Every vet has their own version of this conversation, and every new dog parent leaves the clinic with a paper card and a vague sense of dread about "the next one." This is the schedule, written down once, so you can stop reconstructing it from memory.
The chart
| Age | Core vaccines | Optional (lifestyle) |
|---|---|---|
| 6–8 weeks | DHPP #1 (distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, parvo) | Bordetella (if daycare/boarding is planned) |
| 10–12 weeks | DHPP #2 | Leptospirosis #1, canine influenza #1 |
| 14–16 weeks | DHPP #3, rabies | Leptospirosis #2, canine influenza #2, Lyme (tick regions) |
| 12–16 months | DHPP booster, rabies booster | Lepto / flu / Lyme boosters as advised |
| Every 1–3 years | DHPP, rabies (interval depends on vaccine type and local law) | Bordetella every 6–12 months if boarding |
What each vaccine covers
DHPP, the big one
One injection covering four diseases: distemper (a frequently fatal neurological virus), adenovirus/hepatitis, parainfluenza and parvovirus. Parvo is the reason vets are strict about the series, it's brutal on puppies and survives in soil for months. Until the series is complete, keep your puppy off public grass and away from unknown dogs.
Rabies
Legally required almost everywhere, and the one vaccine where the certificate really matters, you'll need proof for travel, boarding, grooming, and in many cities, the dog licence itself. Keep the certificate, not just the tag.
Bordetella (kennel cough)
Not core, but effectively mandatory in practice: nearly every daycare, boarding facility and groomer requires it. If your dog will ever socialise indoors with other dogs, get it.
Leptospirosis, Lyme, canine influenza
Region and lifestyle calls. Lepto spreads through wildlife urine and standing water, increasingly recommended even for city dogs. Lyme matters in tick country. Ask your vet what's actually circulating where you live; this is the part of the schedule that's genuinely local.
Why the series is three shots, not one
Puppies drink antibodies with their mother's milk. Those maternal antibodies protect them early on, but they also neutralise vaccines. Nobody can say precisely when they fade for an individual puppy, so vets vaccinate every 3–4 weeks across the window where protection could drop. The last shot at 14–16 weeks is the one that reliably sticks. That's also why skipping the final round is the most common (and most dangerous) shortcut.
Side effects: what's normal
- Normal: sleepiness for a day, mild soreness at the injection site, a little less appetite.
- Call the vet: facial swelling, hives, repeated vomiting, or collapse, usually within an hour or two of the shot. Rare, treatable, and worth a fast phone call.
Keeping track without the paper card
The failure mode isn't missing a vaccine, it's not being able to prove a vaccine when boarding asks at 7am. Take a photo of every certificate the day you get it, note the due date of the next booster, and keep them where you can find them. (This is exactly what the health record in Pawport does: each shot gets an entry with its due date, the app reminds you before boosters lapse, and the whole record exports as a single PDF for the kennel.)
