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MissGlory
Kailua, HI
Posts:10
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| 03/17/2010 12:25 AM |
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Aloha, I'm a GSP newbie. Researched the breed BIG TIME prior to making the plunge, so I know she will need LOTS n LOTS of exercise, which I am prepared to give. Problem is, I live in Hawaii where there's not much yard space. Eventually I plan on taking her to the beach to chase tennis balls, swimming, jogging with me (twice daily), occassional hiking, etc. How old should she be until I can run her like this? I don't want to mess up her fragile bones, but she's going stir crazy with my tiny living area  . Also she's only 9 weeks and just had the 2nd set of shots. How much longer do I have to leave her cooped up inside my property? Parvo is very prevelant here and I'm scared to expose her to it. |
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Shelley
Bristol, UK
MH
Posts:704
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| 03/17/2010 1:30 AM |
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Hi there, welcome to the forum! Where are the pics!
As a relative GSP novice compared to some of the people on here, I'm not going to try and advise on how much you should be walking/when you can run, I will leave that to the experts, hehe....
What I will say, I think you must be in a very similar situation to me. I live in a small cottage in the UK, it's 12 foot wide and not very long! So very small living space - Hogan (my 13 week old GSP) couldn't go "outside" until he was 10 weeks old - it is reccomended to wait an extra week until after the second jab but I spoke to the vet - he was going stir crazy - and as long as I was careful - didn't mix with other dogs - just walked - for that extra week, I would be taking a chance but should be ok. Also, Parvo isn't prevalanet around here at all.
Anyway, I learnt very quickly - I can't tire Hogan out with physical exercise, but after a short amount of mental exercise, he is pooped!!! By that I mean, sit, stay... all the different tricks you can train him (her?). This is the only way we got through the first few weeks... oh, and one of us sat at one end of the house with a pot of treats, and the other at the other end, and we ran him back and forth (LOL!) - so I know where you're coming from... good luck and enjoy!!!!! |
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gharner
Middletown, PA
MH
Posts:565
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| 03/17/2010 7:22 AM |
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first of all...I wish I was in Hawaii haha, your sooooo lucky!
when theyre little its easy to tire them with games inside and some training/mental games like hiding treats. I started taking Dax out on walks between his second and final set of shots, but then again parvo isnt prevelant here either. As soon as she can start going out the beach would be great to run around and play, sand shouldnt be too bad on the joints. I wouldnt jog the pup too hard for a while, but when shes a little older I think he should be able to go for short jogs just as long as its on sand rather than a road. |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:7863
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| 03/17/2010 7:28 AM |
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Since parvo is prevalent were you live I would be very careful until she has all her puppy shots. As Shelley said mental stimulation will help to wear her out. Get creative. I like to start hiding toys or treats at that age and letting them find them. Start very easy and let her see where you hide the object and then tell her find. When she finds it make a big deal about it. Get progressively harder. They catch on to this game very fast. Also start some basic obedience, sit, down, stay, come, etc. Get her chasing and retrieving a ball. You can do that in a hallway or even across a room. Make it fun and lots of praise. All will help you get through the period until you can take her out. Once she has all her shots, there is no reason not to take her and let her romp on the beach and learn to swim.
By the way, it is an unwritten rule you have to share pictures to be a member. Just kidding, but we do like pictures. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
   
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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MissGlory
Kailua, HI
Posts:10
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| 03/17/2010 2:36 PM |
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Thanks ladies!  I put up a couple pix in my profile. She's a keeper, that's for sure. |
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Willowglen
Fort Collins, CO
MH
Posts:216
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| 03/17/2010 4:50 PM |
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So there was a very interesting article in the May issue of Dog World magazine about weighing the benefits of socialization versus the risks of infection between the ages of 8 and 16 weeks. The reason we vaccinate puppies around 8, 12, and 16 weeks is not because they need 3 shots to be fully vaccinated, but because the mother's immunity prevents the vaccine from being effective. Mom's immunity varies for each puppy on how long it lasts, so the goal is to try and catch the end of her coverage when we vaccinate. If we vaccinate while the puppy is still protected by mom, the vaccine is basically useless.
According to the article, vaccines given between 6 and 8 weeks will only immunize approximately 50 percent of the puppies, the 50 percent that don't respond still have mom's antibodies. The next vaccine 3 to 4 weeks later will cover another 50 percent of the remaining puppies, and by the last vaccine 3 to 4 weeks after that, "99% of those that had not yet responded will develop immunity." It also talked about how the distemper vaccine resulted in almost immediate immunity following administration, whereas the parvo vaccine can take from 3 to 7 days to produce immunity.
So it's not how many shots the puppy has had, but catching the end of the mother's immunity so that the vaccine produces an immune response. Very interesting article!! |
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Christine
Willow Glen GSPs & Weimaraners
www.willowglengsp.com
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