Puppy Shots

[bunkermom]

Technically, if this daycare is doing things correctly the puppy shouldn't be at too much risk because every dog he comes in contact with at the daycare should be fully immunized...the daycare provider should be able to provide proof of that. And puppies carry maternal antibodies to help protect them for a few weeks to months. If he stays on his vaccine schedule, he should be safe...just be sure the daycare provider has guidelines in place for cleaning up stools and such.

I wouldn't think it is a whole lot different than allowing the puppy to go to 'puppy kindergarten' around 8-10 weeks. He would be around many other dogs at that time...and be walking in areas where many other adult dogs are coming to training classes as well.

All that being said...I really think you are making a mistake getting this puppy so young. Just because you know a lot of people who have done it and didn't have problems...that is no guarantee that you won't. Many people here have had dogs for many years and spend considerable personal time to share their hard earned lessons and information. It might be wise to take that advice...at least from the moderators, you know it is EDUCATED advice!

Autumn

[gmacleod]

Originally Posted by bunkermom

I wouldn't think it is a whole lot different than allowing the puppy to go to 'puppy kindergarten' around 8-10 weeks.

It can be significantly different. Puppy kindergarten is for puppies, each of whom should be being protected by its owner from contact with strange dogs, and from known dogs who frequent public places where unknown dogs may be - and importantly, where they defacate.

In a daycare, conversely, you may be talking about adult dogs (unless its a puppy daycare, of course), whose owners have no imperative to protect their animals from such contact and may even take them to such public places as dog parks. Just because those dogs don't get sick themselves doesn't mean that they can't pass diseases on to puppies who have little or no immunity This is how diseases like parvo are spread. Diseases that rarely affect the adults (and whose owners don't hae to be concerned) - but that can be devastating, even fatal, to puppies.

[BxrMommieNAZ]

And I have to wonder how much protection from mommy's milk this pup will have if it's been eating solid food for a couple of weeks and is leaving it's mother and siblings at only 6 weeks. I would say ideally a pup should be nursing until minimum of 6 weeks and obviously this one is not. So how diligent were these "breeders" at making sure pup got mommy's milk? Or was it a race to get them on solid food so they could get rid of them?

And not only the disease aspect, but putting a 6 week old puppy with potentially full grown dogs or even a 12-20 week old puppy there is a considerable mental difference in them and a considerable difference in size. I would just worry about this pup all the way around, health wise, psychologically wise, and safety wise, not to mention potty training wise.