Early Socialization vs. Disease Risk

Gypsy Wolf · 28-02-2010, 01:53

Hi all,
My CsV, Luna, is 9 weeks old and due for her next set of vaccinations soon. I know this 8-12 week period in puppy development is critical for socialization - but it also risky as their immunity may not be up to par for some of the common dog diseases (such as Parvo or Distemper). Coming from Malinois and Euro GSD, I would rather risk exposure to disease and hope her immunity is OK, and make sure she is socialized appropriately - as opposed to keeping her isolated until her vaccinations are complete but now I have missed the socialization "window" and end up with a poorly socialized dog. Temperament and character are both genetic as well as environmental, and exposure to various stimuli at the right developmental periods is important to the proper development of the dog's personality.
Does anyone have opinions one way or the other and why? Have other CsV owners had bad experiences with isolation or with exposure to disease? I know I have heard horror stories of Parvo wiping out entire litters, but I have also seen my share of spooky dogs that were not exposed to other environments at the appropriate times and are permanently "damaged" and have difficulty adapting.
Look forward to hearing from you all.

28-02-2010, 01:53	#1
Gypsy Wolf Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Florida & Minnesota U.S. Posts: 252	Early Socialization vs. Disease Risk Hi all, My CsV, Luna, is 9 weeks old and due for her next set of vaccinations soon. I know this 8-12 week period in puppy development is critical for socialization - but it also risky as their immunity may not be up to par for some of the common dog diseases (such as Parvo or Distemper). Coming from Malinois and Euro GSD, I would rather risk exposure to disease and hope her immunity is OK, and make sure she is socialized appropriately - as opposed to keeping her isolated until her vaccinations are complete but now I have missed the socialization "window" and end up with a poorly socialized dog. Temperament and character are both genetic as well as environmental, and exposure to various stimuli at the right developmental periods is important to the proper development of the dog's personality. Does anyone have opinions one way or the other and why? Have other CsV owners had bad experiences with isolation or with exposure to disease? I know I have heard horror stories of Parvo wiping out entire litters, but I have also seen my share of spooky dogs that were not exposed to other environments at the appropriate times and are permanently "damaged" and have difficulty adapting. Look forward to hearing from you all.