Is your puppy ready to start exploring beyond the backyard? Expanding your puppy’s socialization beyond your home and their puppy classes requires a balancing act between needed exposure and needed vaccinations. Taking precautions and limiting where you go on puppy adventures will help minimize risk of disease while still allowing for crucial exposure needed during a puppy’s imprint period (which ends around 14 to 16 weeks of age).
As you’ll read below, these walks aren’t about direct interaction with people and other animals, but about positive exposure to these things from a distance. This makes it easier to manage disease-exposure risks and also practice recommended social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. You’ll want to carefully choose where you take your puppy on socialization adventures. Avoid areas where other dogs frequent or go to the bathroom (such as pet stores or near dog parks), and don’t allow your puppy to drink from puddles. You can further protect your puppy by taking them out for these walks in a stroller rather than on a leash. Speak with your veterinarian to ensure that your puppy is on track for their vaccinations, and what risks are prevalent in your area to be mindful of.
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Please do not ask emergency or other specific medical questions about your pets in the blog comments. As an online informational resource, Preventive Vet is unable to and does not provide specific medical advice or counseling. A thorough physical exam, patient history, and an established veterinary-patient-client relationship is required to provide specific medical advice. If you are worried that your pet is having an emergency or if you have specific medical questions related to your pet’s current or chronic medical conditions, please contact or visit your veterinarian, an animal-specific poison control hotline, or your local emergency veterinary care center.
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