Newborn puppies are heart-melting, adorable little bundles of joy that you can’t help but want to have them outside so you can show them off to your friends. However, their immature systems of immunity demand that they remain with their mother safe and sound for quite some time. It is therefore very important to know when your puppies can go outside.
Your Puppy’s Mother Knows Better
Regardless of the species, separating a mother from their newborns has never been a brilliant idea. When it comes to your dog and her new brood, for the first for weeks of life, she is fundamentally all your puppy needs. The little puppies are born deaf and blind and can hardly make any movement except to squirm about to nurse.
Moreover, the puppies snuggle with their mother to keep them toasty and warm because they are not able to maintain their body temperature. However, if the mother to your puppies is cool with it, you can snuggle with them periodically, but it is critical that they stay with their mother for the first 30 days of their life.
Excretion Time
During the first few days, the mother to the puppies encourages them to excrete by licking their nether-regions. The puppies should start having the short and long calls on their own after four weeks without their mother's tongue for encouragement. For the puppies to do their duty every day, you should start to house train them at this time.
After the puppies gain control of this body function, you can take the puppy in and out as often because puppy’s bladders are not very big. The antibodies the puppies receive from their mother’s milk can help them keep disease free and healthy although it is not foolproof and for this reason, you should maintain the trips outside very short. The puppies are left very susceptible to all infections and illnesses from the outside world as their immune systems have not yet matured.
When To Take Your Puppies Out To Play?
For pretty much their whole life, your puppies will not be shut inside the house or even indoors. The little ones can start visiting the vet for their vaccinations by the time they are six weeks old which will be an ideal time for them to go out. At around four weeks old, most puppies wean from their mother which means that they start to loses those necessary anti-bodies that they acquire from their mother’s breast milk.
Your puppy should have the green light to socialize with other dogs and go to the park by the time they are 12 weeks old, and you will not have the fear that they will contract or spread any diseases.
How To Avoid Infections When Taking Your Puppies Out
Puppies are very vulnerable to many infections before they are vaccinated. Most prominent examples include adenovirus, canine parvovirus, distemper, kennel cough, and rabies. Your puppy will be prevented from these diseases by vaccinations, but until they have had them, they will be at risk of contracting them.
All these diseases have a fatal capability on the health of your puppy. Avoiding other animals and other dogs may not be enough to protect your puppy. This is because many diseases are spread via infected animals, feces or parasites that can live off-host. All it takes for your puppy to be infected or contract some illness is going to places where other dogs or animals have been.
Precautions To Take When Taking Your Unvaccinated Puppy Outside
- Never allow your puppy to pick anything using its mouth.
- Don’t let it run up to an unknown dog.
- Avoid contact with long grass and damp areas.
Socialize Your Puppy With Other Puppies/Dogs
Puppies need to learn to become comfortable with other dogs just as they need to get to socialize with people. You can get your puppy to do some in-home socializing which will be perfect for it. It is imperative that any dog that comes into contact with your puppy meets the following qualifications:
- It must have completed all vaccinations.
- The dog must not have made any recent visits to the vet or dog park as they are too many parasites and germs lurking in those areas.
- The owner of the dog must fully understand puppy socialization.
- The dog must have an appropriate size which is about the size of your puppy. Another puppy could do.
- It should be controllable and fully trained.
Your Puppy Outdoors
You will be free to explore the wide open spaces of nature once your puppy has had its full course of vaccination. However, it is also a practical or good idea to keep your puppy inside till its 16 weeks old. Moreover, you will have to get a way to socialize your puppy if you are not lucky enough to have a wide circle of family and friends to prepare your puppy for life.
Make Use Of Your Backyard When Taking Your Puppy Outside
If you have a relatively dog-free neighborhood, your yard may be perfect for short expeditions. This is if you don’t have any plans to back onto a forest or any other natural environment. As many parasites love to stay in the shade, stick to the sunny areas of the yard.
Keep off the fence as this is the place where various deposits are left by wild animals as they tunnel their way in and out of the yard or trespass across fence tops.
Try a bit of leash training while in the backyard and try as much as possible to keep the visits brief. Using a leash will not only allow you to control where your puppy goes in the yard but also to get it used to a collar and lead.
Conclusion
You will soon be wondering who replaced your little explorer to a big bundle of love and energy because puppy stages pass very quickly. As much as you can, try to get time for this is a critical step in your dog’s life. Your puppy is counting on you to teach it to interact socially and properly with other people and other dogs.
It is important to fully embrace the opportunity and have fun with your little pooch. A few days or months of effort will result in a lifetime of pleasure for both of you.
The following are guidelines in general for puppy socialization:
- Read your puppy’s reactions.
- Progress stage by stage.
- Limit your puppy’s exposure.
- Always supervise the interactions.
If you have any questions or suggestions about this article, leave it in the comments section. Don’t be forget to share this article with your friends and family if you’ve found it useful.
