Walkies for Bella?

Hiya all, hope someone can shed some light on a few questions?

Our Bella is 7 weeks old and I am wondering when is a good age to put her on a lead and collar to have a walk and explore ? At this stage I'm only thinking about a walk out the front of our house (we live in a cul-de-sac) or to the end of the street and obviously only at puppy pace. At the moment she is still settling in and getting to know her surroundings so I'm not in any rush (our backyard) is SO BIG to her!

Should I be doing lead training in the backyard/house until she get's a grasp on the basic command 'sit' on/off the lead and then move to the street? Just wondering how long we have to keep her confined to our property before we can go to the park? Is the risk to parvovirus (is that the one?) only from unvaccinated dogs? Can it be caught from cats or residue at the park - even if there's no other dogs around? Can we introduce her to friends dogs that have been vaccinated before she has had her second vaccination?

That'll do for now
Lisa (First time puppy owner - long time dog lover and mother of two human children)

I would wait until after her vaccinations to bring her outside and make sure to ask the vet what they recommend as well. It's a good idea to get them used to the collar and lead before taking them out as well

Wow that was a super quick response (2mins I think)!! Yes I think your right - better to be safe then sorry. I know 5 weeks seems like a long time to keep her confined but it'll go quickly.

Cheers. L

Please don't take her out until after her vacs, parvo can live in the grass etc for years, and is very easily contracted.. We are coming into our colder months now which makes parvo even more of a risk, it can be spread easier when the ground is wet as you walk through it and spread it for the next few steps you take Another good reason why puppies/dogs should not be allowed to chew shoes..

Lead training in the house or backyard is a great idea and will definately help when it does come time for walkies Also play dates with vaccinated dogs or puppy pre school is a great way to socialise from a young age She can socialise with vaccinated dogs before her vaccs are done.. Also carrying her to the shops or to pick the kids up from school and car rides are a fgreat way to get her used to the big wide world Good Luck

Agree with Kylie, really. Let her get used to the collar and lead now though, I taught Loki to walk on the lead long before he could go out, and although he was still pulling and excited to explore, it made it much easier because he was already used to the feel of it and etc.

[quote="Kylie"] parvo can live in the grass etc for years, and is very easily contracted.. We are coming into our colder months now which makes parvo even more of a risk, it can be spread easier when the ground is wet as you walk through it and spread it for the next few steps you take Another good reason why puppies/dogs should not be allowed to chew shoes..

OMG I had no idea about this?? Thankyou for telling me I will be extra vigilant. Bella's puppy training isn't until 12 weeks so will have to do a lot for her ourselves before then with socialisation and training. We have decided to go with a Registered Trainer in the local area and he doesn't start till then, rather than the one's run by the vet's called puppy-pre school - perhaps that's a discussion for another thread

On a side-note Bella had her third night with us and 'no crying' - what a good girl!

L

Speaking as a first time puppy owner, our puppy is 12 weeks old. I sort advise on 2 levels, firstly from my best friend who owns 2 dogs a mother & daughter. My friend breed her dog and kept 1 of the 8 puppies she had, secondly I sort advise from the vet.

My friend and vet agreed that we should only let him out back.

They agreed that he should have his 1st jab at 8 weeks then the 2nd jab and chip was to be done on the 10th week. On the 11th week he was allowed out into the big wide world.

They also agreed that he should not be brought into contact with any other dogs until a week after his second jab & chip was fitted.

We personally put a collar on our pup when he had his first jab. We left him a few days to get used to it then we put his lead on and started to get him used to it in the back garden.

When he was clear to go outside a week after his second jab we put him in his harness and he took to it without any problems.

They also agreed, dogs should not be given chocolate as it is poison to them.

From one rookie owner, I hope the above is useful to you.

Best wishes & good luck,

Clare.

[quote="Peachy"]

Kylie wrote: parvo can live in the grass etc for years, and is very easily contracted.. We are coming into our colder months now which makes parvo even more of a risk, it can be spread easier when the ground is wet as you walk through it and spread it for the next few steps you take Another good reason why puppies/dogs should not be allowed to chew shoes..

OMG I had no idea about this?? Thankyou for telling me I will be extra vigilant. Bella's puppy training isn't until 12 weeks so will have to do a lot for her ourselves before then with socialisation and training. We have decided to go with a Registered Trainer in the local area and he doesn't start till then, rather than the one's run by the vet's called puppy-pre school - perhaps that's a discussion for another thread

On a side-note Bella had her third night with us and 'no crying' - what a good girl!

L

Well done, what an angel

Even though you're seeing a trainer at 12 weeks, the vet's puppy pre-school is still a good idea as it allows socialisation with other pups around the same age in a safe environment and helps to associate going to the vet with good things (treats, friends, pats etc.) instead of scary unknown things. The majority of pups there won't have had all of their vaccinations either and it's not really so much about training to commands as the pups learning to play, be social and bite inhibition. It's good for owners too as they'll go over things like grooming and nails, food choices, when and where to walk, toilet training. All of the common things that pet owners may have questions about. It'll give you a base group of people with pups the same age as yours to play with.

I'd be really careful with going outside too early with her because Radelaide has had quite a large parvo outbreak as recently as Jan/Feb this year.

She looks absolutely adorable by the way.

aurora wrote:

I'd be really careful with going outside too early with her because Radelaide has had quite a large parvo outbreak as recently as Jan/Feb this year.

.

What a shock!

Best to wait until she has the all clear from your vet then you can take her out safely

You can take her in your own garden as long as no other dogs have been there