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Is it safe for my 8-week-old puppy to go on walks outside yet?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Australian Shepherd - miniature | Male | neutered | 1 month and 22 days old | 26.6 lbs

We will be getting our new up in 2 days. Just a few days shy of 8 weeks old. At this age, I understand taking them out for potty every few hours. But how important is taking them out for a walk at this age vs play at home or at backyard?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

Published on April 15th, 2018

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Great question. It would actually be best to keep your pup in the backyard or inside until after he receives the first 2 sets of vaccines. This is to protect him against diseases he could potentially get from not being vaccinated. For this time period, you could play with him in the backyard for example. Good luck and have a good night!

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    Answered By Jessica Keay, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 18th, 2018

    I am sorry to hear about your anxiety with your puppy! We do recommend keeping puppies away from other dogs we do not know at this age and avoid high traffic areas like dog parks where many dogs may have been roaming around. It is unrealistic, however, for us to not let a dog's feet touch the ground until they are 16 weeks old. If you ask most vets know we do recommend some socialization and going outdoors with puppies and contact with dogs that you know are healthy/vaccinated, as it is important in those early weeks for dogs to become socialized/used to these experiences so they don't become fearful in the future. It is know believed that the risk of disease is less than the risk of an unsocialized dog as long as we are avoiding high traffic areas.

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