so desperate to walk him

I missed something. Why can't he go on the ground?

Standard vet advice here - don't put him down on the ground anywhere outside my property until he is fully vaccinated.  After doing more research I am starting to really mistrust that advice.
 
Kate

Parvo stays in the ground for a long time.  You can even carry it into your home on your shoes.  It is impossible to know whether or not it may be in your area.  Follow your Vet's advice on this one...

Well, the idea is that the puppy should have completed it's first round of innoculations, which is usually at 16 weeks (4 months). I believe however, that you can and should walk a puppy and have contact with other dogs (you believe to be healthy) before that. The biggest threat to a puppy is really contaminated feces and urine. I would NOT take an unvaccinated puppy to a dog run, for instance - or to any areas that are popular potty spots. I would take a puppy on a walk in the park, or around the neighborhood.

It's a judgement call and depends on your tolerance for risk. The risk of Parvo vs. the risk of an unsocialized puppy. I personally did some research on the incidents of Parvo in my area and decided that the risk was very low for me.
 
And FWIW - more dogs die from lack of socialization (behavior issues = shelter = PTS) than from Parvo...

Marty - I will follow it, I have just read a lot more about vaccinations and am more clued up than I was a few weeks ago.  If it can be carried into my house on my shoes, there is no way to protect him from that, but I will do my best and if that means following my vet's advice, I will.  I just don't like it.  Such is life.
 
Kate

I can't imagine carrying a puppy around until they are 4 months old!!! Especially if one has a larger breed pup.
Maybe it's where I live cause there aren't dogs running around loose - but I've never heard of such a thing. I know it's best not to let them around a lot of dogs prior to the vaccines, but putting them on the ground....strange.

I should mention here that in the UK dogs are vaccinated at a younger age - and they get 2 shots, 4 weeks apart.  It's not the same as in the US, where dogs get 3 or 4 sets of vaccinations.  Here, all dogs would be fully vaccinated at 12 weeks, some even earlier.  Dogs who are going to be trained as guide or assistance dogs are given very early vaccinations so that they can be taken out and socialised early.  Ben was not given his shots as early as that, but there is a trend here of early vaccination so as to be able to take the puppy out and get them socialising as soon as possible.
 
Whether or not any individual agrees with vaccinations is a whole 'nuther kettle of fish.
 
Kate
 
 

I dont think I know one person who has evered followed that rule. Growing up my family bred rotts and we always had pits, and never a problem. We had them on the fishing boats, out at the lake, at baseball games in the summer,and just about anywhere. At first I thought it was a joke but good for you for close guarding your pup

IMO all dogs should be socialized early, not just service dogs. Taking a puppy out before all shots are completed is a calculated risk that I feel is worth it, and unless parvo is a known, prevalent problem in my area I would always take the puppy out for socialization early. I would rather lose a 10 week old puppy to parvo than bond with my dog for three years and lose him to a dog fight or have to have him PTS because he was unsocialized & fear aggressive....

Why can't you just walk him in your own yard?  I never heard of this and I had 2 dogs from puppies.  Well I quess that was the olden days.

Honestly, that's what I think too.  He's such a sociable, friendly little pup and I'd hate to see him lose that tendency because he had to stay inside.  My SO came home with a couple of stories from work - one about a colleague who's fiancee is a dog trainer, who insisted on taking their puppy out early, knowing the risks, because socialisation is so important.  The other was a guy who lost his puppy to something (exactly what was unspecified) that he caught in his own backyard, where the dog spent a lot of time because this guy refused to take the puppy out before he had had all of his shots, and the backyard was "safe".
 
If it can happen in a backyard, it can happen anywhere, right?  So isn't socialisation the most important factor?
 
Kate

Hollysmom - A large chunk of my backyard has been torn up and is being landscaped.  Not a lot of room to walk him back there.  And I am not sure it is only generational - also a cultural difference between here and the US.
 
Kate

If it can happen in a backyard, it can happen anywhere, right?

Yes, that's absolutely correct. That's why it's important to understand the prevalence of the threat in your area. It may be a non-issue for you, or it may be a legitimate threat.

So isn't socialisation the most important factor?

Some (myself included) would say "yes" socialisation the most important factor for a puppy. This is entirely a personal choice. Some dogs will adjust to missing this key time for social interaction/lessons, some simply will not. But the fact is, you have to make the call for YOUR dog - not your Vet. Remember, a Vet is counseling you based on medical information - not necessarily behavioral (unless you have a REALLY good Vet!). The first Vet I went to, simply told me to keep Slick INSIDE until he is fully innoculated, this included potty training. He instructed me to use piddle pads then make the transition to outside potty when he completed his vaccinations. I did my own research and determined that he was wrong. I switched Vets and my new Vet told me that was an over-reaction and there was in fact, no need to isolate my puppy given the complete lack of Parvo in my area. I was cautious - yes. As I stated above, no dog-runs and no "poopy spots". This worked for me. Figure out what works for you - maybe it is just keeping Ben inside and inviting other (vaccinated) dogs over for some social time. Maybe it's taking him out to select spots that you've deemed "low risk". The fact is however, that the crucial time for your pup to learn his social cues (from other dogs) only comes ONCE! It's a much debated and difficult decision. Good Luck!

This is a super important time for socialization.  But you also have to balance your pup's safetly with that need.  Take him places where there aren't a lot of dogs because it's much more important for him to interact with various humans now than dogs.  He got his dog socialization at home with mom and doesn't really need a lot of that anymore for a while.

Border collie people walk their dogs off behind the campers then bring their pups up under the tent to play with other pups and meet all the big scary people with hats and sticks that will fill their lives from now on.  It seems a good compromise.  The underlying principle is taking your pup where he will be welcome, but where there's not necessarily a lot of dogs around.  One of the big box hardware chains over here allows dogs inside for instance (most of them do, anyway).

Literally carrying your pup everywhere is a little akin to the old instructions mothers got to boil or sterilize everything that touched Baby for six months.  Then they realized we were raising a generation with compromised immune systems.  It's actually fine if your pup is exposed to some things while he's fresh from his mother's side, with her immunity to help him.  But overall it's best to follow your vet's advice as closely as possible.