Spørg dyrlægen - Dog
8 weeks puppy and vaccination
Hi, I have been told several times that it would be better not to expose our 8 weeks puppy (with the first vaccine) to other dogs until it completes the second vaccine at 12 weeks. Is it true?
Dyrlæge på FirstVet svarer:
It is true that your puppy is not a 100% protected after the first vaccine, but it does give protection as the body has started forming antigens. When you ad the risk for these diseases, that we vaccinate against is very low, because most dogs in Denmark is vaccinated. I would therefor be more worried that your puppy will not get probably socialized with other dogs, at this critical age, more than I would worry about her getting sick from these diseases (Parvovirus, hepatitis and distemper).
Dogs go through a critical socialization development period between the age of roughly 3 weeks to 16 weeks. What they learn during this time will imprint on their little brains and have a huge effect on their future behavior. This is time they handle new experiences best. After that stage, they become cautious about new things they haven’t encountered before.
Best of luck to you!
Kind regards
Camilla, DVM