The longest week when you've got a puppy is the week after they've had their second jab, and you can't take them out!

But you can still take them around - just carry them and hang out on park benches! Plenty of people will come and say hello if you've got a cute puppy with you. It all adds to their socialisation.

Ahh, it was THE LONGEST week of my life. I must have walked Nando's legs off up and down our garden getting him used to lead training!

Chatsworth, I couldn't agree more!!!! It's all very well saying you can sit with them on a park bench. I defy anyone to be able to sit with my puppy on a park bench unless they've sedated her first. And I have three older dogs who are missing their weekly 6 mile ramble through the woods and swims because we can't leave the baby.

And my vet says it's 10 days after the second vaccination...

My pups too heavy for me to carry around........even the OH struggles!

We're lucky in the fact that she's reasonably quiet and gets some excersise playing with the others!  I just want to get her out and about.

She was 11 weeks when we brought her home her so time is passing on those important first weeks.

Hope the baby is not going on 6 mile hikes when you take her out !!! Even when her jabs are sorted she will  need small walks to start with.
Aileen

That's the week we go to training class for the first time. :)

That's what we did after our second jabs, ten weeks old she was on the mats! Didn't take her mother until she was about 5 months and deeply regretted it so I get in early now.

I love them at such a young age though, everything is so incredible to them. All over too soon.

> It's all very well saying you can sit with them on a park bench. I defy anyone to be able to sit with my puppy on a park bench unless they've sedated her first.

Oh dear, poor you. I guess some puppies are more excitable than others.

To the OP - our large breed pups are usually 10k+ at 8 weeks and rising which makes them a bit of an armful, but we take them around anyway. I like to get them acclimatised to all kinds of different situations in their early weeks. I include training classes, (sitting on my knee, not taking part to start with). We only stay for a short while but they get to meet lots of new people and can see other dogs. Otherwise they get carried down to the main road where they can see and hear traffic, short trips in the car in their crate with a little carry at the end and a sit down for a rest (essential for handler!!) before driving back. Garden centres are great too for early socialisation. But your arms may well feel like they're dropping off by the end of it.  Our Toy breed is much easier :-)

Anyway, good luck, I'm sure you will do what you can and the time will soon pass, even if it doesn't seem like it!

LOL Merlot, she will be going on a five minute walk!!! I keep doing this to myself every time I get a puppy...and have wistful memories of summers when I used to do the three peaks every other weekend.

My dog walker got a pram from Freecycle and would take her puppy out in this! Great because she was a big breed puppy and couldn't be carried but still got all that socialisation!

I have a sling which comes in 3 sizes[got it from Canine Concepts, made by Outward Hound], I got the medium one so initially I can get  3 pups in it to take out and about safely to meet lots of folk and scary things like cars and buses etc., also sat on a bench by the local junior school at chucking out time as we have no small kids in our family any more.

Use the time to get the leash training done,initially in the house[ nothing worse than seeing a terrified pup at the end of a leash as the owners try taking it for a walk for the first time having not done any prep before hand], then the garden before venturing farther afield, remembering the 5 mins X age in monthe per day.

Puppyhood lasts for such a short time so enjoy.

Three of us pushed our pups around town in an abandoned supermarket trolley we found in the car park. Worked a treat.

> My pups too heavy for me to carry around

I plonked mine, on his fleece, in a trolley at the garden centre.  We cruised around indoors and out and all went swimmingly til the day he pee'd at the checkout - it would have been fine if my daughter hadn't announced it in a stage whisper that could be heard 3 miles away!!

we always take new puppies that cant yet go down to the park bench as already mentioned , we also take them to our local tesco hubby usually stands outside while I do a little shop then we hang about outside for a short while ... lots going on  many people fussing , cars, children running about, unusual noises plus a short car ride ...has certainly worked for us as all our dogs have turned out to be very friendly socialble adults. :)

Hubby calls them his babe magnet... such dont know what he means ;)

Good luck