Moose was born

[hhalford]

we got the call from our breeder this morning that our boy puppy was born. we are so very excited and can't wait to pick him up in june.

we lost our boy bruce last august to parvo.

not to worry, we are replacing the yard w/ new sod, getting a new fence and not taking him ANYWHERE until he is 6 months old and titered. All people entering our house will bleach their shoes or take them off. we will use progard this time around too.

we are excited! oh and the best part is that i will be home w/ him for 9 weeks since that is summer vacation!

[Nishasmom]

Congrats on your new addition!!! That is so exciting!!

A friend lost a puppy to parvo; they bleached the yard and waited 6 months. Their new pup is now a huge and healthy 2 yr. GSD! I think you will be safe; you are dedicated to replace your sod !

Tell your breeder to send some pictures so you can post them!!

Oh yeah...wheres my cigar??

[JoJo]

not taking him ANYWHERE until he is 6 months old

I understand your concern, but if your pup doesn't get the socialization that it needs, you'll have more to worry about in the future then parvo!
Please read all the stickys in this forum about Puppy Socialization and Development. They will help you tremendously!!!

[poohbearsmom]

Originally Posted by hhalford

we got the call from our breeder this morning that our boy puppy was born. we are so very excited and can't wait to pick him up in june.

we lost our boy bruce last august to parvo.

not to worry, we are replacing the yard w/ new sod, getting a new fence and not taking him ANYWHERE until he is 6 months old and titered. All people entering our house will bleach their shoes or take them off. we will use progard this time around too.

we are excited! oh and the best part is that i will be home w/ him for 9 weeks since that is summer vacation!

Congratulations on the new puppy.

Please read up on proper puppy socialization.

While parvo is a terrible infection to lose a pup to, please do not let that keep you from socializing your new pup adequately. 6 months is FAR too late to get started, and you will likely end up with far worse issues than physical illness.

If you insist upon not socializing this puppy properly, rethink your choice of breeds.

[hhalford]

we totally understand the importance of socialization. you are right 6 months is far too late for socialization. we socialized bruce with many many people and dogs and he was very well rounded and polite. we actually had a list of people bruce met in a journal. he met people w/ facial hair, he met dark skinned people, he met people wearing hats. he met babies, toddlers, and school aged children.

although we do not plan on taking the new puppy anywhere, we do plan on bringing many of our friends dogs over to play with him for "play dates" (a border collie, boxer, rat terrier, rottweiler, lab, etc.) we will also have many people come over w/o dogs. we also understand how important it is to socialize the puppy w/ children of all ages.

[moondog]

Originally Posted by hhalford

we totally understand the importance of socialization......we do not plan on taking the new puppy anywhere, we do plan on bringing many of our friends dogs over to play with him for "play dates" (a border collie, boxer, rat terrier, rottweiler, lab, etc.) we will also have many people come over w/o dogs. we also understand how important it is to socialize the puppy w/ children of all ages.

No, you don't totally understand the importance of socialization. You only PARTLY understand it.

It is JUST AS IMPORTANT that your puppy be exposed to many different ENVIRONMENTS as it is that he is exposed to many different people and animals. If you keep him in the bubble of your home/yard for 6 months, what do you think is going to happen when you do take him out? Stress, that's what's going to happen - and a stress he may never be able to overcome. He will not have gained the ability to accept different environments because "the Bubble" is all he will have known during the so VERY IMPORTANT early weeks of his life.

Have you told the breeder of your socialization plans? I honestly would be very alarmed if I was a breeder and heard this and would rethink my choice of a home for one of my puppies. It's so very sad you lost Bruce, but you cannot allow your fear to drive you with this new little one. Find your common sense, and use it.

Read this thread, with special attention to the guideline Mick has given about parvo survival in the environment.

Socialisation vs. Parvo

[moondog]

One other thing that's important to mention, and may help....you can titer after the second set of puppy vaccinations to determine if your new puppy is protected from the killers - parvo and distemper. It should be done two weeks following the second set of vaccinations.....as that is how long a vaccine takes to fully seroconvert. If those titer results come back very high, that means that the vaccine has seroconverted and your puppy has developed antibodies against the diseases.

This is what I did with Chili, and she didn't need the third set of vaccinations..her next set was the one year booster with Progard DPv. I titered her again after the boosters, and still very good indication of protection. I will titer her again this fall when she turns 3 and take it from there.

[hhalford]

it is fear that is getting in the way of common sense. we don't want it to happen again and we are worried and exaggerating.
we appreciate you reminding us and educating us again about the importance of socialization.
it's been a while since we have had a puppy so we will re-read all of the useful information.

[poohbearsmom]

Many people believe that socialization is simply getting your pup out and about, or introducing people to it. Socialization is far more in depth than that.

Socialization is about understanding how to guide your pup into problem solving behaviors, conquering fears, and learning how to live life in a confident fashion in our human world. It's part of teaching your pup to learn how to learn as well.

I completely understand your fears, hhalford, but until you conquer yours, your puppy will not conquer his.