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Originally Posted by alaskayorkie  To play it safe, I agree with Nancy. My breeder said much the same thing.
That said, I bent the rules with Jillie for one main reason: I think those first weeks of a dog's life are incredibly important for socialization, and you should be doing everything you can in those weeks to expose your dog to people, places, things and other animals. I didn't take a public class that young, but I did take her to meetups with a handful of friends. I knew them well and I knew their dogs well. We met at a location I deemed safe from exposure to other dogs who might have a disease.
It was a risk, and my breeder wasn't happy with me, but the risk paid off. I have a terrifically social 4 1/2 pound Yorkie. If she'd been exposed to a disease, I would likely be singing a different tune, but in my case the risk was worth the reward. |
I would do something similar to Mike's experience. I have a great group of friends I meet up with that have social well behaved dogs. Those are the dogs I would expose my new puppy too, and in a place I deem safe. (my house, my friend's house etc)
I wouldn't expose my pup to a public class before all shoots are done. While I wait for full immunity, I'd be working on the ground rules I have for my home, and some basic obedience/simple tricks. This is just my opinion of course, and this is what I would be comfortable doing.