Puppy vaccinations seem to vary based on which veterinarian you visit. Each veterinarian has a unique vaccine schedule and therefore no two schedules will be alike. For example, one veterinary clinic may recommend that you vaccinate your puppy at 8, 12 and 16 weeks while another may suggest that you begin the process with vaccinations at six, nine, twelve and sixteen weeks. This is fine as long as the core series begins early enough, all doses are spaced from two to four weeks apart, and the final dose is given at sixteen weeks of age or later.
The Puppy Vaccination Schedule Generator is an application designed to assist in creating the above mentioned schedule. Simply enter your puppy’s birthdate along with their lifestyle and the program will generate a schedule of vaccinations complete with actual dates. Once this information is entered you can print out the generated schedule and bring it with you when you visit your veterinarian.
Puppy Vaccination Schedule Generator
Based on the 2022 AAHA canine vaccination guidelines and WSAVA advice. Your vet may adjust it for your area.
Puppy Vaccination Chart
| Puppy age | Core vaccines | Lifestyle (non-core) vaccines |
| 6-8 weeks | DHPP dose 1 | Bordetella (intranasal/oral), canine flu dose 1 |
| 9-12 weeks | DHPP dose 2 | Leptospirosis dose 1, Lyme dose 1, canine flu dose 2 |
| 12-16 weeks | DHPP dose 3, rabies | Leptospirosis dose 2, Lyme dose 2 |
| 16-20 weeks | Final DHPP dose (must be 16 weeks or older) | – |
| 26 weeks | Optional core booster (WSAVA) | – |
| 12-16 months | DHPP and rabies boosters | Lepto, Lyme, Bordetella, flu boosters |
| Every 1-3 years | DHPP every 3 years; rabies every 1 or 3 years by law | Lepto, Lyme, Bordetella and flu yearly |
Core Puppy Vaccines Every Dog Needs
DHPP (also written DAPP or DA2PP)
These are called combination vaccinations. They protect your dog against distemper, adenovirus (the cause of infectious hepatitis), parvovirus, and parainfluenza. Distemper and parvo are both serious diseases that have killed many dogs who were never vaccinated. In addition, parvovirus can remain viable in the ground for several months.
Rabies
Because rabies is almost always fatal to dogs and humans alike, it is often legally required to provide your dog with the rabies vaccine. The initial rabies vaccine should be administered during the time frame of 12 through 16 weeks of age. Depending upon where you live, how frequently booster injections must be provided varies.
Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis (Lepto) is a bacterial disease that is spread via rat, wild animal and dog urine that are present in water contaminated by urine. These areas include puddles, ponds, wet grass etc. The bacteria causes damage to both the kidney and liver and is contagious to humans. In light of this, as per the 2022 American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) guidelines, vaccination is recommended for nearly every dog, regardless if your dog lives in the city or country due to high likelihood of being exposed to Lepto. This requires a minimum of two vaccinations with annual boosters.
Why Puppies Need a Series of Shots
This is the part most charts do not address. Newborn puppies receive antibodies from their mothers’ milk. Maternal antibodies provide protection against diseases to newborn puppies during the early weeks of their life; however, these same maternal antibodies prevent vaccines from functioning properly. There is no known way to determine which puppy will lose the maternal antibodies and when. However, it typically occurs around 6 to 16 weeks of age, and may occur even later.
Therefore, veterinarians administer multiple doses (every 2-4 weeks) until one of them is administered post-maternal antibody loss. As such, the last dose must be administered at 16 weeks of age or older, and the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) currently recommends administering an additional booster at 26 weeks of age, rather than waiting 1-year.
Also this helps explain the risk of cutting off too soon on a vaccine series. A pup that only had shots at 8 and 12 weeks old may have very little real protection from their vaccinations.
Lifestyle Vaccines: Does My Puppy Need Them?
| Vaccine | Recommended if your puppy… | Schedule |
| Bordetella (kennel cough) | Goes to daycare, boarding, grooming, puppy class or dog parks | 1 intranasal/oral dose or 2 injections; yearly |
| Lyme disease | Lives in or travels to tick areas | 2 doses 2-4 weeks apart; yearly |
| Canine influenza | Boards, shows or socialises where flu outbreaks occur | 2 doses 2-4 weeks apart; yearly |
Vaccines aren’t a substitute for parasite control. Lyme vaccination works best alongside year-round tick prevention, which ties in with your puppy wormer schedule.
When Can My Puppy Go Outside?
There’s no need to keep a puppy confined to an indoor area until they’re about 17 weeks old. Puppies’ socialization window generally closes between 12 and 14 weeks of age, so the behavior problems caused by missing it greatly outweigh the risk of catching something on careful outings.
- Safe from day one: your own garden (if no unvaccinated dogs use it), car rides, being carried around town, visits with healthy vaccinated dogs you know
- After the 2nd or 3rd shot: puppy classes that require vaccine records and clean floors
- Wait until 1-2 weeks after the final shot: dog parks, pet shop floors, beaches and anywhere unknown dogs toilet
Our puppy training schedule has a socialisation checklist that fits around vaccines.
Puppy Vaccine Side Effects
Most puppies are a bit sleepy for a day after receiving a vaccination, and a small lump at the injection site is common. However, call your veterinarian immediately if your puppy experiences facial swelling, hives, vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty breathing or collapses shortly after receiving a vaccination. While these reactions rarely happen, they need to be treated quickly. Your veterinarian may divide the vaccines into separate visits or administer a preventative medication in advance of each vaccination if your puppy has reacted to vaccinations before.
What If My Puppy Missed a Vaccine?
Don’t freak out and don’t start from square one by yourself. If you have an interval of more than approximately four to six (4 – 6) weeks in the puppy series, your veterinarian will likely administer another dose and resume vaccinations from that point. Typically for puppies greater than sixteen (16) weeks old without prior vaccination records; two (2) doses of DHPP at least two (2), but less than or equal to four (4) weeks apart plus rabies are required.
Frequently Asked Questions
All puppies need DHPP (distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, parainfluenza) and rabies. Most vets also recommend leptospirosis. Bordetella, Lyme and canine flu depend on lifestyle.
Between 6 and 8 weeks of age, then every 2-4 weeks until at least 16 weeks old.
Usually three or four, depending on when the series starts. The last one must be at 16 weeks or older.
Maternal antibodies can block vaccines until about 16 weeks. A dose at 16 weeks or later makes sure your puppy actually responds.
Yes, to safe places like your own garden and homes with vaccinated dogs. Avoid dog parks and public areas until 1-2 weeks after the final dose.
It varies a lot by country and clinic. A full puppy course often costs the same as a few routine vet visits, which is far cheaper than treating parvo.
For most dogs, yes. The 2022 AAHA guidelines recommend it for nearly all dogs because rats and wildlife spread it even in cities.
DHPP every 3 years after the first-year booster, rabies every 1 or 3 years depending on law, and lepto, kennel cough, Lyme and flu every year.
Book in as soon as you can. Your vet will usually give the next dose and carry on, rather than restarting the whole series.
Vet note: Written and reviewed by Dr. Muhammad Usman, DVM, using the 2022 AAHA Canine Vaccination Guidelines and WSAVA recommendations. Vaccine schedules vary by country, so always follow your local vet’s advice.
More tools: Puppy Wormer Schedule · Puppy Schedule · Puppy Weight Calculator
