Heidi the Dachshund might be one of the few dogs who loves going in her carrier. Such a weird dog.

Question by April D: How far do you need to go to protect your puppy between vacinations?
I have read all your lovely responses to peoples queries about the suseptiability of puppies to desease before and shortly after their second vacinations. The problem I have is I live on a sail boat in England. I have no back yard! I planned to train the dog to go ‘outside’ or on designated aborbent matting in a litter tray (for long sailing trips). The litter tray training will not be a problem, but how am I to train the puppy to also go outside if I have no protected yard? If no other dogs are using the dock beside my boat, will that be safe enough for an ‘outside’ area to start? What about shoes? Are they potential pathogen carriers? I can not afford to take 3 weeks off work and I have built a puppy run in my workshop. I will use a carrier crate to bring the puppy to the shop and back, but how safe do I need to keep the shop? Do I need to bring a change of shoes? Do I need to keep all helpers and customers away from the puppy run? Just how far do you need to go?

Best answer:

Answer by Kirsten R
Yes, disease can be carried in on your shoes, if you step in poo, even melted old poo. I believe parvo can remain viable for up to a year in old feces.

On the other hand, can you really have, or do you really want, a bubble puppy who lives in a hermetically sealed world? There will always be a risk of catching a disease from other dogs no matter what you do short of complete isolation from everyone including you.

Vaccinated dogs can catch different strains of a disease they were vaccinated against. We’ve recently had a problem with a new strain of Lepto going around killing dogs vaccinated against Lepto. New strains emerge. Sometimes the vaccine prepares the dog’s immune system enough to fight them off, sometimes it doesn’t. A vaccine isn’t a guarantee a dog won’t get something. It’s just supposed to boost his chances of fighting it off by teaching the immune system how to build antibodies for something similar.

If your vet considers your pup appropriately vaccinated (had the right shots at the right ages) to be out in public, then his risk is minimal. Don’t let him sniff, lick or eat obvious waste from other dogs. Don’t let him play with possibly unvaccinated dogs until he has had his year-old boosters.

On the other hand, you still need to socialize him. An immunologically protected dog who is under-socialized is still at risk from dog fights, and from fear-biting (which can be a death sentence to a dog in some areas where one bite to a human results in euthanasia). So enroll him in a good puppy kindergarten class where the instructor demands proof of vaccination as a condition of joining the class.

Once your vet has cleared your pup for public (some vets want one set of shots, others want two or more) you should encourage interaction between your pup and as many people as possible, especially at your shop.

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior has released their new position statement on puppy socialization which can be found here:

http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonline/images/stories/Position_Statements/puppy%20socialization.pdf

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Dunedin FL – The US Post Office and Dunedin Doggy Rescue invited For Paws Hospice to join them for the Stamp Out Hunger Day Event to raise awareness that hunger can impact the “Whole Family.” With support from local Natural Pets retailer and Ellen Degeneres’s HALO Pet Foundation the event kicked off the Pet Stamps 2010 Adopt a Shelter Pet stamp issue. Dunedin Doggy Rescue brought adoptable dogs, people collected pet food and everyone had a great day thanks to DDR and the Dunedin Post Office gang. Thanks all
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Question by Melissa: My Dog is frantic over the new puppy.?
I’ve had my male Cairn terrier (Dylan), for about five years. He used to live in the family home with a Golden Retriever we’d had for about 14 years, but sadly our retriever passed away in February. When I got married, I moved in with my husband, and so Dylan has lived with us for two years. We’d been thinking recently about getting another Dog: a mixture of getting a playmate for Dylan, and our general love of Dogs. We both work from home, so now seemed the perfect time.

We did a lot of research into breeds, and decided on a Shih Tzu, as we needed a small Dog for the size of our garden, and heard they were generally a good breed. We found a lovely Puppy, and brought him home today. We would have chosen a girl, as perhaps Dylan would prefer that, but there were none left, and we fell in love with this little boy anyway!

We researched how to introduce the two, but I was nervous, as since the other Dog’s death, Dylan has become rather strange around other Dogs when on walks. He never bites, but barks and growls at some Dogs, and is fine with others.

We found it difficult deciding how to introduce them, as the puppy isn’t able to be walked yet, having not had his second vaccinations. So we knew we had to introduce them either in the house or garden. We don’t even know our neighbours very well, so couldn’t use their garden as ‘neutral space’!

We brought the Puppy inside in his doggy carrier, and allowed Dylan to sniff the crate. Dylan went crazy! We expected barking or growling, and knew how to cope with that, but he also started clawing at the cage, as well as chewing on the bars and throwing himself on the top in a desperate attempt to get in.

We were worried this wouldn’t work, and didn’t want to scare the Puppy, so decided to put Dylan on his lead and let the Puppy out. That way, if he wanted to come over, he could. Again Dylan went crazy, lunging at the Puppy, who had already rolled over submissively. When we did allow him to get close (after he seemed to have calmed), he bit the Puppy several times. We checked, and he didn’t actually break the skin or anything, but the Puppy made such a noise!

We gave them a break, and tried again later in the garden. We actually have two gardens, and this is the one Dylan has only been in a couple of times, so we thought it was more neutral. Dylan was on a loose lead and the puppy was on a lead too. Again Dylan was frantic, and when close enough he lunged and bit the puppy (again, no damage). We stopped because the Puppy was terrified.

I really don’t know what to do. All the websites say what to expect, but nowhere mentioned an aldult Dog that’s obsessed with the puppy, and lunges at him. What should we do when it gets to this evening? Dylan sleeps in our room, in his own bed. Should we put the puppy back in his crate for the night and just see what happens? I really don’t think Dyl will leave him alone for a second.

I can’t bear to try putting them together again incase there’s more biting, and I know Dylan will sense my fear! Really need help!

Best answer:

Answer by emily
first of all, what the hell where you thinking bringing a small breed puppy into the home of a ‘dog agreesive’ dog’s home????

the reason your older dog is so furious is because (well 1. he’s dog agressive) you brought another dog onto his turf (which it should be your turf, but he obvoiusly thinks he’s in charge, take him to obedience classes for god’s sake)

what you should have done (too late now) was rub a towel on the puppy to get his scent on it and then let your older dog sniff it. when he stoped paying attention to it, you should have then brought both dogs to a neutral teritory (such as the park or a friends house) and then let the older dog smell the puppy in the crate. once he stopped paying attention, put him on a lead and let the puppy out so they could introduce eachother how dogs introduce eachother (smelling eachothers butts)

but since you screwed this whole thing up, i’d return this poor puppy back to whereever you got him from and never buy another dog when you already have a dog agressive one.

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