Def. the puppy is not protected until it goes thru all it's puppy vaccines. In fact, it is vulnerable to all sorts of deseases! I would never take my pup out to parks or other places where other dogs frequent often. One can never trust that the other dogs are being cared for the way they should. Each vet / person has their own ideas on which vaccines and how often they should be given, but that is whole another subject.