Bringing home a puppy means a string of vet visits in your first few months together, most of them for vaccines. It's easy to lose track of which shot happened when, especially if you switch vets, forget a sticky note on the fridge, or just have a lot going on. Here's the standard schedule, a free printable chart, and a better way to keep it than paper.
The standard puppy vaccination schedule
Most puppies start their core vaccine series between 6 and 8 weeks old, with follow-up doses every 2 to 4 weeks until they're about 16 weeks. Your vet may adjust timing slightly based on your puppy's breed, health, and regional disease risk, so treat this as a general map, not a substitute for your vet's specific plan.
| Age | Typical vaccines |
|---|---|
| 6–8 weeks | DHPP (distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, parvovirus) — dose 1 |
| 10–12 weeks | DHPP — dose 2 |
| 12–16 weeks | Leptospirosis (dose 1 of 2, if recommended in your area) |
| 14–16 weeks | DHPP — dose 3, plus rabies (timing varies by state law) |
| 1 year | DHPP booster, rabies booster, annual lepto if applicable |
| Every 1–3 years after | Boosters per your vet's protocol (DHPP is often every 3 years; lepto and rabies timing vary by product and local law) |
Why missing a booster actually matters
The early series works by layering doses because a puppy's immune system responds unevenly to a single shot — maternal antibodies from their mom can block a vaccine from "taking" until they fade, and that fade-out point differs puppy to puppy. Skipping or delaying a dose in the series can leave a gap where your puppy isn't fully protected, which is exactly when many vets restrict park visits, daycare, and boarding until the series is done.
The problem with paper (and fridge magnets)
A printed chart works until it doesn't — it gets lost in a move, a new sitter can't find it, or nobody remembers to check it before the next due date sneaks up. None of that is a knock on paper; it's just what happens to anything that lives in one physical place and doesn't remind you of anything on its own.
What it looks like tracked digitally instead
In PetFolio Health, you enter each vaccine once — date given, next due date, clinic — and it stays with your puppy's profile permanently. You get a reminder before the next dose is due, and if you switch vets or need to show proof for daycare or boarding, it's a link you can pull up on your phone instead of a chart you have to go find.
Never re-print a vaccination chart again
Add your puppy's vaccine dates once and get reminded automatically before the next one is due.
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