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Puppy Socialization During a Pandemic Puppies are supposed to meet a lot of people and go a lot of places during their first year, in order to be properly socialized. This has been worrying me a lot. Jax, given his poor start in life followed by the pandemic (stay at home orders, social distancing, etc) has missed out on a lot of socialization. I don’t know how to address this problem, since my area is still a virus hot spot and since I’m in a higher risk group (seniors). What are people doing to socialize puppies without exposing themselves, more than necessary, to the virus? Is it going to be too late to fix the damage by the time we get past the pandemic? |
Although Ollie is 2 I am massively worried about all the pet events that we normally go to that all got canceled because they were very important to his confidence building and he hasn’t been to one since last year so I’m concerned we might have had some regression. Honestly the only idea I have is work on building his confidence with training. Wish I could be more help. |
From my readings, this Pandemic can be as long as 18 months to two years long. A vaccine is not expected before 2021, depending on Jax's personality, if he is a friendly, happy puppy socializing him after this Pandemic should not be an issue, the most concern is socializing with other dogs, the longer he's not near other dogs can be a problem, again, it all depends on the dog's personality. Sadly, it's going to have to be a "wait and see". |
Tyrone and Gus are happy little boys...both four years old. Until February, they had an older brother, Beau. Beau was a barely four pound little poodle who was thirteen when he left us. Because he was so frail toward the last two years of his life, Ty and Gus did not take many walks, nor see other people or dogs, as much as we would have otherwise exposed them to (Beau could not keep up, and we did not want to leave him alone). We have worked hard on socializing both boys now that they are a pack of two, and I am pleased to report that they no longer pull on their leashes, bark, or even take notice of others when we are out. They have always been happy, friendly little boys, but now I can truly say that they are polite and well-behaved members of the community. If they can be open to training at four, I am sure that your little one will be fine. Work on making him happy and confident within your family now, and be patient and persistent with socializing when things return to a more normal time. Good luck, you will be fine! |
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The only other dog that he is allowed to be with is our next door friend's small maltipoo. She is sweet, and the three of them play together on our screened lanai. We were careful at first because they have been playing since they were puppies, but now they play and scamper around the gardens while we visit with our friends. After the pandemic clears we plan to invite a few other small dogs who have recently moved into the neighborhood to join in for puppy playdates. They are fine meeting other dogs on leashes while we are out (sniffing, etc.), or travelling to dog-friendly hotels, but I do not feel comfortable taking them to dog parks, etc. where they would be off leash. |
Because my guy is not in the car as often as before the Pandemic, its groomer visits only. So, I take him to the drive through bank, I don't get door to door mail, we have cluster mail boxes at the entrance to the community, I take him with me just to collect the mail several times a week. We entered the first phase of reopening about 2 weeks ago, I needed several things at Riteaid which is never crowed, I took him with me, I always put him in the baby seat of the cart. I take him for these short trips so he knows every time he gets in the car it's not for a bad thing. You can take Jax for a short ride in the car, walks are ok if you don't live in a metropolitan city where there are crowds of ppl. Early morning walks are nice, grass is damp and hold interesting smells for pups. If there is a park near or close to you that is not overly populated take Jax there, but always take a mask with you for "just in case". |
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I bought a car seat basket for Gidget. It hooks over the front seat head rest. I adjusted it so she is almost even with the bottom of the window. She can lay down or stand up with her paws on the edge and see everything outside. Sometimes, we just go for a ride so she can see people in other cars, people walking etc. I live in an apartment building and the inside hallway goes all around the floor (only 1 floor). When I take her out for a walk there is always someone in the lobby who stops and talks to her, pets her and plays. Not as social as before but still in contact with people. |
Forgot to tell you. It's from Amazon -- PetSafe Happy Ride Booster Seat around $22.00. |
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That fixed the car sickness. Cody is petrified of the vet, and hates the groomer lol and reason I take him for short car trips. I would never suggest letting a dog have free roam in a car let alone a puppy. My now 4 passed girls were never crated, they were leashed in the back passenger seat. I never knew about booster seats until I joined YT. It was just a suggestion for ways to get Jax out of the house while we wait out this Pandemic. |
I hadn’t considered a booster seat. I will have to look at how easy/difficult it would be to disengage & re-engage the air bag on the front passenger side of my vehicle. I know air bags, in general, are very sensitive and can deploy in minor accidents — and the force of an air bag could easily kill a small dog in a booster seat. The possibility of an accident is one reason I always crate animals in my vehicle. |
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I agree crating is very safe, but not enjoyable for the pup. Before the Pandemic I was out and about often always taking my side kick with me, he rides shoot gun lol and he loves being in the car even if he doesn't always get out of it. |
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Thanks for the input! My vehicle is older, so I’ll have to check the manual to see the specs on the air bags. Being crated in the vehicle, I know, isn’t any fun for a dog ... but I guess my perspective has been influenced by volunteering in rescue for years. So many dogs are lost, killed or injured in vehicle accidents, and being in a crate is the best protection against those outcomes. Still, and especially during a pandemic, sometimes one has to compromise. |
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Cody is a rescue, I got him when he was 2 1/2 years old, he cannot be crated. His prev. owner had him crated 10 hours a day while they were at work. Now if he goes in a crate he bites at it, my groomer has him in for her last appt. so he is not crated and I am always back 20 minutes before he is finished. My groomer is concerned he will break his teeth. I adopted him through my vet, he needed major surgery shortly after I adopted him, the techs told me how bad he was, so crating while traveling is out of the question for me. |
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