Socializing wriggly pup - how?

[kitkatkat]

Hi all,
pup is 10 weeks old and not yet fully vaccinated. We are trying to carry her outside to get her used to stuff (people, traffic, noise etc) but she finds it very exciting and gets super wriggly and hard to hold. Any tips or do we just keep going until she calms down?
she is a small breed terrier so there’s not much of her to hold onto! We have another 2 weeks to go before she can walk. Thanks!

Also we only have her in a collar for now - I’m wondering would a harness help as we would have more to hold onto?

I wouldn't do it til she's vaxxed - there'll be plenty of time then.

Also, don't buy an expensive harness while she's still growing as she'll grow out of it.

Fair enough, thank you. I was just a bit spooked by all the advice online about how vital it is to show your pup the world or they will be a nervous wreck. I think probably I just need to chill a bit (we have only had her 1 week and it feels like a big responsibility to raise her into a good citizen!)

Get a puppy sling.
It’s a bag that you zip puppy into with head poking out and they can watch everything/nap when they need. It’s really important pup sees and experiences as many things as possible in a positive manner while they are young.

It is true that the more you socialise them when young the more confident they will be. That's why assistance dog puppies are socialised as much as possible from 8 weeks to make them bombproof. But if it is too challenging right now you can also do good work by inviting lots of different people round (as many different people as possible, beards, glasses, different hair lengths, hats, different ages etc, showing them things like umbrellas, riding a bike around the garden. Also play sounds like traffic noise, fireworks, crowds etc in the background while relaxing at home.

I'd get a harness. You don't want to be walking a puppy in a collar. Not good at all for their developing neck and spine.

Sling 🙂 We borrowed one. We also had a wriggly terrier pup. Yes get them out. So important.

Our vet okd to walk right after her second vaccinations at 10 weeks. Just not meeting unvaccinated dogs and away from water due to lepto not being fully ready. We started training classes then. 10 days later we were good to go anywhere.

I use puppy slings for my foster pups, but a small rucksac with a blanket in the bottom to lift them up worn on your front and unzipped just enough for their head to come out does the same job.
Don't take a chance with walking before fully vaxxed - in my area parvo is absolutely endemic and after very, very nearly losing my last foster to parvo (she was dumped at 8 weeks so exposed then and in the pound) and nursing her back to health afterwards I can't tell you how awful it was and I would never take the smallest risk

Excellent thanks all. I’ll look into slings.

And thanks for the warning CMOTDibbler - that sounds awful, I will be careful.

Agree the socialisation is massively important, but there's plenty of time after vaccines. Good luck (from a first time puppy owner who is coming up to 9 months with pup - it's a learning curve).

Thanks - I think I will need it! Starting to feel slightly overwhelmed tbh but we will get there in the end.

Get a sling! Worked for my lab pup. Amazon or Facebook marketplace

I used a sling from Amazon, it had a little l lead inside that you attach to a harness, definitely not a collar.

I went out for a 30 min walk with my puppy in the sling every single day from getting her at 8wks, I also took her to garden centres or pet shops. She was allowed to walk at 11wks and has never been scared of anything. Absolutely nothing phases her now, she wasn't even scared of fireworks. She's 5 month.

It's definitely essential to get her out and about as soon as possible. As long as she isn't on the ground where unvaccinated dogs could have been. A thick harness with a handle isn't a bad idea. She needs to meet as many people and see as many things as possible before about 12 weeks depending on her breed when she will start to develop more fear responses to unfamiliar things!

Garden centres are great places for pup! Lots of people stay guys and smells. Dogs welcome and they don't usually mind any little "accidents"
We went a lot with pup, in sling and then on the ground.

Facebook marketplace or local community facebook page often has puppy harnesses on for fraction of price new. As long as you give it a good clean, its a great way to get a harness that they grow out of quickly.

Definitely try to get hold of a puppy sling or rucksack. Our rescue dog missed all the essential trips out as a pup and it's much harder to do later on.

Theres some fab check lists of what to introduce on dog trust website. Traffic, shops, vehicles, people etc. Good luck!

I think it depends on area. Our vet said that she would be virtually fully protected for parvo 4 weeks after her first vaccination but not lepto. He said in our area lung worm is a much bigger problem in puppies and he hadn’t seen parvo for years so insisted on a wormer that protected for lungworm.

We’re semi rural so easy to find places to go where we don’t meet unknown dogs. Our training classes insist on vaccinations for dogs under 3 so we knew we could take her safety into a hall with other dogs.

@Newpeep we are semi rural too, maybe it does vary by area but I still wouldn't take risks. Parvo isn't spread directly dog to dog either, it is transmitted via faecal particles and just sniffing parvo infected faeces is enough, so what another dog has trod in will do it. It truly was awful, and my little one had a week in the vet on IVs and the vet didn't think she would make it even though she was at the vet very quickly after the first symptom. Then she was like a little skeleton and had to be on cage rest to protect her heart she was so thin

I think it must do. We avoided dog areas basically (not just dogs). Parvo is awful and I’ve seen it with rescues I’ve been involved in (albeit indirectly). It’s common in rescues and dogs coming from puppy farms due to local of medical care and conditions. Less so in random dogs. Our vet said the only cases he’d seen were in litters of puppies brought in by rescues.

it’s risk benefit I guess. We felt we could do it safely given the advice. If we weren’t sure we carried her. We’ve known our vet for nearly 20 years (independent) and trust his judgement. Another local practice say 16-20 weeks before they can go out. That’s way too late. Socialisation closes at 16 weeks.