When can my 12-week puppy start outdoor potty training after shots?

You can get started right away! Consistency is the key to house training, so be sure to take Emmitt outside often - after eating, napping, playing, or at least every 2-3 hours. Reward appropriate potty behavior with praise and a small treat. If you catch him in the act of eliminating in the house, say "no" and take him straight outside. If you find an accident around the house, there is no need to scold or punish him. The main concern at this point is that Emmitt is not fully vaccinated against some highly contagious viruses, such as parvovirus. Until he has received his full distemper/parvovirus vaccine series, keep him away from other dogs. This includes areas where other dogs may have previously eliminated, such as parks or around your neighborhood. Keep Emmitt confined to your backyard until his vaccine series is complete.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Odysseus. He will only be old enough to have had one or two sets of vaccines at 10 weeks of age. If you take him to the same spot every time and make sure there are no unvaccinated dogs around, it should be ok. I hope this helps!

It depends on your area. I do recommend outside training with dogs that were vaccinated once. Although, still caution people because the puppies are not fully vaccinated. Make sure he does not come into contact with other dogs unless you know the people and their dogs are healthy and up to date on vaccinations. I would also recommend wiping his paws off when he comes in from outside. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Yes, I think it is ok for her to walk around your property. If she is not completely vaccinated, then I would keep her away from unknown dogs or unvaccinated puppies, dog parks, and pet stores. She should be okay around other dogs that you know the owners have stayed current on vaccines. I am not a fan of peepads unless you plan on using them for life because they just train a dog that going potty inside is okay!

Good questions! Puppies start their vaccinations around 7-8 weeks of age so Luna is definitely ready to get her first shots. She can go outside to use the bathroom. Just do not take her to areas where a lot of dogs congregate like dog parks. I would not take her around too many other dogs unless you know they have been properly vaccinated until she is done with all her shots around 16 weeks of age. Hope this answers your question. Best wishes!

Congrats on your new puppy! Because you will not have a private yard and cannot be sure that your area will be virus free, Niko should stay confined from public areas until at least two weeks after his final shots at 16 weeks of age. Parvovirus can live in the environment outside for up to a year, so it's extremely important to make sure he has no contact with that, or any other potential life threatening viruses. You can train Niko to use pee pads instead until he is fully vaccinated, and then work on house training him.

Soil and feces can carry viruses for a long period of time, so trying to find an area Blakely can go where other dogs don't frequent is best until he has had at least 2-3 sets of shots (or the OK from your vet). If you don't have a spot like that, but have a patio area, you could try making your own "potty" area with a piece of sod or a litter box filled with dirt to get him used to going outside and on that substrate without as much confusion when you do transition to outside. Making sure you're taking him out often enough (every 1-2 hours for a 2 month old puppy, or after waking, eating, drinking, or playing) can also help reduce accidents since his bladder can't hold it very long at this point.