Puppy Vaccinations - a Perspective from a Trainer and Experienced Vet Assistant

Something that I have been hearing a lot of lately, is that you shouldn’t take your puppy anywhere or socialize them until they have all their shots. A lot of veterinarians and breeders have been recommending this to people. A puppy isn't fully vaccinated until they are 16 weeks old or later. That is way too old for them to start learning about the world!

We learned during Covid that Puppies NEED that exposure time. It's absolutely essential.

This is terrible advice! Is there a risk taking your puppy out away from the home before being fully vaccinated? Absolutely. Does the risk outweigh the benefit? No. I don’t believe it does.

This is the puppy’s most valuable and important socialization time. It is a time where they should be exploring the world and learning about the world. It is such an important time to introduce your puppy to all sorts of sights, sounds, and smells.

My advice to my clients is to be smart about it. Don’t take your puppy to dog parks. Don’t take your puppy to pet stores. Take your puppy where it’s dog friendly but dogs don’t go very often - and the dogs that are around are typically older adult dogs that are healthy and vaccinated. Your puppy is probably more likely to get Parvo from your vet clinic or Pet Store than they are from going to Home Depot.

Socialize puppies with adults that are healthy.

 I never recommend on leash greetings because you don’t know what that other dog is going to be like. But your puppy can certainly play with older dogs and puppies that are healthy. There are a lot of safe ways to socialize your puppy. Unless you’re going to keep them in a bubble for their whole life, things are going to happen that are out of your control. That’s part of having a dog. If you aren’t ready for that, maybe don’t get a puppy. There is always pet insurance too. Don’t be afraid to let your puppy live and experience life. You want to expose them to as much as you can expose them to in those early weeks. Don't let fear rule your life or your puppy’s life. They need that time to learn about the world and explore.

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