Your New Puppy's First Year: What to Schedule and When
The first few weeks are the easy part
You just brought your puppy home. Everything is exciting. You're taking photos, buying toys, posting on Instagram. But after the novelty wears off, the real work starts: figuring out what your puppy actually needs and when.
Puppies need a surprising number of vet visits, vaccinations, and training milestones in their first year. A missed vaccination can create a protection gap and require a catch-up plan, but it does not automatically mean restarting every dose. Socialization also needs to begin early in carefully managed settings rather than waiting until the entire vaccine series is complete.
Here's what a typical first year looks like, broken down by age.
8 to 10 weeks: the basics
This is when most puppies come home. Your first vet visit should happen within a few days of bringing them home, even if the breeder or shelter says they're up to date.
At this visit, expect:
- A full physical exam
- First round of DHPP vaccine (distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, parvovirus)
- Fecal test for parasites
- Discussion about flea, tick, and heartworm prevention
You'll also want to start housetraining and crate training right away. Puppies this age need to go outside every 1 to 2 hours.
12 weeks: second round of shots
Your puppy is due for their second DAPP or DHPP dose. At 12 weeks or older, AAHA guidance also starts the two-dose core leptospirosis series. Some vets give Bordetella (kennel cough) at this age when a puppy will be around other dogs.
This is also part of the critical socialization period. The AVSAB puppy socialization position statement supports beginning controlled socialization before the vaccine series is complete. Expose your puppy to different people, sounds, surfaces, and environments while following your veterinarian's advice about avoiding higher-risk locations.
16 weeks: the big one
This visit often includes the third DAPP or DHPP dose, the second leptospirosis dose, and rabies vaccination. Rabies timing follows the product label and state or local law. Your vet will give you a certificate you need to keep.
By now your puppy should be comfortable with:
- Being handled (ears, paws, mouth)
- Meeting new people without fear
- Basic commands like sit and come
- Walking on a leash
If they're not, it's worth investing in a puppy training class. Group classes double as socialization, so they're well worth the time.
4 to 6 months: sterilization planning and teething
This is a good time to begin or revisit a spay or neuter plan, not a universal deadline for surgery. The WSAVA reproduction guideline explains that the benefits and risks vary with factors including sex, breed, age, health, lifestyle, purpose, and the owner's ability to prevent an unintended litter. Choose whether and when to sterilize with your veterinarian instead of defaulting every puppy to surgery at 4 to 6 months.
Your puppy is also teething around this time. They'll chew on everything. Stock up on appropriate chew toys and puppy-proof anything you don't want destroyed.
Other things happening in this window:
- Permanent teeth coming in (check for retained baby teeth)
- Increased independence and boundary-testing
- Time to start more structured training
6 to 12 months: adolescence
Welcome to the teenager phase. Your puppy might "forget" commands they knew perfectly well last month. They'll test boundaries, get distracted more easily, and generally be a handful.
Stay consistent with training. This is not the time to slack off.
Health-wise, keep up with:
- Year-round heartworm prevention on the interval prescribed by your vet
- Flea and tick treatment on schedule
- Any remaining booster vaccines your vet recommends
Around 12 months, or when your vet advises based on growth and breed, you will switch from puppy food to adult food. Make the change gradually according to your veterinarian's or food manufacturer's instructions.
The schedule at a glance
| Age | What's due |
|---|---|
| 8-10 weeks | First vet visit, DAPP or DHPP #1, parasite check |
| 12 weeks | DAPP or DHPP #2, leptospirosis #1, risk-based vaccines, controlled socialization |
| 14-16 weeks | DAPP or DHPP #3, leptospirosis #2, rabies vaccine |
| 4-6 months | Individualized spay/neuter plan, teething management |
| 7-12 months | Heartworm testing as directed by your vet |
| 12 months | Switch to adult food, annual exam, booster vaccines |
How to actually keep track of all this
Trying to remember all these dates in your head is a losing battle. Between vaccine boosters, flea treatments, grooming, and training milestones, something will slip.
That's exactly why we built Pet Care Reminder. You add your puppy's breed and age, and the app suggests a care schedule. You can tweak it however you like, set reminders for each task, and mark things off as you go. If someone else in your household is helping with the puppy, they can see the same schedule and log tasks too.
It's one less thing to keep in your head during an already hectic first year.
Sources
- 2022 AAHA Canine Vaccination Guidelines. Formal recommendations for puppy vaccine timing, catch-up vaccination, and the 2024 update that classifies leptospirosis as a core vaccine.
- AVSAB Position Statement On Puppy Socialization. Formal guidance on controlled early socialization before the vaccine series is complete.
- Information for Veterinarians. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on animal rabies vaccination and compliance with local law.
- WSAVA guidelines for the control of reproduction in dogs and cats. Peer-reviewed guidance supporting individualized decisions about whether, when, and how to control reproduction.
- Heartworm Guidelines. American Heartworm Society guidelines for heartworm diagnosis, prevention, and management.
