[bjh]

Okay, I have to give my two cents worth. I have been raising yorkies for over 16 years. In the beginning I was giving shots at 6 weeks until I started reading the dangers of over vaccinating. I did a lot of research on the subject. I feel most comfortable starting shots around 9 to 10 weeks depending on the size of the pup. I do not believe in over vaccinating.

My personal feeling is that breeders who vaccinate pups at a very young age are just giving the puppy buyer a false sense of security that the puppy is vaccinated and safe. The truth is that most likely the early vaccinations do no good. There is then is a window of time where the puppy buyer thinks it is okay to take the puppy out in public or let him on the ground but in reality the puppy can still contact parvo. Giving a vaccination to early can actually compromise the puppy's immune system and make them more likely to get sick.

A puppy is much more likely to have a bad reaction to a vaccination when it is still very young. The tiny ones especially.

The rabies shot is very hard on pups so I always recommend putting off the rabies shot as long as possible. I prefer waiting until they are at least 6 months old. The rabies shot should always be done stand alone and not at the same time as the core vaccinations.

I know this is a subject that we all have concerns about. I suppose there are some risks no matter what protocol you follow so we just have to make the best choice that we can based on the puppy's size and life style. You can't just think your vet knows best because I know to many vets that over vaccinate.