Love at First Woof: Bringing Home Your New Puppy

Bringing home a new puppy brings a tremendous amount of joy to a household, with extra snuggles and puppy playtime. However, puppies require extra attention and vet visits in order to make sure they grow into healthy, happy dogs in the future. Below breaks down some of the puppy basics including vaccines and other recommendations for your new furry family!

What vaccines does my puppy need in their first year?

The core vaccines for dogs are Rabies and Distemper Parvo (also referred to as DHPP). The Rabies vaccine is administered at a minimum 12 weeks of age in the state of Virginia and will be updated one year after. After the first 1 year booster, the Rabies vaccine will then be updated every three years. The DHPP vaccine is a multi part vaccine with the first being administered at or around 8 weeks and then continued every 3-4 weeks until around 16 weeks of age. After the final booster the vaccine will be good for one year, then updated every 3 years after.

Two other vaccines that are recommended for dogs are Bordetella, which protects against Kennel Cough, and is a yearly vaccine which can be started any time after 8-10 weeks. The second vaccine is called Leptospirosis, a zoonotic bacterial disease found in stagnant water transferred from wildlife urine. This vaccine is a two part vaccine that can be given any time your doctor feels is appropriate.

Other available lifestyle vaccines include Lyme and Influenza, both needing an initial vaccine and then a 4 week booster with a yearly booster required after the initial two shots.

Why would you want to microchip your pet?

It is always a good idea to think about microchipping because you never know what could happen. If your pet is a magician and gets out of the house or if in an unfortunate event one gets taken. When you microchip your pet a small chip is implanted between the shoulders. You will then register that chip with the number it is attached to. From there, if a good samaritan finds your pet wandering, they can then bring it to your local shelter or vet to be scanned and hopefully reunite a family!

When should I spay/neuter my puppy?

It can vary based on breed, which is why we want to see your pet in office before making specific timeframe recommendations. But for a general rule of thumb, most smaller breeds can be spayed between 6 months and a year of age, while larger breeds typically try to wait until the ages of 1-3.

How should I socialize my puppy with dogs and people?

Some of the misconceptions of having a puppy are that we have to keep them in a bubble until they are fully vaccinated, but that is not the full case. If you have a puppy and your family has a dog or you have a friend that has a dog and you know they are fully vaccinated, taking them to have a play date is acceptable. Between 8-24 weeks is the most critical time in a dog's life to learn how to “dog”. What we don’t want is a puppy to go to a dog park or a place with a lot of dogs since we do not know their vaccine history they can pass along different diseases.

Once they are vaccinated, make sure to slowly introduce them to other dogs and animals by letting them sniff and smell each other to get used to new scents. Keep a close eye on your puppy and watch for body language from all pets present to make sure everyone is getting along.

When it comes to introducing a puppy to new people, make sure to go slow as well, but also make sure to introduce them to a variety of different people. It is beneficial for a puppy to be comfortable with adults, children, elderly folks, different genders and races to ensure their journey is not filled with fear and stress.

Anything else I should know to be a great puppy parent?

When bringing your puppy to the vet in order to get a full wellness exam a doctor has to look at the eyes, ears, muzzle; which include tongue, jaw, teeth and nose, chest, stomach rear end and feet. We highly recommend helping ease the burden of dogs feeling nervous by “desensitizing" them. A simple way to help is to touch and mess around with their paws, teeth, tails, ears, and just every part of them. When they’re laying around be sure to focus on specific parts of their body in a playful way so they get comfortable being "examined" and aren’t as sensitive when they come in or even going to the groomers.