Apartment living: How to safely exercise my unvaccinated puppy?

Hi! How exciting! And yes, they do need lot's of exercise. I would avoid places where he can encounter other dogs, especially puppies. The biggest threat is parvo for puppies, and he'll have some immunity from the 2 vaccines, but until a few days after his last vaccines, I would avoid places that other puppies have been or might be encountered. Also make sure he's on a good dewormer (check with your vet what is appropriate for where you live). Have fun with your new puppy!

It honestly depends on how many other pets are in your apartment complex. Some viruses, such as parvo, can stay in the environment for several months. If you are taking him out, making sure to use paths that aren't frequented by other pets, or even bringing out a potty pad for him to go on (to get used to the routine of going out to go potty, but remaining safe) can help. As for socialization, socializing with people or pets whose vaccine history you know is the best option until your vet gives the OK to be around strange pets.

You can get started right away! Consistency is the key to house training, so be sure to take Emmitt outside often - after eating, napping, playing, or at least every 2-3 hours. Reward appropriate potty behavior with praise and a small treat. If you catch him in the act of eliminating in the house, say "no" and take him straight outside. If you find an accident around the house, there is no need to scold or punish him. The main concern at this point is that Emmitt is not fully vaccinated against some highly contagious viruses, such as parvovirus. Until he has received his full distemper/parvovirus vaccine series, keep him away from other dogs. This includes areas where other dogs may have previously eliminated, such as parks or around your neighborhood. Keep Emmitt confined to your backyard until his vaccine series is complete.

Congrats on your new puppy! Because you will not have a private yard and cannot be sure that your area will be virus free, Niko should stay confined from public areas until at least two weeks after his final shots at 16 weeks of age. Parvovirus can live in the environment outside for up to a year, so it's extremely important to make sure he has no contact with that, or any other potential life threatening viruses. You can train Niko to use pee pads instead until he is fully vaccinated, and then work on house training him.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I think that socialization is important at this age. There is a fine line between preventing disease and socialization. It is fine for Coco to play with healthy fully vaccinated adult dogs and puppies. No dog parks. She can be walked on side walks. I would always pick up the stool if you think that Coco may want to start eating stool. Teach her to "leave it" early on. Leash walk until you are sure she is trained and isn't going to eat her stool. Stool eating is behavioral and it is hard to go back and teach them not too. Much easier to never allow them to start. Have a great day!

I do worry a little about him going outside if he has to go into areas that are public areas and where other dogs have been. The problem is that if other dogs have been in that area and you don't know whether or not they have been vaccinated, Diggy could just at risk for developing some serious viruses. If you live in a house and you have a private yard, then I would be less worried about this and I think starting to allow him to go into your yard only then you would be okay. I would only allow him to socialize with dogs of your friends whom you know are fully vaccinated. I hope this helps!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Odysseus. He will only be old enough to have had one or two sets of vaccines at 10 weeks of age. If you take him to the same spot every time and make sure there are no unvaccinated dogs around, it should be ok. I hope this helps!