When can puppies be taken outside?

Question

My partner and I are going to be getting a puppy that will be 8 weeks old when we get it and will have already had its first vaccination. We plan on getting a crate but leaving the door open, so it has somewhere to eat and go to the toilet but we were wondering is the puppy too young to be taken outside to try and begin toilet training. We do not have a garden but live right next to the beach, and for the first week or so were planning on taking it just outside of our house to encourage it to go to the toilet. Is this possible or should it be kept inside until it has its second vaccination, and if so when should we get this done?

Answer 1

You can take your puppy out after his 1st set of shots. It would be safest not to take him anywhere there's lots of other dogs, but he definitely doesn't need to be confined to the house. All of my puppies were out and about working on house training and a bit of lead training at very young ages.

Answer 2

In this case I would recommend paper training. An 8 week old pup will need to go wee every half hour when it is awake and thats probably too much for you to keep taking him to the beach. He would need absolute constant supervision as they can only hold it for a few mins when it starts to come!
Also, pups that young need to stay well away from areas visited frequently by other dogs and a beach certainly falls into that category. You should only take it out at least a week after the second injection at around 12 weeks. Different vets advise differently according to the risk in your area so ask them.
The best plan would be to paper train your pup for the first few weeks. If you are with your pup during the day then it will be easy to move onto the next stage and teach with the aid of the crate to hold the wees and poos until you take your pup out.Remember that the fewer accidents the pup has then the more consistent and reliable your pup will be.
Lots of dogs love water and living so near the beach sounds fab, it won't be long before you can rely on your dog to go out but you will need to be patient with an 8 week old pup. They really are babies.
Have loads of fun!

Answer 3

Getting a crate and leaving the door open so it has somewhere to eat and go to the bathroom? In your house? Like pee pads?

Don't confuse your dog. If you want it to potty outside, you take it outside every hour or so until it learns. Don't teach it to pee on the floor if you don't want it to pee on the floor.

Close the door to the crate when you cannot supervise your animal, and for the first few weeks, leave your dog on a leash at all times so YOU control it's every move (thus cutting down on accidents). If your puppy piddles where it shouldn't, say NO and pick the dog up and take it outside.

CONSISTENCY IS THE KEY!!!

I suggest reading/listening to podcasts on this site: http://www.leerburg.com he's got a great philosophy on training.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Because the pup's so young I wouldn't suggest taking the pup farther than your own front/back yard. The reason is without the vaccinations there is a chance that the pup will contract something dangerous. I'd advise waiting until the second vacinations and then trying walking the pup a short distance.
Also it may be a good idea to introduce the pup to a few dogs that you know are friendly. It's good to get her socialized, it'll help with training and make her easier to handle while walking. ^^
Good luck, hope this helps,
~Manda

Answer 5

We plan on getting a crate but leaving the door open, so it has somewhere to eat and go to the toilet

Wil the dog be sleeping or staying in the crate while you are gone? If so, Puppy will not like to eat, potty and sleep in the same crate. Take it outdoors to go to the bathroom. In your yard- no public dog parks or high traffic dog areas because of Parvo (can live in the ground, grass)

Answer 6

Sounds like you may need to do ALOT more research on puppy care before you bring your new little one home. Just go to a search engine and type in puppy care and you will gets tons of sites that are very helpful. I myself have been doing this while waiting to take my pup home. Good luck. And yes you can bring your puppy outside. Just dont bring her to a park or area where other dogs re-leave themselves because that's where she may pick up something that could make her sick since she has not completed all of her shots at this Young age.

Answer 7

The dog should not come in contact with other dogs...especially their waste until the second round of shots.

A puppy can go "outside" at any age. But you should limit it to the back yard until at least the first round of shots. If you have a neighbor that has a dog that goes in your yard and your dog comes in contact with that dogs waste your dog can catch something.

We took our puppy to pet smart after the 1st round of shots, but carried her through the parking lot and put her in a cart with a blanket. She was a very timid English Mastiff that need exposure to lots of things early on.

Answer 8

The puppy can be taken outside as young as this as it should have some immunity/protection against diseases passed to him through his mothers milk. However, just to be on the safe side do some research to see if there are alot of cases in your area of things like parvo.

If it was me i wouldnt get the dog vaccinated at all, i would use homeopathic alternatives as the vacinations/boosters can be harmful to the dog in itself. However, it is a personal choice and much research into your choices should be carried out.

Answer 9

the pup should start toilet training as soon as you bring it home,dont take him to highly populated dog areas incase of infection untill he's had his 2nd jab.a crate shouldn't be used for somewhere to go to the toilet it is meant to be the pups safe haven and bed if used correctly it actually speeds up toilet training as a dog hates to toilet in his bed or den area.8weeks is not to young to have his 1st jab pups can be vaccinated as early as 6weeks now.after your pup has had his 2nd jab please throughly socialise your pup so he becomes a valued member of soceity.good luck

Answer 10

the 1st jab is done at 8 weeks, the 2nd at 10 weeks.
it's 2 weeks after that that you can take the pup out.
i know this because i've just gone through it with my puppy.
and that was what the vet told us.
xx