Regular Vaccination Schedules Provide Dog, and Owner, Vital Health Protection

When a puppy first comes home, its owners are usually made aware of the vaccinations it has received to that point and provided with a standardized schedule for the additional vaccinations that will needed throughout its first year of life.  In many cases, the breeder will give the owners a record book/log that can be used to plan and track which vaccines are given, and when, over those critically important months.

As time progresses and the frequency of vaccination visits to the veterinarian decreases, dog owners may become less diligent about having their dog immunized on a consistent and regular basis.  Although likely inadvertent or unintentional, neglecting to maintain a routine vaccination schedule can be detrimental to the dog’s health, as it may no longer be protected against such serious and highly contagious canine diseases as:

• Rabies
• Hepatitis
• Distemper
• Parvovirus

Additionally, and perhaps contrary to existing beliefs, there are canine diseases/illnesses that are indeed transferable to humans; hence, maintaining an appropriate immunization schedule is not only important for the health of the dog but for its owner-family as well.

In the past, there was a generally-accepted rule that a dog should have its vaccinations on an annual basis; more recently, however, there has been growing support/evidence to amend that school of thought.  Advancements in the duration/effectiveness of some vaccines, as well as the more customized approach of tailoring the inoculation schedule to the individual dog, have influenced veterinarians in terms of the types of vaccines to be given and how frequently they should be administered.

Factors to be considered in determining the specific vaccination regimen/schedule for a dog might include:

• Age
• Breed
• Lifestyle
• Travel habits
• Environment
• Medical history

Some dog owners may be hesitant to proceed with having their pet vaccinated due to a concern about potential health risks from the inoculants themselves, such as any allergic reactions, or worries about the possibility of pain/swelling at the injection site. It should be noted that the former is quite infrequent and the latter is rather transient/temporary in nature; more importantly, the risks associated with not vaccinating a dog are far more dangerous/hazardous to its health and possibly to the health of family members as well.

Enrollment in Dog Obedience School May Depend on Up-to-Date Vaccinations

Vaccinations and overall health are also important factors when dog owners contemplate enrolling their pet in an obedience school program.  The absence of one or both of these factors will most likely prohibit the dog’s acceptance and/or participation, due to risks of communicable illnesses for the trainer and any other dogs in the class.

As noted above, a regular vaccination schedule is perhaps more easily maintained during the puppy stage; this bodes well for owners who wish to enroll their puppy in obedience training, like the puppy preschool program offered by the professionals at Alpha Paws in Toronto.

Where and when it will be extremely important to have a dog’s vaccinations up-to-date is in circumstances that require obedience training for older dogs that may be exhibiting behavioural issues such as:

• Persistent gnawing/chewing
• Jumping, lunging, or rough play
• Unnecessary or unprovoked barking
• Excessive digging, scratching, clawing

Alpha Paws also offers dog obedience school programs to explicitly deal with these types of behavioural issues.  For additional information on these Alpha Paws training programs, please visit our behavioural issues page.

If your puppy or adult dog has its vaccinations up-to-date and you are considering their enrollment in an applicable obedience school program, call the dog training experts at Alpha Paws today at 1-877-868-PAWS (5248) to discuss the type of session that will be most appropriate for you and your dog.