When can puppies go outside?

The wait is about two diseases. Parvovirus is shed in the poo of infected dogs and travels on shoes, leads, bowls, clothes and hands. It can survive in the environment for months to years, is especially serious in unvaccinated dogs and puppies under six months, and is nearly always fatal without treatment. (PDSA)

Distemper spreads in the air, through contact with infected dogs and on things they have touched, and the virus can live where an infected dog has been. Young, unvaccinated dogs are most at risk, and it is often fatal. Vaccination is the best protection. (PDSA)

A puppy that has had only its first injection is not yet protected, which is why PDSA advises carrying it in public places rather than putting it on the ground. (PDSA)

Yes. PDSA suggests carrying your puppy round the park so it can see and hear other dogs without meeting them, and not putting it on the ground. Keep visits short and pair new sights with treats and praise, so the outside world feels safe. (PDSA, AVSAB)

Car rides count too. AVSAB says puppies should go on as many car trips as possible, and that these experiences should continue into adulthood. A puppy used to a crate is also less stressed when it has to travel or stay at the vet. (AVSAB)

Yes, and AVSAB recommends it. Puppies can start socialisation classes as early as 7 to 8 weeks, with at least one set of vaccines at least 7 days before the first class and a first deworming, staying up to date on vaccines throughout. WSAVA notes that the parvovirus risk to puppies partway through their course from early classes is low. (AVSAB, WSAVA)

How to pick a class:

• It checks that every puppy has up-to-date vaccinations and is free of disease and parasites. (AVSAB)
• It meets indoors, or on surfaces that are easy to clean and disinfect. (AVSAB)
• It teaches with rewards such as treats, toys and praise. (AVSAB, AVSAB)

On public ground, one to two weeks after your puppy completes its vaccination course. With a final dose at 16 weeks, that is 17 to 18 weeks of age; with a final dose at 18 to 20 weeks, later still. (PDSA, WSAVA, AAHA)

PDSA’s vet Q&A says the first walk is usually a week or so after the second jab, but that this varies with the vaccine used, and to ask your vet for exact timings. That is why the calculator works from the dates on your puppy’s card, not from a rule of thumb. (PDSA)

Short and gentle. PDSA’s guide is two or more gentle walks daily, with playtime in between, and it warns that too much exercise while a puppy is growing can be as harmful as too little. It gives no fixed number of minutes. (PDSA)

• Let your puppy wander at its own pace, sniff and rest when it needs to. (PDSA)
• Keep exercise low-impact while bones and joints grow: limit jumping and fast walks. (PDSA)
• Reward calm walking with praise and small treats, and cut the daily food allowance by up to 10% to make up for them. (PDSA)
• Build up gradually as your puppy grows. (PDSA)

Practise wearing a harness and lead in the garden first, so the first walk is not also the first lead. Our guide to leash training a puppy covers the method, and dog exercise needs covers how much as your dog grows.

The last dose was before 16 weeks

WSAVA advises repeating doses until 16 weeks of age or older. If your puppy’s last dose was earlier, the calculator shows the date a 16-week dose would give. Ask your vet whether another dose is due. (WSAVA)

My vet gave a different date

Follow your vet. Guidelines are broad guidance, not minimum standards, and local disease risk changes the advice: AAHA prefers a final dose at 18 to 20 weeks where risk is high. (WSAVA, AAHA)

A neighbour’s dog has been in the garden

Treat it as public ground until you have spoken to your vet, since parvovirus can survive for months to years outside. (PDSA, PDSA)

My puppy is scared on its first walks

Go somewhere quieter, keep it short and reward calm looking. A puppy that stays fearful needs veterinary guidance, says AVSAB. Mouthy, overexcited puppies are covered in how to stop puppy biting. (AVSAB)

Call your vet if your puppy has missed a dose, its card is incomplete, or it seems unwell: parvovirus and distemper are both serious in unvaccinated puppies. If your puppy is fearful of people, dogs or the outdoors, AVSAB says to seek veterinary guidance. (PDSA, PDSA, AVSAB)

For puppy classes and early training, choose a trainer who uses reward-based methods, which AVSAB says should be used for all dog training. (AVSAB)

Every figure and threshold on this page comes from the veterinary sources below, and each one is linked where it is used. Where no source gives a cut-off, we say call your vet rather than invent one.