Potty training before shots

A

AmberGretchen

Forums Novice
Hi all,
This is my first post, and I am sure this question has been asked but unfortunately couldn't locate the thread. My husband and I are pretty experienced volunteer trainers / behaviorists, having worked with several rescues and many adult dogs. We've been looking forward to it for years, and we're now soon to bring home our very own new family member - a 9-week-old sable pup, from an excellent local breeder.

We've read through Ian Dunbar's excellent books about puppy training and acclimation and we know a lot of work is ahead of us, but we're excited (beyond excited if I'm honest!). However, I'm struggling with one thing. We have our potty training set up all ready to go, with faux grass potty set-ups both inside the house in the puppy's confinement area and on each level's patio / backyard (our home has several levels). But we know puppy also needs to go out and about for socialization. As an immunologist though, I also know the risks for puppy, and we have everything set up to keep puppy off the ground when we do go out, and have hand sanitizer available for meeting new people, to be extra safe.

But, there's one thing I can't quite get my head around - how do we continue puppy's potty training when we're outside the house, without risking disease exposure by putting puppy on the ground?? I thought about maybe bringing along potty pads to use only in this situation, to protect the puppy from the ground, but that isn't a perfect solution from a protection or practicality perspective. What have others done so that their puppy developed social skills and confidence from broad exposure, but kept them safe while meeting potty needs while outside the house??
 
Hi. I also have had this experience. I live in Central CA (foothills above Fresno). I live an hour from anyplace that counts. Even going for a vet visit meant the dog would have to potty away from home. As with all of CA -- "thou shalt not touch the ground until 1 week after final shots" . . . and I was definitely enough of a paranoid that the vet techs mocked me for putting my own potty pad on the scale and the table (though the vet did not mock us). My Cubs had plenty of carry throughs in a carrier or my arms. We have a parvo-safe yard (proven by previous shepherd pup who did not get parvo). However, I needed to go to my Mom's often with the pup as she lives near the vet. However, foxes frequent her housing area/yard. What I did is lay down two large potty pads on her garage floor and teach him to go there. He did. In fact he got so good we could have him go right to the pad without placing him there, he would just dash for the pad and tinkle and then be really happy about it. From there, I also turned my car mat over so the rubber was up in my SUV back. I put down a potty pad and he went there a couple times. It did not interfere at all with home potty training but yes, we did not touch the ground.
 
When I go to my Vet's my girls are either crated, held, or put on my own rug...people always ask me why. I reply...I have volunteered in hospitals, I have to sanitize wheelchairs, office furniture, anything that comes in contact with sick people, and especially when someone has MRSA, so I am sort of phobic/anal about germs. Many people are bringing sick dogs to the Vet, so I am cautious about surfaces and what they get exposed to. You don't know which dog or cat is a carrier, and why risk it?

When they are young and their natural defense is limited, it makes sense to limit where they walk, touch, etc. And when they get on in years I am more protective as their immunity is waning. Never take health for granted, and never give disease an invitation, ya know???
 
I'm another one who needs to keep little paws from touching ground until all puppy shots are complete and I'm dreading little Blaze's follow-up appointment on Thursday at the veterinary hospital. We live about an hour from the hospital. Crating him going is fine. (Let him empty his little bladder right before trip, pop him in his beloved carrier and go.) It's the time between then and back home again is the problem. Last time when he was only 7 weeks he cried all the way home--but kept his carrier clean. (I still washed all and put a new towel down anyway.) This time he'll be 11 weeks so maybe he'll be able to "hold it" without discomfort, but who knows. Don't have a SUV (honestly never experienced this before.)

Will allowing him to potty at the hospital and then wiping his little paws with baby wipes before tucking him into his carrier for the trip home be enough?
 
No. If you feel you MUST potty, don't do it in or around a vet's office. That is the germiest place -- equal to outside a pet store that also does rescue adoptions. In fact, when I took my fully vaccinated boy to be neutered I stopped at a remote location so he could potty before we went to the vet's office to do business. I don't want him sniffing around outside the vet. I usually carry him in even (it helps he hates the vet office and I have to carry him in anyway). So, if you have to potty before the vet find a store with a lawn or outside someplace really odd, an office in an industrial area rather than residential. Choose something away from a sidewalk where people might walk dogs. I had a place near my Fresno vet, an office complex that actually had grass in a small planter in the middle of the parking lot. Not near residents or walkers, not a park, not an area where wild or stray canines are likely. Then potty and clean the feet with a parvo pad/disinfectant/viricide and preferably have someone hold the pup til the solution dries so there is no feet licking. I mean, your risk is massively low, but there is still risk. You can always choose such a location and put down puppy pads and urge pee there. Remember to put a pad down on the vet's table and scale too. Inquire if there have been any "sick" animals that day and maybe scrubs should be changed. My vet volunteered that she had handled no sick animals or other puppies that day.

It's over the top, but having a puppy NOT get parvo or distemper is worth it. I wish I lived in an area where parvo is not so prevalent, but I don't. It's bad, very very bad here in Central CA.

Hope my paranoid advice helps -- I managed through TWO puppies successfully, both Spring pups, both being an hour from the vet's office too!
 
Thanks everyone - these are super helpful suggestions. I plan to use many of them, and I really appreciate all the experienced Sheltie puppy owners chiming in here.

I want to just summarize some of the practical ideas here for anyone skimming this thread quickly:

1. Use a potty pad to put puppy down anywhere to potty, especially at the vet's office (can be used in garages, cars, etc. as well)

2. Use disinfectant wipes (make sure they are rated to kill viruses / parvo) on puppy's paws after potty, and make sure the solution dries without interference (this is actually important for effectiveness with all kinds of disinfectant, on you OR a dog)

3. Try to find areas away from "normal" dog walking places, e.g. in an office park, if your puppy must potty while away from home. See tip #2 above for after potty.

I would also add - we are planning to use fake grass for potty in the first few months (long story but basically due to the nature of our home and location). I noticed the replacement pieces of fake grass / turf can be had for relatively little money, and this might be another good option for those who need safe potty areas away from home. It's a cheap material, and with a potty pad underneath, would be extra safe, then you can throw it away after it's been used. Slightly wasteful, but safer than exposing puppy to distemper or parvo or anything else that might be lurking.
 
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