that you are comfortable having your dog on the ground, but even if not, you can socialise your puppy without even taking any risks at all. There are so many ways!
Your friends’ backyards are as safe as your own.
Your pups can go in the car and join you everywhere you go. You can have them in a crate where you are parked up and let them experience the world.
You can carry your pup in a backpack at your tummy.
You can pop your pup in a shopping cart and take them through Bunnings, Mitre10 and similar.
You can pop your puppy in a pram and take them everywhere!
You can carry them to a spot and pop them on a blanket.
You can come up with other creative ways. :)
As you see, there are really no excuses for not socialising your puppy, so get started today!
