Last shot and socialization

[Rodz.a2]

Hello Adrienne,

 

First, I want to say thank you for everything you have in this website every single word you write is pure gold, how you easily breaking down and explain the perspective of the different kind of behavior is just wonderful for my point of view(as a medical student)

 

I have a 14w border collie who get the last shot with rabies today, the vet told me that it's better to wait 2 weeks for take him outside. At 16w ”close” the main socialization period and I really need him to meet, hear, sniff, lick, bite...etc everything before that window ”close”. What is your opinion about that?

 

I live in an apartment with a rooftop which is the designated potty area and playtime. Inside the house he is in the crate with a playpen connected and a camera for prevent unwanted self reinforcing behaviors like barking, bite the pen or himself. Before every meal(3t/d) I make a little training session around the house and I serve the food in 2 kongs, one wraps inside of a shirt or towels, always make him work for his food. I also implement some of your tricks when he comes with the intention of nipping my feet and is working but also he is a really really amazing intelligent dog and like to anticipate the sit and down ( always before feed him). I know the most important thing is consistency but any direction, recommendation, advise would be really appreciated ( first time owner)

 

Thank you

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello, and welcome to the forums!

Great to hear your puppy is doing well and responding to all the training you are implementing!

 

I understand your concerns about socializing your puppy as they are very valid. Fortunately, there are several ways to allow this while keeping your puppy as safe as possible from infectious diseases. One great option is to have trusted people come over to socialize with the puppy. Veterinarian, animal behaviorist, and dog trainer Ian Dunbar calls these "puppy parties." As an extra precaution (parvovirus can be transmitted by fomites), it helps to ask that all guests remove their shoes before entering the home and that the shoes remain outside in an area not accessible to the pup. Dr. Dunbar suggests holding these parties four nights a week, making sure the pup gets to meet a variety of people (children, men, women, elderly and strangers) who gently handle and train the puppy (use tasty treats!).

 

Another option is to enroll the puppy is puppy classes. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior's position statement on socialization emphasizes the importance of socializing puppies and provides tips on how to find puppy classes run by experts who take steps in minimizing the chances for spread of infectious diseases (all pups must be up-to-date on vaccinations and the floors must be properly cleaned and sanitized). You can find AVSAB's position statement here:

https://avsab.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Puppy_Socialization_Position_Statement_Download_-_10-3-14.pdf

If you have any questions or concerns discuss these with the professionals running the puppy classes and then check back with your vet to play it safe.

 

It sounds like you are doing very well with training your pup. These dogs are super smart, workaholics so they thrive on lots of brain games and training. Exercise of course is important as well, but you need to be careful with puppies doing high-impact exercise on hard surfaces such as jogging with the dog on concrete or excessive jumping before the growth plates have closed (ask your vet about this as every dog has different timelines)

 

Just as a head's up, be ready to have a very, very busy dog, (especially when young), who might very well get into all kinds of creative trouble if not provided with enough outlets for their pent up energy and mental stimulation needs. If you work during the day, it's important to provide mental stimulation, training and exercise before and after going to work. If you are at home most of the day, your pup is very lucky as you can provide all these in several sessions throughout the day.

 

Here are some extra tips that may come handy:

 

-Border collies thrive when they are given directions. Ask your border collie to perform desirable behaviors such as eye contact, sit, stay, heel, lie down, come or even tricks using valuable rewards to reinforce those behaviors. Mix and match these commands so not to bore your dog. The obedience 101 course has guides on how to train these.

-Use your training to redirect your border collie's chasing/herding instincts. Ask your border to make eye contact with you and heel when there are distractions. Ask your border collie to sit when there are cars passing by. Ask your border collie to lie down and stay when a cat is crossing the road. Reinforce with valuable rewards (treats, toys, a game of tug or play with a flirt pole).

-If your border collie has a hard time focusing, it means that he hasn't been trained yet for that level of distractions and is over threshold. Increase distance from the stimulus and find that sweet spot where your border collie is better under control. Practice at this level of difficulty before moving to more challenging levels.

-Some border collies may enjoy playing with other dogs as puppies, but then as they start maturing they get more discriminative over who to befriend. Some just aren't comfortable mingling and wrestling with unknown dogs and do better with a few well-known friends.

-As soon as the vet gives you the OK (growth plates have closed) enroll your border collie in some fun canine sports. In particular, herding trials are great as border collies get to do what they were bred for, but if there are no sheep in your area, the sport of Treibball (where dogs get to herd large balls) can be equally satisfying. Other fun sports include Flyball, disc dog, dock diving and canine musical freestyle.

 

Let me know if you have any particular questions or concerns. Happy training!

Best,

Adrienne