If you've just welcomed a puppy into your home, you're probably looking forward to taking him out for a walk right away, showing him off to everyone and letting him play with other dogs, but this is dangerous, since without the protection of the vaccines he could get sick.
In other cases, there are owners who take extreme care and keep their puppy at home, separating it from the world, until the vaccination period is over, and this is not entirely positive either, because it harms socialization of the animal. So, the question that inevitably comes to mind is: " Can I take my puppy outside without vaccinations?". In this article on our site we give you some tips.
From which vaccine can the puppy be taken out?
A long time ago it used to be said that it was not good to take puppies out into the street until they had completed their vaccination schedulea, that is, until they had received the last puppy vaccine, because they were not protected against diseases and could be contagious. This is partly true, since without the protection offered by vaccines they can catch some diseases, but it leaves out a fundamental fact: the importance of the puppy's socialization stage
The socialization stage, in general, goes from one month to three months of life of dogs, so it largely coincides with the period in which the animal receives vaccines. In it, the puppy learns the behaviors of the canine species and establishes relationships with the environment. That is, he begins to get to know the world around him and the people, objects and animals in it.
Poor socialization can cause, among other things, fears and phobias. This is because, as has been said, in the socialization stage is when he begins to discover things like cars, motorcycles, other dogs, children, people of different races, etc. In this way, it is very convenient for him to assimilate them so that later, as an adult, he does not recognize them as something strange and harmful to fear. Therefore, it is beneficial to go outside in that period for the future mental he alth of the animal, and the fact that a dog has not finished its calendar of vaccines does not mean that you should become a "bubble dog", isolated from the world. In this way, we see how it is not necessary to wait for a specific vaccine to start taking the puppy out on the street. Of course, extreme precautions must be taken to prevent it from contracting diseases that can be fatal, such as canine parvovirus.
How to take my puppy out without vaccinating?
As we have seen, it is not positive to isolate the dog at this stage and it is extremely dangerous to let it wander uncontrollably, so it is convenient to opt for a middle ground. In other words, the answer to the question of whether you can take your puppy out without vaccinations is yes, but carefully.
Then it might be advisable to avoid contact of the puppy with other dogs, if you are not absolutely sure that they are he althy and properly vaccinated. Likewise, the little one should not be in contact with urine or stools of other animals. To achieve this, you can take short intermittent walks, since it is not necessary to do it every day, two or three times a week is enough. During these walks with the unvaccinated puppy, you should avoid places that could be a source of contagion of diseases, such as puddles, areas with stagnant water or mudflats, as well as corners or areas where other dogs may have urinated or defecated. In short, just let him walk around and sniff around areas that appear to be clean.
On the other hand, even though there is no dirt in the area, it is recommended to prevent the animal from licking the floor or any other surface, correcting it when it does so, and even better, when it goes to do. You can also carry the puppy in your arms, although it should not be abused because it can end up causing an excessive attachment of the animal to its owner. In this sense, in most animal accessory stores, and even on the Internet, they sell a kind of backpack in which the animal can be placed, making the task more comfortable. Another totally valid option is to carry him in your arms to the clean place where we will let him down.
It is also not necessary to lock the animal in a room when we receive visits from people and other dogs, or ask our friends or relatives that they do not come to our house thinking that they could infect the puppy. Of course, we must always be sure that these animals are properly vaccinated and dewormed, and we should also prevent visitors from touching the puppy with dirty hands.
And after the last vaccination, when can he go out?
Once the vaccination schedule is finished, the puppy can start going outside without restrictions, interacting with other dogs, sniffing and discovering new environments. Likewise, we can now begin to educate him for this purpose, first accustoming him to the use of the collar and leash. To do this, we recommend consulting our article on "How to walk your puppy on a leash for the first time".
On the other hand, keep in mind that his education is not only based on socialization and walking correctly, it is also important to work with him on bite inhibition, basic commands, rules of coexistence, etc.., in order to improve the bond between the two and keep the animal's mind always stimulated. Check out our article on "When to start training a puppy" to find out what to teach him at each of his stages.
