OK to take puppy out after two rounds of vaccinations?

[Tiga]

Our puppy has had two rounds of vaccinations and is going to have her third in another two weeks. I've heard mixed reviews on the vaccinations are more important vs. the socialization is more important. I've taken her out several times carrying her in my arms and she rides in the car almost every day, but this weekend we were thinking of taking her to a local beach that we frequent. Is it better to:
A. Not take her
B. Take her and carry her the whole time (she's a big, wriggly girl, this could be tough) or
C. Take her, let her play and then wash her paws
??

I'm curious what everyone's opinion on this is. She will be 14 weeks this weekend. We are hoping to take her literally everywhere with us so we're trying to get her used to going on outings like this. She commutes to work with us every day and goes to my husband's office and loves playing in the backyard. I've brought my sister's dog over to play (older dog, very healthy with all his shots). Now I'd like to take her to the beach. Thoughts?

 

[gmacleod]

I would say take her out, but be concious about what's safe and what is taking an unneccessary risk (and, obviously, avoid the latter ).

Socialisation at this age is extremely important, and cannot be duplicated later. So it of great value for your pup's development to be out and about, exposed to as many different situations/sights/sounds/people as possible.

At the same time, she's not fully protected by her vaccinations yet and her immune system is only just developing. Thus, you should avoid taking her anywhere overly risky. That really means anywhere where strange dogs (dogs you don't KNOW are up to date on all shots and healthy) congregate, and especially where they may defacate. So no dog parks, and avoid places where anyone else is likely to take their dog to toilet. Not surprisingly, one of the riskiest places is actually the vet's office (full of sick animals). LOL - you've still got to go, of course - but that's a candidate case for carrying her.

As for the beach - that's a judgement call only you can make (assuming you know the beach). If it's full of other dogs, I'd say avoid it. But if it's generally a dog-free area, then it probably is a good socialisation opportunity for her.

 

[myboxerbabyz]

I would also avoid pet stores and the such.

 

[BetsyB]

Definitely, take her! Just be careful of other dogs and their poo This is a wonderful time to expose her to as many people, and situations as possible. Just to give you an example...
I know someone who got a Rotty puppy at 7 weeks. She immediately took her to the vet for her puppy shots/worming and first check up. The vet told her to keep the pup at home and away from other dogs and animals until at least 20 weeks, 1 month after her final puppy vaccinations to make sure she didn't get Parvo and other diseases. No matter what I or others told her about how important socialization was, especially during the fear imprinting stage, she refused to expose her baby in anyway to germs. What she ended up with was an extremely fearful 5 month old pup. The dog is afraid of everything and everyone now, so much so that if somebody comes by their house, she goes into freak out mode barking, growling, drooling and banging her head against the door. When she happens to encounter another dog, she looks/sounds like the most vicious dog ever. Now, although months too late, the owner is realizing her mistake, and trying to overcome the dog's fears which lead to her aggressive behavior. She has a very long hard road ahead, which probably could have been avoided had she socialized her dog as a young puppy.

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

I think it depends on your area, do you have high cases of parvo this time of year in your area? In MY area there is NO WAY I would let a pup that young out and about first off due to the Valley Fever threat (which is always there but is higher this time of year) they just don't have the immune system to fight it off that early so outside time is majorally limited, secondly parvo runs absolutely rampant in my area (and I mean like good luck getting a vet appointment because they are absolutely slammed with parvo cases) between April and the end of July for the most part, so again for us, it was safer between Parvo and Valley Fever to keep him inside as much as possible until he was older. It just depends on your area IMO on which is more important and what the risk factors are in that particular area.