I don't know what schedule your vet recommends, but until very recently the usual recommendations have been really excessive. That's starting to change now, slowly. You do want to be sure to get all the puppy shots, rabies at 4 months, and then get another set of boosters at 1 year. Thereafter you don't need to vaccinate any more often than every 3 years. If your area lets you get a 3-year rabies shot rather than a yearly shot, do that also.
Regarding heartworm prevention, if you live in an area that has cold winters, you do
not to give preventative year-round. I almost got into an argument with a PetSmart vet tech about that last year, who was very obviously just trying to sell more product, trying to tell me that it doesn't get cold enough in the winter (in Ohio!!) to kill the mosquitoes. I would challenge her to take a stroll in January and tell me how many mosquitoes were out. If there's heartworm in your area, you
do want to take steps to prevent it during the warm times of year - but keep in mind that that stuff is a poison, and don't give more of it than you need to.
Finally (lest we start the periodic flame-wars up again), I'm big on a raw/homecooked diet as outlined in one of my very favorite pet-care books:
Dr. Pitcairn's New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and CatsIf you can't/don't want to go to this extent, though, at least become very familiar with the ingredients list of the commercial foods out there. Make sure the first ingredient is a whole meat source, not a grain, meat meal, or meat by-product. The vast majority of grocery-store brands do not qualify.
Hope that helps!