I’m going to answer this question, but because it is still sometimes a debated topic, I need to explain the rationale behind my answer. So I hope you will bear with me for a few moments.
If you take your puppy out and about in public, they will almost certainly be exposed to more germs than if they stay at home, and are confined to your own backyard. And there is no doubt that your eight week old puppy is vulnerable to infection.
So the natural assumption is that it’s safer to keep a new puppy at home until they are fully protected by their vaccinations at around 12-14 weeks.
And indeed doing so, was standard advice to puppy parents until fairly recently.
But there is another issue to consider. And that’s puppy socialization.
The puppy socialization window
There is a short period of time during which puppies are very open to new experiences. This window of opportunity lasts until a puppy is 13 or 14 weeks old.
Nature provides this opportunity for social mammals so that they can get to know family members and learn what is and isn’t, safe to explore.
After that time it’s completely normal for puppies to become very shy and wary of anything and anyone that seems strange or different.
This instinct helps to protect young animals but it also causes problems for dog owners if the puppy’s comfort zone is too small.
A conflict of interests
As you can see, the window for socialization closes at around the same time that most puppies are fully immunised against disease. The time at which puppy owners used to be advised (and occasionally still are) it is now safe to take puppies out.
This has only been an issue for a few decades, as before then, there were no puppy vaccinations and dogs took their chance with a whole range of common diseases.
The dilemma
Puppy vaccinations have saved countless lives and dramatically improved puppy health. But they have also created this new dilemma:
- Should we keep our puppies at home until vaccination cover is complete? And risk a poorly socialized puppy?
- Or should we take our puppies out to socialize them and risk infection?
A growing awareness of socialization benefits
The consensus on this issue has shifted. At first the vaccination benefits seemed too important to ignore. And it was generally thought that temperament, good or bad, was an inherited feature of our dogs.
Something we could not do much to change.
As we have learned more about socialization and developed a better understanding of how to best socialize puppies, it’s become increasingly obvious that socialization is much more important than we once thought.
Dogs that are not fully socialized are often fearful.
They are afraid of new experiences, including new people, other dogs, and the paraphernalia of human life.
Fear is the leading cause of aggression in dogs and poorly socialized dogs are much more likely to bite other people and to attack dogs that they don’t know well.
They don’t enjoy outings and excursions and find essential trips to veterinarians and groomers extremely stressful. And as a result are more likely to be increasingly left out of family life, and even neglected.
In other words, an unsocialized dog is often a deeply unhappy, and sometimes dangerous, dog.
Finding a balance
So it’s now clear that there is a balance to be found between keeping your dog safe from infection, and raising a confident happy dog that enjoys a full and varied life.
Most veterinarians now recommend you do take your puppy out before vaccinations are complete. With some precautions. These are sensible examples:
- Try to avoid putting your puppy down on the ground, this can be difficult with large breed pups but do your best.
- Do not take puppies to dog parks or anywhere where a lot of dogs have peed and pooped. This is how many puppy diseases are spread
- Do not allow puppies to play with older dogs that are unvaccinated
- Keep your puppy away from dogs that are sick
It’s now thought that it’s ok from a health point of view, to take your puppy to a puppy socialization class. Even if the other puppies are also too young to have been vaccinated.
It’s also a good idea to take your puppy to visit a friend who has a fully vaccinated and friendly dog. Be cautious of elderly dogs who sometimes dislike puppies, and adolescent dogs that can be too boisterous. But in general terms puppies benefit immensely from learning to interact with a range of different dogs
Eliminating risk?
This is not about eliminating risk. You cannot eliminate all risks.
This is all about finding a balance between isolating your dog and keeping them safe from infection but fearful for a lifetime. And raising a confident friendly dog that may have a slightly raised risk of getting sick.
So should you take your puppy out before their shots are complete? In my view you should. But I cannot promise you that this is entirely without risk.
I can tell you that life with a fearful dog is extremely challenging.
And I can share my view that socializing your puppy is especially important for owners of larger breed dogs. Or breeds prone to aloofness or unfriendliness. Or where guarding behavior is a feature of their temperament. And with breeds that feature prominently in dog bite statistics, such as Rottweilers, Pitbull Terriers, and German Shepherd Dogs.
Most dogs have the potential to be confident and safe companions if socialized fully and it’s my belief that as puppy owners we have a duty to play our part in this equation.
Thanks to vaccination, puppy diseases are much rarer than they used to be. Talk to your veterinarian to make sure there have not been any outbreaks in your area. Then get your puppy out and about meeting new people, riding in cars, on buses and trains.
Remember that immunity is not achieved on the day your puppy gets their last shots. It takes a week or more to develop. Until then, avoid the worst risks, unvaccinated dogs, and places where many strange dogs congregate.
And try not to worry, you can only do your best.
Free Training Tips
Get Pippa's free dog training tips delivered to your inbox
Why Puppy Zones Matter (And How To Create Yours)