To Home School or To Doggie School
Written by Pam on January 10, 2015
If you have been reading my blogs, I have been discussing taking your HGT puppy to socialization classes – I just wanted to revisit the pros and cons of these introduction puppy classes.
The ‘pros’
If you have done some research on the doggie school, the instructor and have read about the class offering, I think you will be in good shape. You will have fun by meeting other families that are investing the time, energy and money in developing a trained – well socialized puppy. You, too will learn some good ideas on fun games that instill the good habits in training your puppy.
The ‘cons’
I tend to be overly cautious when it comes to a young puppy and because of the commitment that I have for our HGT pups and families, I always want to make sure you know all the facts I know about doggie school! This is one thing that I want to make sure our aware of prior to enrolling your puppy in socialization class.
First your puppy needs to have all its vaccinations up to the 16th week mark. This will ensure that he has built up the immunities for Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvo, Parainfluenza and Bordetella. Make sure that if you have finished the 16th week vaccinations, that you wait a couple of weeks before starting the class. The caution that I have and it is only my personal concern –because I love my pups and I want them all to learn and become a great canine partners but most importantly I want them to learn in a safe environment.
Second, you need to make sure that the doggie school requires health records on your puppy. Because if they are requiring completed paperwork for your pup, it is mandatory for all puppies that are attending this class to show the same level of vaccinations. My aim is not to scare you but to make sure that you ask the right questions when you enroll your puppy. A good school will insist that you fill out a questionnaire, bring in proof of your pup’s vaccinations to ensure that puppy received all its core vaccinations to the 16th week mark prior to the start of class. I would also suggest that you make sure your puppy has its Bordetella vaccine as well. This is a two part non-core vaccine/inter-nasal that the puppy will need as a preventative for kennel cough which is very VERY contagious. –
The reason for my blog is to make sure that all my HGT families know what to expect from the doggie school and what to do to ensure your pup has safe fun and you have less worries. The concern for me starts when I learn of a family who adopts a puppy from a rescue group in another state or country. There is no way to know what this young pup has experienced alone and there is always the concern that this one pup might have slipped by without the proper vaccinations and this very pup can be a classmate in this socialization class – so I just want to lean on the precautionary side –
Epokku will finish her 16 week vaccinations at the end of this month, so I will not start her socialization classes until February. Play it safe and ask the questions – if the answer you get is vague, enroll your HGT puppy in another doggie school. Enjoy Eps Pics! Cheers, Pam
