Your puppy's first year: a calm, honest guide.

The first week home

Book a vet visit within the first week — even if your puppy came with a clean bill of health. That first exam catches things breeders and rescues can miss (heart murmurs, hernias, cleft palates), starts the vaccine record properly, and — just as important — makes the clinic a place where nothing bad happens on visit one. We spend most of that first appointment feeding treats.

Keep the food the same for at least the first two weeks, whatever it is. A new home is enough upheaval for one small digestive system; switch foods later, gradually, over about a week.

Vaccines: the timeline that matters

Puppy vaccines aren't one shot — they're a series, because the immunity a puppy gets from its mother fades on its own unpredictable schedule. The series exists to close that gap. A typical plan looks like this (your vet will tailor it):

• 6–8 weeks First distemper combo (DHPP). Usually done by the breeder or rescue — bring the record.
• 10–12 weeks Second DHPP, plus leptospirosis and Bordetella if daycare or group classes are in the plan.
• 14–16 weeks Final DHPP and rabies. This last combo round is the one that really counts — don't skip it.
• 6–12 months Spay/neuter conversation (timing depends on breed and size), plus a weight and behaviour check.
• ~1 year First adult wellness exam and boosters. From here it's once a year — twice once they're seniors.

The in-between weeks are not "no protection" — they're "incomplete protection." Which brings us to the most misunderstood topic in puppy raising:

Socialization: the window everyone underestimates

Roughly between 3 and 14 weeks of age, puppies file experiences under "normal" instead of "threat." After the window closes, new things default to suspicious. This is why well-meaning advice to keep a puppy home until every vaccine is done trades a small infection risk for a much larger behavioural one — under-socialized dogs are far more likely to develop fear and aggression problems later.

The sensible middle path: during the vaccine series, socialize carefully rather than not at all. Carried walks, car rides, visitors of different shapes and hat-wearing habits, puppy classes that require vaccine records, friends' healthy vaccinated dogs in private yards. Avoid dog parks and heavily trafficked sniffing spots until the series is done. Pair every new thing with something delicious.

Parasites, without the horror stories

Nearly all puppies carry roundworms — it's normal, not negligence, and it's why deworming starts young and why we ask for a stool sample at the first visits. From spring through fall in Ottawa, monthly prevention for fleas, ticks, and heartworm is the boring, effective answer. Which product and which months depend on your puppy's weight and lifestyle; that's a two-minute conversation at any visit, and the honest version sometimes ends with "you can skip that one."

Spay and neuter: it's a timing question now

The old advice was "six months, everyone." Current evidence is more nuanced: for many small dogs, around six months remains reasonable, while for large and giant breeds there can be orthopedic and other benefits to waiting until closer to physical maturity. There's no single right answer — there's a right answer for your dog, based on breed, size, sex, and your household. We'll talk it through around the final vaccine visit, with the trade-offs on the table.

Food, teeth, and the chewing months

Feed a puppy food (large-breed puppy formula for large breeds — the calcium balance genuinely matters) until roughly their first birthday, and measure meals rather than free-feeding. Lean puppies become dogs with better joints; growth should be steady, not maximal.

Teething peaks around four to six months, and the 28 baby teeth are replaced by 42 adult ones. Offer chews softer than the teeth doing the chewing — if you can't dent it with a fingernail, it can crack a tooth. At vaccine visits we'll check that baby teeth are actually falling out; stubborn retained ones sometimes need removing so adult teeth come in straight.

One boring, valuable errand

While your puppy is young and healthy, look at pet insurance or start a dedicated savings account — whichever suits you. Premiums are lowest, and nothing is yet "pre-existing." Future-you, standing in an emergency room at 2 a.m., will be very grateful to present-you for thirty minutes of paperwork.