If their mother has a healthy immune system nursing puppies will receive antibodies from their mother’s milk. Once they are weaned, usually about 5 weeks, that immunization begins to wear off. That’s when they begin their veterinary vaccination schedule. Vaccinations are administered in 3 to 4 week intervals usually culminating with rabies at 16 weeks.

Vaccines fall into two categories. Core vaccines and Non-core vaccines.

Core vaccines	Non-Core vaccines
Distemper	Bordetella (Kennel Cough)*
Parvovirus	Canine Influenza*
Adenovirus (Canine Heptatitus)	Parainfluenza
Rabies mandatory in almost all states	Adenovirus Intranasal
	Leptospirosis
	Lyme Disease

• Note that many daycare, boarding, training and dog park entities – places where groups of dogs are likely to be in close contact – will require these vaccinations.

You can expect your veterinarian to ask several questions about your dog’s lifestyle in order to determine the appropriateness of non-core vaccines.

Here are links to some additional resources:

1. Dogs Naturally vaccine chart.
2. The American Animal Hospital Association online vaccination resource for owners.
3. The American Kennel Club’s complete guide for puppy vaccinations.