Most vaccination charts look exact: this shot at this week, that one a month later. They are a useful starting point, but they leave out the part that matters most. A schedule is built for one dog. The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), whose canine vaccination guidelines are the main source for this guide, describes its recommendations as general rather than universally prescriptive, and leaves the veterinarian to choose the vaccines and protocol that fit the individual dog.
This guide explains the pattern veterinarians start from, so the plan your clinic gives you makes sense and you know what to write down. It does not replace that plan. Your veterinarian sets the actual dates.
Core vaccines are for every dog. Lifestyle vaccines depend on risk.
AAHA sorts vaccines into two groups. Core vaccines are recommended for all dogs, whatever their lifestyle, unless there is a specific medical reason not to vaccinate. Noncore vaccines, called lifestyle vaccines here, are recommended for some dogs based on lifestyle, location, and risk of exposure.
- Core: distemper, adenovirus, and parvovirus, usually given together in one combination vaccine that may also include parainfluenza; leptospirosis; and rabies.
- Lifestyle: Lyme disease, Bordetella, canine influenza, and rattlesnake toxoid.
Leptospirosis is the change to notice. The 2022 guidelines first listed it as noncore. In 2024, AAHA updated them to make leptospirosis a recommended core vaccine for all dogs, so an older chart may still show it as optional. AAHA now says all dogs in North America should be considered at risk. It is no longer mainly a disease of large dogs in the countryside. Small-breed dogs are frequently infected, and the risk factors include any time outdoors, including in cities and suburbs, exposure to rodents, and time in kennels or daycare.
Lifestyle vaccines are where your answers matter. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) gives two examples. The Lyme vaccine is recommended for dogs that live in or travel to areas with the ticks that carry the disease. Bordetella and canine influenza vaccines are recommended for dogs that visit places where other dogs gather, such as boarding, daycare, and training facilities. Tell your veterinarian about travel, boarding, hiking, and dog parks. AAHA also notes there are no published data showing that the rattlesnake toxoid works in dogs, so ask before assuming it is needed.
The puppy vaccine schedule
A puppy gets several rounds of the same vaccine because of antibodies passed on by the mother. They protect a young puppy for a while, but they can also block a vaccine from working. They fade over time. For distemper, AAHA says they are usually gone by 12–14 weeks. For parvovirus, they may last 13–15 weeks or longer. You cannot tell when that happens for one puppy, so the dose is repeated until the puppy is past that window.
| Age | What AAHA describes | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6–8 weeks | First combination vaccine: distemper, adenovirus, parvovirus, with or without parainfluenza | The earliest age AAHA gives for starting the series |
| Every 2–4 weeks | Repeat the combination vaccine | AAHA’s table calls for at least 3 doses between 6 and 16 weeks |
| 12 weeks or older | First leptospirosis vaccine, then a second 2–4 weeks later | AAHA suggests waiting until 12 weeks because reactions of any type are more likely in smaller and younger dogs |
| 3 months or older | Rabies | All licensed rabies vaccines are labeled for puppies 3 months and older. The exact timing follows local law. |
| Past 16 weeks | Last combination vaccine of the puppy series | AAHA recommends continuing until the puppy is older than 16 weeks. 18–20 weeks may be preferred where distemper or parvovirus risk is high. |
| If recommended | Lyme or canine influenza: two doses, 2–4 weeks apart. Intranasal Bordetella with parainfluenza: a single dose. | Based on the puppy’s exposure risk |
| Within 1 year of the last puppy dose | Booster for the combination vaccine and leptospirosis. Rabies booster 1 year after the first rabies vaccine. | See the next section |
Source: AAHA Table 2, Core and Noncore Vaccines for Dogs, and the guidelines’ distemper, parvovirus, leptospirosis, and rabies sections.
Two details explain why clinics differ. AAHA’s table says at least three doses between 6 and 16 weeks, while the guideline text says to keep going until the puppy is older than 16 weeks. AVMA also notes that your veterinarian may adjust the schedule to your puppy’s circumstances. If you are unsure which visit ends the series, ask.
Finishing the series matters. AAHA notes that parvovirus is still diagnosed in dogs under a year old. It names an unfinished puppy series, along with vaccine storage or handling errors, as a likely explanation for many of these “vaccine failures.” AVMA warns that skipping or delaying recommended vaccines may leave a pet without full protection. Ask your veterinarian where your puppy can safely go before the last dose.
The booster at about one year
The puppy series is not the end. AAHA recommends one more dose of the combination vaccine within a year of the last puppy dose, and the same for leptospirosis. For rabies, AAHA recommends a booster one year after the first rabies vaccine, whatever product was used and however old the puppy was. The rabies booster is meant to protect any dog that did not respond to the first dose. After it, the longer adult intervals begin.
Adult dog vaccination schedule
After the one-year booster, AAHA’s intervals differ by vaccine. The combination vaccine moves to every three years. Leptospirosis and the lifestyle vaccines stay yearly.
| Vaccine | Type | After the one-year booster |
|---|---|---|
| Distemper, adenovirus, parvovirus (± parainfluenza) | Core | Every 3 years. AAHA says annual boosters are not necessary. |
| Leptospirosis | Core since the 2024 update | Every year. AAHA notes immunity has been shown to last 12 to 18 months, depending on the vaccine serovar. |
| Rabies | Core | As required by law. Both 1-year and 3-year rabies vaccines exist. |
| Lyme disease | Lifestyle | Every year |
| Bordetella, with or without parainfluenza | Lifestyle | Every year |
| Canine influenza (H3N8/H3N2) | Lifestyle | Every year |
| Rattlesnake toxoid | Lifestyle | Varies with body weight and exposure risk |
Source: AAHA Table 2, Core and Noncore Vaccines for Dogs.
A three-year vaccine doesn’t mean a three-year gap between visits. AAHA says dogs should be assessed at least once a year to work out which vaccines they need, because travel and the spread of diseases carried by ticks and other carriers can change a dog’s risk. A year with no core vaccine due is still a year to review the plan. See how often a dog should go to the vet for the life-stage view.
Adopted an adult, or not sure of the history? According to AAHA, a dog that starts vaccines after 16 weeks of age usually gets two doses of the combination vaccine, 2–4 weeks apart, and two leptospirosis doses 2–4 weeks apart, whatever its age. AAHA also says that for dogs with an unknown history, the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks. If your dog is overdue, AVMA says it is not too late. Ask your veterinarian how to catch up instead of working it out from a chart.
What about titer tests? A titer is a blood test that measures antibodies. AVMA says titers do not replace vaccination. AAHA does not usually advise routine titer testing to decide whether a dog needs revaccination, except in specific cases such as a history of vaccine reactions. For rabies, a titer is not considered a substitute for the vaccine.
Rabies timing is set by law, not just medicine
Rabies is the one vaccine where your veterinarian has to follow outside rules. AAHA explains that rabies vaccination is legally required in many places. The law may set the age of the first vaccine, the timing of boosters, the type of vaccine, what happens when a booster is overdue, and whether exemptions are allowed. Those rules can be local, state, or provincial, so requirements differ from place to place. Where rabies vaccination isn’t required by law, AAHA still recommends it as a core vaccine.
AVMA adds that many local and state laws require certain vaccines even for dogs that never go outside. Keep the rabies certificate and tag number with your records, and use the due date your clinic gives you.
What to watch for after a vaccine
AVMA says mild, short-lived effects are common and usually start within hours: tenderness and swelling where the vaccine was given, tiredness, mild fever, or a smaller appetite. A vaccine given in the nose can cause sneezing, mild coughing, or other respiratory signs 2–5 days later. These usually clear within 24 hours. Contact your veterinarian if they last more than a day or two, or if your dog seems extremely uncomfortable. A small, firm lump at the vaccine site should start to shrink within a couple of weeks. Call if it lasts more than three weeks, seems painful, or keeps growing.
Always tell your veterinarian if your dog has reacted to a vaccine or medication before. AVMA suggests waiting at the clinic for 30–60 minutes after a vaccine if you are worried about a reaction or your dog is getting that vaccine for the first time. If anything happens, write down what you saw and when, so the next visit can plan around it.
Keep a record your next clinic can use
AVMA notes that reputable boarding, daycare, grooming, and training services require up-to-date vaccines. The record you want is the one you can hand over without calling the clinic first. For each vaccine, write down:
- The date given. Copy it from the clinic record, not from memory.
- The exact vaccine name. AAHA abbreviates the combination vaccine as DA2PP, but your clinic’s paperwork may use a different abbreviation. Copy what is written.
- The clinic or veterinarian. So a new clinic knows where the original record is.
- The rabies certificate or tag number. Keep it with the record.
- The next due date your clinic gave you. Use their date, not one calculated from a chart.
- Any reaction. What you noticed, when it started, and how long it lasted.
If you prefer paper, our free printable dog vaccine record has columns for each of these. In Pup AI, vaccines have their own category, with rabies, the combination vaccine, leptospirosis, Bordetella, Lyme, canine influenza, and an option for any other labeled vaccine. Enter the due date your clinic gave you and the app can send a reminder. It stores the plan your veterinarian set. It does not create one.
The next step
Find your dog’s most recent vaccine record and check two things. Does it list leptospirosis? Does every vaccine have a next due date from the clinic? If either answer is no, bring the record to the next visit and ask. That conversation, not a chart, decides your dog’s schedule.