When Can Puppies Go Outside With Other Dogs

Vaccinations help protect your dog against diseases making them essential when puppies go outside.

When can puppies go outside with other dogs. Unless you know the vaccine status of every dog that has been in a certain location before you and your puppy it s important to not put your puppy on the ground until all vaccines take full effect. To sum up your dog can go outside roam freely and socialize with other dogs without many boundaries after 16 weeks of age. However you can accomplish all of these important experiences before that with a bit of extra planning and precaution. People often ask us when can puppies go outside safely for walks or to meet other dogs standard traditional advice used to be that puppies can go outside in public places when they are fully protected by their immunizations at about 16 weeks old.

When deciding on the right time to take your puppy outside it is helpful to include some knowledge about how vaccines work in your decision making process. Puppy vaccinations are repeated every three to four weeks until 16 weeks of age. Puppies typically receive multiple injections with the same type of vaccine starting at age 6 8 weeks. Most puppies go to new homes somewhere during the 7 8 week mark.

Socializing your puppy if you re wondering when can puppies go outside away from home the american veterinary society of animal behavior avsab recommends that pet guardians begin taking puppies on walks and public outings as early as one week after their first round of vaccinations at about seven weeks old. Vets and puppy trainers used to recommend keeping your new puppy away from other dogs before the age of 4 months precisely because of these health risks. The puppy s need for socialization trumps everything even contamination risks due to an unfinished vaccination plan. For most puppies this will be around 16 weeks.

By providing your dog with exposure early on you re setting them up for a life of happiness and. However puppies should wait to explore environments outside the home where other dogs frequent. Introducing your puppy to other dogs before 16 weeks of age when puppies are 8 16 weeks old they are in their critical socialisation period where it is very important for them to be exposed to unfamiliar situations and people so that they can learn to not be afraid of such things. However nowadays no modern vets recommend this approach anymore.

Pups in particular are vulnerable to serious diseases such as parvovirus and canine distemper. The problem now is your puppy is old enough to be weaned but not old enough for its vaccinations leaving it vulnerable to all manner of doggie disease. Dogs can be taken outside as early as one week after vaccinations and even newborns can be outside in mild weather with supervision.