8 10 12 weeks !?

Delboy5

When getting a new pup most people recommed that it stays with its mother for at least 8 weeks........and if its let go earlier than this it could have an adverse effect on the pup....

My question is, are there any adverse effects from leaving a pup too long with its mother\siblings........12\16\20 weeks before being moved on, does a pup become too dependant on its mother and siblings after so many weeks and so make re-homing all the more difficult.....??

Is there a recommended time period ?

boxerly

I got my boxer when he was 16 weeks old,he was still with his mammy.He is now 11.5 and is the best dog ever.My OH got our bichon when she was 8 weeks(so we thought) but she was actually 6/7 weeks.Only discovered this when her papers from the IKC came.She was too young and to be honest I have so many problems with her.She is so demanding,barks all the time,still pees at the age of 3 if I leave the room etc.So I found longer left with mammy is better than taken away to early

Cherry Blossom

Delboy5 wrote: »

When getting a new pup most people recommed that it stays with its mother for at least 8 weeks........and if its let go earlier than this it could have an adverse effect on the pup....

My question is, are there any adverse effects from leaving a pup too long with its mother\siblings........12\16\20 weeks before being moved on, does a pup become too dependant on its mother and siblings after so many weeks and so make re-homing all the more difficult.....??

Is there a recommended time period ?

It depends on a lot of factors. Personally I prefer to take them at 9 weeks as at 8 weeks they have started their fear impact period and are particularly vunerable in the the first week of this and any traumatic events that happen in this time can stick with them for life. Things like a car journey, being uprooted from its home etc. At nine weeks they still have plenty of their socialisation period left to become accustomed to their new family and surroundings. However breeders of very small breeds like Chihuahua's will often keep them longer than this as they are particularly fragile due to their size.

This is a site I found very helpful and informative in matters of puppy development.

http://www.doberman.org/articles/puppy.htm

<ETA> The time frame given on this site does vary depending on breed and size but more so in the later parts of development eg. A Westie will be fully grown by 12 months a labrador will be fully grown at two - two and half years.

lorebringer

The level of dependence a puppy has on it's mother and siblings really depends on the breeder. Breeders should aim to have independent, well adjusted pups, that can go to a home without too much stress. If the breeder does not make an effort to socialise their pups (as individuals and as a group) the pups may be come very dependent on each other and their mother.

Personally, I would take a pup around he 10 week mark and certainly no earlier than 8 weeks. The time between 6 and 12 weeks in a pups/dogs life are very important - they are like big sponges and soak up everything around them, this is why it is so important to expose them to as many positive things as possible during this time. By the time they are 10 weeks old, they should be vaxed (at least their first) and have had lots of exposure to people, the household (washing machines etc.) and other dogs. Taking a puppy too early can lead to behavioural problems and a not so well adjusted dog (which can be expressed as aggression, fear, disobedience - very hard to train - and a whole multitude of other issues).

To answer your question - the longer a puppy stays in one place, the more settled it becomes and the harder it is for the pup to be moved, but it isn't impossible. Taking on a pup of, for example, 16 weeks does not mean you are taking a pup who will be a problem but the settling in period may be longer than with a younger pup. The big deciding factor wrt a puppy having problems moving to it's new home is how it was treated in it's old home, ie. how much effort was put in on the part of the breeder to create independent pups. Many breeders keep puppies as "pick of the litter" that don't work out, or have pups that did not sell for whatever reason, and then sell them at a slightly older age than their siblings and they turn out to be perfect dogs.

dahat

7 weeks is the ideal age to start human socialisation is the pups new home...

andreac

dahat wrote: »

7 weeks is the ideal age to start human socialisation is the pups new home...

Sorry, but its not recommended to take any pup away from its mother and siblings until at least 8 weeks, so 7 is too young.

dahat

andreac wrote: »

Sorry, but its not recommended to take any pup away from its mother and siblings until at least 8 weeks, so 7 is too young.

depends on what you read etc...depends on how the indivdiual litter is progressing............7/8 weeks is the best guide,in no way can any one week be set as the defining time.So i guess i was wrong to a point in stating 7 weeks then.

Wisco

andreac wrote: »

Sorry, but its not recommended to take any pup away from its mother and siblings until at least 8 weeks, so 7 is too young.

+1
Regrettably breeders often advertise pups that are 'ready to go' from 6 weeks, but this is really too young. Unfortunately, the majority of the prime socialization period happens before pups should be rehomed, so it's important to find a breeder who makes an effort to socialize the pups (ie, exposes them to a variety of people, kids, experiences, etc).

andreac

I saw an ad on donedeal with jack russells ready to go at 4 weeks!!:eek:

I reported the ad and i think it has been removed. Like 4 weeks. They havent even been weaned from the mother.:(

fatmammycat

I actually think 12 weeks is better, gives the pup more time to learn from the mother. Makes for a pretty steady dog later in life.* 7 weeks is way too young.


* I am aware there are many more factors to a steady dog.

lrushe

As others have said it can vary depending on the breed. For example my Chihuahua didn't leave her breeder until 11 weeks due to how small Chi's are when they are pups. Most breeders of tiny toy breeds like to keep them that bit longer though other than letting my Chihuahua grow a little before going to her new home I don't think being with her mother longer was either an advantage or disadvantage, she certainly hasn't shown any behaviours that differ from any dogs I got at 8 weeks.
In my experience after about 8 weeks the mother starts to want to spend less and less time with the pups so I would think any benefit to staying longer with the mother would be minimal.

fatmammycat

They learn plenty from their siblings though. Including some good social skills.

lrushe

fatmammycat wrote: »

They learn plenty from their siblings though. Including some good social skills.

Though spending their time with their siblings means they will bond closer with them than humans. Taking them at 8 weeks gives them ample enough time with their siblings but there is still that window where they will also bond with people

fatmammycat

Not being funny here, but I could most likely get a dog at any age, feed it exercise it and so forth and it would bond with me. Leaving small pups with the siblings for a few extra weeks to learn dog behaviour won't change the bond it will have with its future owner.

lrushe

Agree to disagree

fatmammycat

Allgäuerin

In Germany it is against the law to give the puppy away before he/she is 8 weeks. Think this has a reason!

Whispered

The litter my boy was part of came to me at 11 or 12 weeks if I remember correctly. They were taken from the mother as soon as possible as she was weak - moved to one fosterer who for some reason could not hold onto them then came to me.

At about 16 weeks I noticed them getting easily annoyed with each other. Trying to get away from each other and asserting themselves. It certainly wasn't "happy families". It was like having a litter of brats on my hands. EVERYTHING turned into a row.

The rest were rehomed and I assume settled perfectly and my fella was grand too.

Based on that alone - I wouldn't plan on keeping a litter together longer than 16 weeks.

TooManyDogs

From what I understand around 8 weeks is the half way point so considered ideal age to be removed from the litter. What I mean by half way point is that from 6 weeks is a very important time for them to learn canine manners but they naturally start to develope fears of new things at 16 weeks.

From 6 weeks pups learn from each other while they're playing. They don't really play really actively before this, so from 6 weeks they learn body language, play signals, bite inhibition etc. Also the period from 6 weeks to 16 weeks is the period when you can very easily socialise pups to everything from people, places, dogs, machines etc.

At around 16 weeks most pups begin to react fearful to new things so if they havent had much socialisation to things before this it can be harder to socialise them.

Having said all that, you can get a pup from any age and bring them up great, the above is what studies have shown. If you take a pup at 8 weeks then remember to do as much socialising with other dogs as you can, if you take them at 12 or 14 weeks then focus on showing the pup as many new things as possible before they hit 16 weeks.

I'm always happy to take pups from 8 weeks because I have 6 dogs at home who will teach them canine manners. If you don't have other dogs it might be an idea to leave the pup with the other siblins for another couple of weeks.

boxerly

lrushe wrote: »

Though spending their time with their siblings means they will bond closer with them than humans. Taking them at 8 weeks gives them ample enough time with their siblings but there is still that window where they will also bond with people

My boxer was 16 weeks when I got him...him and I have a very close bond he is now 11 and a half x

lrushe

boxerly wrote: »

My boxer was 16 weeks when I got him...him and I have a very close bond he is now 11 and a half x

It's just my opinion based on a few pups I've had who have been kept a little longer with their litter for whatever reason.
I found them slightly harder to train as they weren't as focused on people as they were other dogs. Their drive to work for human praise alone was also lower, just my experience.

sambuka41

Yeah i found the same as Irushe. My little one is much harder to train, i got her at 14 weeks. My westie i got at 8 weeks and he was much easier to train!!!

I had mine with the vet the other day due to her separation anxiety and the vet reckons that the age she left mammy might have something to do with it. She has been very clingy since i got her, she cried during the night for at least 3 weeks before she settled. :eek:

Somewhere between 8-12 weeks seems good. Guess it also depends on the individual dogs too,cause my westie didnt have a bother on him at 8 weeks,and all his life he was a strong willed independent little guy.

Graces7

Often the reason people sell at 8 weeks or earlier is for their convenience, not for the puppy. Puppies are hard work.

We never let a puppy go before 12 weeks. We take time before that to socialise and wean carefully and slowly and vaccinate.

Ideas that a puppy is less well socialised with people at 12 weeks reflect on the breeder.

musicnotes

great thread with some good advice !! thanks guys

moving_home

we had to take our pup at 7 weeks which i wasn't comfortable with, as the breeder had sold the rest of the litter and our little one was to be left on her own. she rang us at 10pm on a Friday and told us to come the next day. when we arrived on the Saturday bout 1pm (it was a good distance away) the poor wee thing had been on her own for about 2hrs and the whining was pitiful :mad:

there were a couple of thing when we got her, mainly nipping, but on advice from vet a high pitched squeal sorted that out. we had no problems at night time, she didn't even cry the first night.

don't think taking her at 7wks had any lasting impact except that she is very nervous and shy of strangers so maybe that is related?? we made a big effort to bring her walking around town and meeting people when she had her first vac's and she was still very nervous despite adequate socialisation. we have moved to an estate, from the middle of the country, in the last 2mths so that seems to be helping her become more outgoing