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What vaccines does a puppy need and when?

Puppy vaccines

What vaccines does a puppy need and when?

A puppy's vaccine card fills up fast, and the reasons behind the dates are rarely explained in the exam room. This page sets out the pattern in the American Animal Hospital Association's guidelines, what Massachusetts law adds, and where a first daycare day or overnight stay fits on the calendar.

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Last reviewed October 10, 2026 · by the Dogtown team

The core series

The core series runs from 6 to 8 weeks to past 16 weeks, because of the mother's antibodies

AAHA's 2022 canine vaccination guidelines call distemper, adenovirus type 2, parvovirus and rabies core vaccines, recommended for every dog whatever its lifestyle. For the first three, the series can start at 6 to 8 weeks. The reason it does not stop there is the antibody a puppy absorbs from its mother: it fades over the first months, but while it lasts it can block a vaccine. AAHA says the distemper antibody is usually gone by 12 to 14 weeks, and the parvovirus antibody may last to 13 to 15 weeks or longer.

Because nobody can see when a particular puppy's borrowed protection runs out, the shots repeat every 2 to 4 weeks until the puppy is older than 16 weeks, and AAHA notes that a final dose at 18 to 20 weeks may be preferred where the risk is high. The last shot is the one that counts most. AAHA observes that unfinished schedules, along with storage and handling errors, may account for many so-called vaccine failures in young dogs, so keep every appointment, even when the puppy seems perfectly well.

Typical age	Vaccine	What sets the timing
From 3 weeks, if your vet advises	Bordetella through the nose, with parainfluenza	AAHA: the nasal route is not blocked by the mother's antibodies
6 to 8 weeks	First DHPP (distemper, adenovirus type 2, parvovirus, parainfluenza)	AAHA: the earliest age to start the core series
Every 2 to 4 weeks	DHPP repeated	AAHA: continue until the puppy is older than 16 weeks
12 weeks or older	First leptospirosis dose, if your vet advises	AAHA suggests starting at or after 12 weeks
3 months or older	Rabies	AAHA: every licensed rabies vaccine is labeled from 3 months
By 6 months	Rabies must be done	Massachusetts law, chapter 140, section 145B
About a year later	DHPP and rabies boosters	AAHA: DHPP within a year of the series, rabies one year after the first dose

Massachusetts law

Rabies is the vaccine the law requires, by 6 months of age

Under chapter 140, section 145B of the Massachusetts General Laws, the owner or keeper of a dog 6 months of age or older must have it vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian, and revaccinated at the intervals the manufacturer recommends. The vet completes a certificate and issues a tag for the collar or harness. The same section lets boarding facilities require proof of current rabies vaccination, and where it is missing, the animal must be vaccinated before it is discharged, if its health allows.

AAHA supplies the medical side. Every licensed rabies vaccine for dogs is labeled for puppies 3 months and older, and whichever product is used, a booster is recommended one year after the first dose, to catch any dog that did not respond. So a puppy vaccinated at 14 weeks is due again around its first birthday, and the longer interval on the product label applies after that. The certificate is also what your town clerk needs before issuing a license; in Gloucester that means the City Clerk at 9 Dale Ave.

Rabies by 6 months under state law, and from 3 months on the label
A signed certificate and a collar tag from the vet
A booster one year after the first dose
Boarding facilities may ask for proof under the same section

Lifestyle vaccines

Bordetella, leptospirosis and Lyme are chosen for the life your puppy will lead

AAHA calls these noncore, meaning recommended for some dogs based on lifestyle, location and risk of exposure, alongside canine influenza and the rattlesnake toxoid. Leptospirosis is the one it presses hardest, saying vaccination should be strongly considered for most dogs in North America, and its risk factors include any time outdoors, exposure to rodents, and time in kennels or dog daycares. AAHA suggests the first dose at or after 12 weeks, and as with other vaccines of its type, boosters are yearly.

Lyme is a regional question, and the region is ours. In the 2013 to 2019 dataset AAHA cites, Massachusetts ranked second only to Connecticut for Lyme seroprevalence in tested dogs, and AAHA advises considering the vaccine for dogs in endemic areas, paired with tick control. On Cape Ann, ticks are out from roughly April to November. Bordetella completes the trio for a puppy headed to daycare, and our answer on the Bordetella vaccine covers its three forms and their timing.

Leptospirosis: AAHA says strongly consider it; first dose at 12 weeks or later
Lyme: worth a conversation in Massachusetts, together with tick control
Bordetella: required by Dogtown before group play
Canine influenza: not routine under AAHA guidance; ask your vet during outbreaks

Daycare and overnight stays

Daycare and overnight stays wait for three vaccines, a license and an evaluation

Dogtown requires Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella on file and a current city dog license before a dog joins daycare, Dogtown Academy, an overnight stay or an at-home walk, and checks them at the free evaluation, held on weekdays between 6:30 and 9:30 AM by appointment. For a puppy the license is usually the step that sets the date, because the town will not issue it without the rabies certificate. Grooming needs none of this, so a first bath can come sooner.

Until the series is complete, a puppy's world is your home, your car, your arms and the homes of healthy, vaccinated dogs you know, and our how-to on socializing before vaccines are complete explains how to use those weeks well. Tiny Tails Puppy School takes pups from 8 to 16 weeks; ask the training team what a pup needs on file to join. Once the records are complete, a half day at $33 is the usual first booking, and an overnight suite is $78 a night.

01
At the first vet visit, ask for the whole calendar, including the final dose after 16 weeks
02
Book each DHPP repeat 2 to 4 weeks after the last one, and keep them all
03
Ask about Bordetella, leptospirosis and Lyme for a Cape Ann puppy
04
Have the rabies shot at the age your vet sets, by 6 months at the latest
05
Take the rabies certificate to your town clerk for the license
06
Send the records with the new customer form and book a weekday evaluation
07
Put the one-year boosters in your calendar today

At Dogtown

Where the vaccine calendar leads

Once the series, the rabies shot and the license are done, these are a puppy's next steps at Dogtown.

Husky standing on the turf play yard at Dogtown, looking at the camera

Dog DaycareFrom $33 · Explore

Golden retriever resting on a cozy bed in a Dogtown boarding suite

Overnight StaysFrom $78 · Explore

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Asked and answered

Questions people ask about this

Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.

Why does my puppy need so many shots?

Because the antibodies a puppy gets from its mother can block a vaccine, and they fade at a different pace in every puppy. Repeating the core vaccine every 2 to 4 weeks until after 16 weeks, as AAHA recommends, makes sure at least one dose lands after that protection has gone. Missing the last appointment is how many puppy series fall short.

When is my puppy fully vaccinated?

When your vet says the series is complete, which under AAHA's guidance means the final core dose after 16 weeks, plus rabies from 3 months. Protection then depends on the one-year boosters. Ask your vet when your puppy can use public ground such as sidewalks, dog parks and beaches, because the answer depends on your puppy's own dates.

Does Massachusetts require any puppy vaccine besides rabies?

No. Chapter 140, section 145B requires rabies vaccination for dogs 6 months and older, and no other vaccine is required by state law at the time of writing. Daycares and kennels set their own lists; Dogtown asks for DHPP and Bordetella as well as rabies, plus a current city license, before group play or an overnight stay.

Can my puppy have an overnight stay before the series is finished?

Not until the vaccines are on file; ask the front desk whether a puppy partway through the series can be evaluated. Overnight stays, like daycare, need Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella on the vet's record, a current city license and the free evaluation first. Plan a first stay for after the final puppy shots and the license, and book the evaluation for a weekday morning between 6:30 and 9:30, well before the trip.

Does my Cape Ann puppy need the leptospirosis vaccine?

Ask your vet. AAHA says leptospirosis vaccination should be strongly considered for most dogs in North America, and lists time outdoors, rodents, kennels and dog daycares among the risk factors. It is not on Dogtown's required list, which is Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella. If your vet gives it, bring that record too and we will keep it on file.