Hi. We have phoned up a puppy class for our new wheaten terrier. they sound lovely, and have a maximum of 6 pups in each class. £57 for the course. Mollie is having her 1st set of vaccinations tomorrow, and the puppy class people say it os ok for her to come for the classes before her 2nd vaccination. is this ok and safe with other dogs around?i dont want her to catch anything from the other dogs... thanks

ps- any tips on how to make your dog like grooming?

what age did your pups go to puppy class? did you sing a contract saying your puppy had their vaccinations?? the class i am thinking of going to does not ask people if their dogs have ANY vaccinations.

hi emma, jim takes amy to puppy class she did not go till a week after her second jag he took the puppy vaccine record card with him. Tomorrow night amy will have been going for 4wks. They both seem to enjoy the class so i hope you enjoy yours when you start.Sorry no tips about grooming for you think puppies are just full of nonsense at this stage I will watch to see the tips about grooming on your post

Jean

Hi,
I took my pup to classes as soon as she had her 1st vaccination. As long as she is carried to and from the class it is more or less safe. All the dogs have had their vaccinations (or at least their 1st ones, and if they haven't been outside they are unlikely to be in contact with anything.) Someone once mentioned that people could bring the diseases in on their shoes, but i believe that the 1st vaccination is going to provide some cover, otherwise it must be slightly pointless. (i'm not a vet so you can correct me if i am wrong, but if they had no immunity then they would be at risk at home and in the garden - i could carry the diseases on my shoes too!) IMO anyone who is responsible enough to attend puppy classes will get their dogs vaccinated. I would've thought that the type of person who doesn't vaccinate is unlikely to pay for trainig classes too.
Although i wouldn't reccommend it, i know someone wo stupidly took their dog out walking down the highstreet and into a pet shop before they had even had the injections, and he was fine... but i wouldn't risk that myself, but a puppy class should be safer! (Thankfully he is no longer with that owner any more - and no he didn't go to puppy class either!!) IMHO i think the earlier the dog starts to socialise and basic trianing with distractions the better. Sorry i am starting to waffle (Late night last night).

Have you tried holding a treat on the pups nose whilst you run the brush over pup? You could try holding the treat on pups nose to distract him whilst you run the brush over once and give them the treat and then repeat. All pups are a bit wriggly to start with but they eventually calm down and accept it.

Hi there, our local vets hold a puppy class which you can take your pup the 4 days after they have had their first injection. They say that this gives them time to build up some protection from the injections into their body. However, they do disinfect the floor thoroughly before the class so that it minimises the chance of them picking up anything. They don't recommend going to a training class which is held elsewhere (ie in halls etc where other dogs may have been) until after the 2nd set of injections.

HTH

ps - The vets did ask when the pups had their first injection, but they didnt need proof or require anything to be signed

hi there
do you have a groom table? if not an old table to put him on with a non slip top. if you put him up high he will learn that when he gose up there its time for grooming.
Get somone to hold and tell him hes a good boy and lots of tip bits. try do this every day but if he get stressed stop and try later on.
ps sorry about spelling

Your puppy class sounds good - a limit on numbers etc means each owner gets maximun attention and problems can be discussed etc :) One of the signs of a good class is to limit numbers.

I know of one trainer who uses a Britney Spears type microphone to teach her classes as she has so many the ones at the back can't hear her! :rolleyes:

I took my pup to classes before her second vacc; i thought a lot about it but feel is is safe. Esp when you consider that many dogs who are put to sleep are pts because of behavioural problems such as dog dog aggression ....... the sooner a pup is socialised etc the better all round! JMHO :)

Lindsay

My dogs go out in public on the floor and to classes before their final injections; IMHO the risk from undersocialisation is far greater than undervaccination :) But you must make the decision you think best for your dog in your area.

Be advised by your vet, not your puppy class tutor - the vet knows the figures for imunity for the vaccination he used and the age of your puppy - a responsible puppy class tutor would also know that...

Better safe than sorry - I would wait a week after the second jab.

A major formative period for puppies' socialisation is 11 to 16 weeks old, so as long as you're getting your pup out and about before the end of that period, you should be OK.

'Training' as such can begin a little later - say 4 ½ to 5 months, but you do need to socialise th pup with other dogs of various breeds and sizes as early as possible.

You will hear many things from many people and there are all sorts of ways to rear a pup - above all, apply common sense. If you aren't happy with what someone tells you, question it, listen to the answers and make your own decision.

Hi Saffy, I take Diesel to puppy classes, this week will be his third. We had to take along his vaccination record card, but there are quite a few in the class, about 14 I think Margaret, the trainer is very good, and she also includes her dogs in the sessions. Although, I would prefer the class to be smaller, that way you would get more one-to-one attention, but she does try to include every puppy that's in the class, and make sure that they're doing whatever it may be - correctly :)
Although, she does stress that this is mainly a socialisation class, and that we can't expect miracles in the early days :), that proper 'training' can take place later.
Sharon
X

I started taking my staff to socialisation classes after his first injection. The hall was dissinfected and i guess they just rely on the responsibility of the owners and trust they've had their first jab. He started his obedience class with 5 other pups 10 days after his last injection, when he was fully immunised and i had to show proof of that to the trainer. The best thing to do is use a reputable training school, we used witsend which are based at Soham and Leister i think. If in a great deal of doubt just ask your vet as he knows how much protection you pup has.