When you pick up a new puppy, remember to get the vaccine schedule. This is easy to forget in the excitement of meeting your new best friend, but is important and will avoid frustration later. If possible, try to get the vet’s name and phone number. Then if your new vet has any questions, clarification is only a phone call away.
Below is the vaccine schedule that I follow with my litters. If you purchase a litter from one of my contracted breeders, I will provide the schedule to you. Most vet’s follow relatively the same schedule.
Right after birth, I take my puppies in for a vet exam and to have their dew claws removed. Then I followed this common vaccination schedule as described below:
8 weeks old: distemper, parvovirus, and deworming
12 weeks old: DHPP, start on heartworm
18 weeks old: DHPP, rabies
16 months old: DHPP, rabies
Taking a Puppy in Public
Socializing starts at home right after birth as the puppy interacts with siblings and mother. This is important. The puppy is learning from them. Around six weeks, the puppy can be separated more from his mother and the weaning process can begin. I usually start some crate training around this age. The puppies are still learning from each other. The wrestling and playing together is important for their social development. Don’t worry about taking them into public places at this point in their development. Just introduce them to sounds, smells, and textures at home.
Eight weeks is the ideal time for a puppy to go to a new home. This is when the bonding shifts from siblings to humans. The puppy starts to connect with the people around him and feel that they are his family. Transitioning a puppy to a new home after that is fine, but the ideal time is eight weeks. I have purchased puppies and adopted them into my home without any problem after eight weeks. They still do not need to go out in public yet. Their social development is just fine keeping them home and restricted to your yard. Introducing him to extended family and neighbors is okay during this time, but keep it at home or inside a house as much as possible.
When a puppy is about fourteen weeks old and has been kept up-to-date on his vaccines, then he is ready to be introduce to public environments. This is when you should take him everywhere you go. He can visit parks, schools, and hikes. Have him walk on a bridge, over wood chips, and every other surface you can think of to introduce to him. The greater variety of surfaces, sounds, and people the better! This will familiarize him with what is safe and what is dangerous. Only try to avoid crowds huddled around him as you don’t want to overwhelm him. Just introduce him one experience at a time and he will be the best puppy ever.