I have had my lab puppy for 2 days. She s 8 weeks old and things are going well but I have 4 questions
1 Can she mix with other dogs whose vaccinations are current even though she's only had her first?
2 She's got quite runny poos, but is eating and drinking well. I have stuck to the food that the breeder gave her and haven t given her anything else. Is that anything to worry about? She had her first vaccination on Monday.
3 What can I use as treats? I don t want to upset her tummy and I bought some 'schmackos' but I phoned pedigree dog food and they're not suitable till 7 months. I want to start doing some little bits of training with her when she's settled down, and also for toilet training.
4 She really frightened of cars/buses/loud noises. I take her to the gate for 5 mins morning and afternoon ( in my arms). Am I doing the right thing?
Thanks for in put
Jane

Jane give me a ring tomorrow and will have a talk through this.

1) I always tell my new pup owners to allow their pup to mix with other dogs, so long as they know they are fit and healthy, up to date with vaccinations and that they are meeting on 'safe' ground, ie a garden where unknown dogs don't have access. Very important that she continues with the dog-dog socialisation.

2) Shouldn't worry about the runny poos, unless she shows signs of being unwell. There are a lot of changes to her life at the moment, including water (a change in water can be a very big cause of runny poos) so it's quite natural for her to have a bit of a dodgy tum at the moment. Please do not change the food your breeder has recommended (unless it's out and out rubbish), that's the first thing many people do. The food has suited her at the breeder for all this time, it's not going to suddenly upset her in your house ;-)

3) For goodness sake don't buy treats to give her for training ... mostly highly processed junk. Yuk, yuk, yuk! I'd use some of her puppy food from her daily allowance and fresh meats, cooked or raw, depending on what you're feeding her with. Forget the Pedigree c*** though :-( ... If you get her playing with a favourite toy, a tuggy say (my preferred interactive toy), then this is perfect, specially for recall training and reward for toiletting in the correct place. I never use food for these. Depends on you and your dog though.

4) You could buy yourself a noise desensitisation CD - obviously not been used by your breeder. I play one of these from the moment the pup's ears open, very quietly. By the time they're 8 weeks they're listening to it at full volume and couldn't give a hoot. I've done this with a pup I got at 10 weeks of age, he went on to be a very rock solid with noises search and rescue dog :-D

This is the CD I use:
http://www.companyofanimals.co.uk/products/clix/clix-puppy/clix-noises-and-sounds-cd

If you are willing to do it, it is very effective. Must be done every day, twice a day. Start off at a volume you can barely hear, play for a few days then increase the volume very slightly. You're looking at being at full volume after 6-8 weeks.

Taking her into a village/town and sitting on a bench watching the world go by is also very good. If she's frightened start off somewhere a bit quieter. Supermarket car parks are excellent, specially if she's bothered by cars. She can watch them pull up and then for the nice people inside of them get out and make a lovely fuss of her. A little bit at a time and often. Remember, all experiences must be positive at this age ... just build things up, and exposure to more and more things gradually, never out face her.

Good luck with her, there's so much fun with pups of this age. :-D

I'll just answer 4 - if the breeder did not take the pups out where there was noise and traffic she is bound to be scared, take it easy and she will become more confident but don't sympathise or rush her.

I shall only answer question 1
For me the answer if deffinately not...apart from mixing with my own dogs, any new puppy goes nowhere until its a week past its 2nd jabs. We have always done it this way & I am not one to tempt fate. Our puppies are very well socialised, once this week is passed, going to all sorts of places.
I know others take pups out, even before the 1st jab but its not for me!!!

1  Yes although I prefer to do it in a controlled situation and on 'safe' ground for example, your home, their home or a puppy training event (under supervision and with other vaccinated or part vaccinated pups).  Don't go on the ground in high dog traffic areas or mix with dogs fresh from such places.

2  This might be caused by a change in water or possibly over feeding.  Have a chat with your breeder though and double check your portion amounts

3  Puppy training usually requires treats and too many can cause also cause a loose tummy but you generally have to weigh up the pros and cons.  I do like to train with treats so I try and calculate them in to the daily food allowances and I use a mixture of dry basic biscuits, as well as a few much more interesting ones such as ham, liver, chicken, cheese and sausage.  Make sure they are tiny pea sized treats though

4  I'm not sure you can blame the breeder - noises and experiences the litter had got used to in one environment are simply different elsewhere.  Different CD of noises, different road surfaces, closer proximity, your reactions, amount of echo etc can all affect the volume and air movement and provoke a different response.  Are you walking to your gate?  Presumably she could be on the floor on the lead?  Holding her whilst she actively watches for the thing that makes the noise might not be the best option - I like to have the pup doing something whilst all this is going on so I take a few toys or do a bit of training near to the source of the noise but not too close.  If you get a high response just relocate to a slightly quieter spot for a while and only move closer when she seems comfortable.

Hi Jane.  I run puppy classes and am an APDT listed trainer.

1) Yes, if you know that the other dogs have had their vaccinations.  But the issue is where to do this, since you don't want to put her down on the ground in a public place where other dogs may have toileted.  My suggestion is either your garden, or the garden of the other owner.  Remember that there is much you can do for her at this time, including carrying her around everywhere and putting her in a shoulder bag so she can experience the world without going on the ground.  If she is a bit timid, ask the owner of the other dog to put their dog on the lead for the meeting, so the puppy feels free to get away if scared.

2)  Sometimes stress can cause runny poos and sometimes even the change of drinking water can cause it.  You've only had her 2 days so it's a bit too soon to be thinking about changing her food - let her settle in for a week or 10 days first. 

3)  The best things to use as treats are not pet shop bought treats.  These are over-processed and often contain all kinds of nasty additives.  Given her runny poo especially, I'd suggest you use chicken - either chicken slices (sandwich meat) or you can cook up some chicken and freeze it if you have extra.  You could also use fish - sardines or mackerel.  You want to use something simple which is only one ingredient.

4)  Yes, you are doing the right thing to expose her to what she is afraid of, but it needs to be done in a manageable way or you could terrify her and sensitise her even more to it.  I don't know what your garden gate looks onto and how loud it is there...  If you can go somewhere where the scary noise is a bit further off, to begin with, that would be best.  Don't forget to get her used to travel in the car at this age too.  In fact, there's loads to be getting on with - but take it at your puppy's pace and back off anything she shows signs of fear of - don't encourage her to interact with something she is scared of, but move away until she is less scared and expose her to that reduced level of it.  When she has settled in with you, your presence and her having a familiar home to come back to, will help her to feel more confident and to approach the world with that confidence.

Thanks for all your advice folks. Much appreciated.

Mine have the radio on from birth onward, pretty much all the time, as well as other socialisation.