When Can Your Puppy Go Outside? Timeline Explained

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When taking your new puppy outside for the first time, you might face a dilemma. On one hand, bringing your young pup out into the world before they’ve received all their vaccinations increases their risk of contracting diseases. On the other hand, if you wait until your pup is fully vaccinated, you risk missing their socialization window. So what’s a pup parent to do?

According to Kim Krug, a veterinarian at the Animal Behavior Clinic in Portland, Oregon, you can do both! “The good news is that we can adequately socialize puppies and decrease the risk of infectious diseases at the same time,” she says.

The first step is calculating the risks with your vet. Together, you’ll factor considerations like your dog’s lifestyle, the parvo danger in your area, and how you plan to get your pup out and about while keeping them healthy and safe.

Risks

Your puppy’s physical health is important, but so is their mental and emotional well-being. By positively introducing your puppy to new things, from new people and animals to various sounds and environments, you help build their resilience to move confidently through the world as adults.

The tricky part, however, is that the socialization window—when puppies are most receptive to new experiences—is short and often overlaps with their vaccination schedule.

Here’s a look at the potential risks of taking your puppy outside too early versus waiting too long for socialization.

Disease

According to Krug, your puppy isn’t likely to get sick from going outside if you create safe experiences for them. That said, the risk is still there. Without a complete set of puppy vaccinations, your dog is susceptible to contracting infectious—and potentially fatal—diseases. That includes:

• Canine distemper. The distemper vaccine protects against the canine distemper virus. This fatal neurologic virus is usually transmitted through aerosol droplet secretions of infected animals.
• Adenovirus. The adenovirus vaccine protects against infectious canine hepatitis (ICH), which is caused by the canine adenovirus 1 (CAV-1) virus. This virus is transmitted to other dogs when they come into contact with an infected dog’s saliva, urine, or feces.
• Parvovirus. The parvovirus vaccine protects against canine parvovirus (CPV), a highly contagious and often fatal intestinal virus. Parvo is transmitted through direct contact with the feces of an infected animal.
• Parainfluenza. The parainfluenza vaccine protects against the canine parainfluenza virus (CPIV). This highly contagious respiratory virus can cause kennel cough.
• Rabies. The rabies vaccine protects against the fatal rabies virus, which causes brain and spinal cord inflammation. It’s transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal.

If your puppy gets sick during the vaccination timeline, Krug says to seek vet care immediately. “Early intervention and appropriate medical care are vital to getting puppies through any illness they experience,” she explains.

Bigandt_Photography via iStock

Undersocialization

While it used to be the consensus that puppies should wait to go outside until their last rounds of vaccinations, more vets are shifting their stance.

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB), in particular, says puppy socialization is crucial and should begin before vaccinations are complete. The organization backs this stance by noting that behavioral issues cause more deaths in pups under the age of three than infectious diseases.

A lack of early socialization can increase a puppy’s risk of developing behavioral problems, including the following:

• Fearfulness. Whether it’s humans, animals, objects, or places, undersocialized puppies are more likely to be afraid of unfamiliar things they encounter in life.
• Aggression. Because of this fear, puppies may start growling, lunging, barking, or biting when approached by anything that scares them.
• Anxiety. Puppies that aren’t properly socialized may experience severe distress when left alone or when they hear certain noises like thunder or fireworks.
• Poor canine social skills. When pups don’t learn how to communicate with other dogs properly, it can lead to overreactions and conflicts with other dogs.
• Reactivity. Undersocialized dogs will often have over-the-top responses to “normal” things they encounter (like other dogs, house guests, bikes, and so on).
• Difficulty with being handled. Puppies not exposed early on to handling from different people may have a hard time during routine care, such as grooming and vet exams.

When Can a Puppy Potty Outside?

After the first round of vaccines at 6-8 weeks old, puppies can typically venture into your backyard and begin potty training. Many pet parents adopt their pups around 8-10 weeks old, so they should be able to start potty training outside right off the bat.

As long as your backyard is fenced and inaccessible to unknown animals who could carry infectious diseases, it should be a safe area.

Factors that change the schedule

Not everyone has a secure backyard, though. Here are a few things that might delay when it’s ok for puppies to go outside to pee:

• You have a yard that isn’t fenced, where neighborhood dogs and wildlife frequent.
• You have a shared outdoor area (like at an apartment) where unfamiliar dogs have access.
• You only have access to public spaces like the sidewalk or the park.

Talk to your vet if there are too many unknowns in your outdoor environment to feel comfortable letting your puppy go potty outside. They can help you determine the best strategy for keeping your pup safe without interfering with their fundamental training.

What to do if the risk is too high

The alternatives you and your vet choose to take instead of having your puppy potty outside may include the following:

• Artificial grass mats. If you have a patio or balcony, a grass mat can mimic going outside and aid in your potty training.
• Puppy pee pads: If you lack access to safe outdoor areas, use puppy pee pads instead. Just place them in the same location in your house each time to avoid confusion.
• Indoor potty trays: Similar to cat litter boxes, dog potty trays offer an indoor toilet of sorts with four walls where your puppy can do their business in peace. They’re a key part of indoor potty training.

Kirill Gorshkov via iStock

When Can a Puppy Go for Walks?

While you’ll want to get an early start on leash training, your puppy will have to wait to go on traditional walks until they’ve been fully vaccinated, around 16-18 weeks of age.

That said, if your vet gives you the all-clear, there are ways to practice walking outside while using caution, such as walking your puppy in:

• Your private backyard
• A friend’s private yard
• A short stretch of clean sidewalk
• A controlled area, like a parking lot or parking garage

Only walk your puppy in areas where there will be minimal to no dog traffic, and only allow your pup around dogs that you know for sure are fully vaccinated and are current on parasite prevention.

Krug also advises avoiding areas with wildlife or standing water—both can bring disease, such as Giardia, and puppies are prone to using their tongues to investigate everything.

Factors that change the schedule

In some cases, however, you may want to wait to walk your puppy outside (even with precautions) until they’re fully vaccinated. Such instances could include living in a place with:

• A high parvovirus risk. Your vet, breeder, or animal rescue should know if recent outbreaks have happened in your area. Locations at the most risk typically have a high stray dog population, an abundance of backyard breeders, or low vaccination rates.
• A densely populated urban area. Parvo also easily spreads in warm, humid, and heavily populated areas.
• No access to safe surfaces or low-risk areas. Avoid taking your puppy outside for walks if you only live near high-traffic dog zones like shared green spaces, dog runs, public parks, or frequently used sidewalks. Shared grassy areas can harbor parvo in the soil for months, and dirty sidewalks can spread diseases through urine, feces, or saliva left behind.

What to do if the risk is too high

There are still ways you can build walking and social skills without, well, taking an actual walk. Here’s how.

• Practice leash skills inside. Work on desensitizing your puppy to a collar, harness, and leash inside your home where they feel comfortable. Practicing loose leash walking inside also limits distractions while your puppy learns the ropes.
• Take your leash skills to the porch. If you have a patio or porch, practice walking there with your pup so they can get used to the sights and sounds of your neighborhood. While your world may be limited for a while, the good news is that as your puppy’s leash skills advance, so will their vaccinations.
• Use a stroller, wagon, or backpack. Pop your pup into a pack or some sort of carrier where their precious paws will never touch the ground. That way, they can still experience the world just like a walk.

When Can a Puppy Go to the Park?

A puppy who isn’t fully vaccinated can go to the park safely. You’ll just need to make some modifications. First, try quieter parks with less dog traffic, minimal wildlife, and no standing water—and ensure there are no direct interactions with strange dogs.

To keep your pup’s paws from making contact with the ground, spread a large blanket on the grass or keep your puppy in your lap for extra safety.

“What we want is for the puppy to know that a variety of people exist and that you don’t have to be afraid of them,” Krug says. “This can be done anywhere! You could go sit on a park bench and watch people pass by. The puppy doesn’t even have to touch the ground!”

Krugo says dog parks are strictly for fully vaccinated pups, though. “Dog parks are one of, if not the, most dangerous places you could take a puppy,” she adds. Not only will they encounter strange dogs that could get them sick, but having a negative encounter during their socialization period could cause your pup to develop a fear (or aggression) around other dogs.

Kintarapong via iStock

Factors that change the schedule

Where you live will affect when you feel comfortable taking your pup to a public park. Here are a few things to consider.

• High parvo risk. If there’s an outbreak in your area or at a specific park, avoid taking your pup out until they’re fully vaccinated. Your vet should know what’s going on in your location, and you can also follow reports online and check your county’s website.
• Urban environment. Living in a city might make finding areas with less dog traffic more difficult.
• Rural location. Conversely, rural parks might have less dog traffic but a greater risk of infections from local wildlife.

What to do if the risk is too high

If you and your vet decide that taking your puppy to a park is too risky, you can do other socialization outings instead, such as:

• Inviting vaccinated dogs over. Ask friends or family with well-socialized dogs who are current on their vaccinations to come to your house so you can work on building positive interactions.
• Using a carrier to walk through a park. A backpack, tote, stroller, or wagon is an excellent way to expose your puppy to the world while keeping them safe.
• Sitting in your car. Park your vehicle outside a park, a school with kids at recess, or a shopping center. Sit in the back with your dog and let them safely observe the world around them.

Socialization Before Your Puppy Can Go Outside

“Regardless of where you live, it’s important to find ways for your puppy to have safe exposures,” Krug says. “Think about what you want your adult dog to be able to do comfortably and feel good about. Those are the experiences you want to figure out how to safely create for your puppy.”

Here are some additional socialization ideas your puppy can safely do before their last vaccinations.

• Give your puppy access to different surfaces in your backyard or indoors.
• Practice grooming and body handling as soon as you bring your pup home.
• Play various sounds that are typically scary for dogs to help desensitize your pup to them at an early age.
• Take your pup on car rides. “Spending time learning how to ride safely and comfortably in the car is socialization!” says Krug.
• Use a stroller or backpack to expose your dog to new environments, such as construction sites, dog-friendly cafes, and public transportation.
• Invite a variety of people and vaccinated animals over to your house to build positive associations in a controlled setting.
• Enroll your pup in puppy classes with strict health requirements for safe exposure to other dogs and people.

For pet parents still unsure about how to safely socialize their pups before they’re fully vaccinated, Krug recommends seeking advice from a positive reinforcement trainer, veterinarian, or veterinary behaviorist.

She adds that while it’s important to do as much as you can to support healthy development in the critical socialization window, the training doesn’t stop there. Learning is a lifelong journey for both you and your pup!