Puppy and classes

Hi Tails,
I'm confused... my vet says my pup can't be around other dogs and puppies until she is fully vaccinated, which is when she is about 16 weeks old. But you have classes starting at 9 weeks of age. What gives?

Vicky and Scooter-Pie, Bellingham

Dear Vicky and Scooter-Pie,
First let me say your veterinarian is absolutely, 100% correct. You cannot subject your puppy to other pups and dogs in which you do not know their health history, it’s just not safe! Too many canine diseases can live outside the body and your pup can be exposed to them simply by going for a walk in which a sick dog walked there the week before... However... your question needs more of an explanation.

Puppies are constantly going thru developmental stages; their brains are capable or learning and absorbing information at certain times that they cannot learn later in life. So we are faced with a dilemma. How do we socialize a puppy when that puppy can't be around other pups? The answer lies in socialization classes.
Our puppy pre school and kindergarten classes are open to all pups over 9 weeks of age. Those pups have to have been seen by a veterinarian and have started on their vaccines (DHPP and Bordetella). Its true you cannot take your pup on a walk or to the park, or anywhere that a dog you don't know their health history could of been before you. But our classes are healthy pups, in which we know their health history. We are faced with two risks:

1) risk of disease. Certainly these pups in classes are not finished with their vaccines so there is still a level of risk of exposure to other pups.

2) Risk of lack of socialization. This risk, in our opinion, is a far greater one.

Waiting until your pup is completely finished with vaccines until they begin to learn socialization is a huge missed opportunity. At the very least plan on a TON of catch up on your part. And know that some pups never fully recover the missed opportunities for socialization. I have been teaching classes for over 22 years and not once have we ever had an issue of disease contamination in one of our puppy classes. But I cannot count the number of calls we get about a 6 months old under socialized pup who is having major issues with not only socialization, but manners and bite inhibition.

So, in short... get puppy into an off leash socialization class- with a training center recommended by your vet, one who knows the health risks, one who is trained properly in animal husbandry and has a safe clean facility in which only vaccinated pups can come! You need to trust the training center that they are making sure everyone is up to date on vaccines, and not simply taking people word for it. Make sure the training center is clean and sanitized after classes.

Drop in on those classes, see how the class is run. Trust your gut!

Remember what we alwasy say: "Good Puppies don't happen by accident"