I think I screwed up?

[Night Train]

If I'm posting this in the wrong place, please feel free to move it.

Okay, here is the story. We have a Boxer that is a little over a year old (1 year 4 months) that is a female. We got her when she was 10 weeks old. We are so happy with her that we decided to get another boxer for her to play with. We looked around and decided on a breeder. Well we got the call that the litter was born and then we got a call 5 1/2 weeks later to come pick out a puppy. To make a long story short we ended up bringing the puppy home when she was 6 weeks old because the mom stopped feeding the babies. At that time the puppies can eat on their own so I decided to take her. (I read on this site AFTERWORDS not to take a puppy until they are atleast 8 weeks old)

Do you think there will be problem with this puppy now? My older Boxer, Bridget get along real great. They play together (Hard to keep Bridget down though) They share the water bowl together and they also sleep together at night. During the day the puppy is in her crate (She hates it) for a couple of hours at a time. My wife comes home every two hours to let her out to potty and play a bit, then back to the crate. At night they both sleep at the foot of our bed in a doggy bed together. My older boxer is very well behaved, I think it's a good think too because the pup follows her a lot. I guess I'm writting this because I hope I haven't messed up a great puppy.........

 

[gmacleod]

It's a pity she came home quite so early, yes. The 6-8 week period is an important social development period for puppies. It's not so bad as it could have been though - at least you have another dog for her to learn from

Interaction with puppies her own age is still invaluable though. An older dog (quite rightly) will give a LOT of leeway to a young puppy, so time spent with young ones her own age is still where your pup will learn best about bite inhibition and other social niceties. Once she's had her second round of shots, it would be of great value to her to go to a puppy kindergarten class, and if you happen to know anyone else with a young pup, it would be good for her to go and whenever possible.

Congratulations on your new addition though. I'm sure that if you're diligent with the socialisation and playtime with other pups, she'll turn out just fine

 

[2BoxersnOhio]

We brought Quinsi home when he was 5 weeks old. We didn't think this was a problem at the time and of course have since been on here and have decided the next pup we get will wait until 8 weeks at least. I don't think bringing a puppy home that early necessarily "ruins" the puppy. They are taught stuff in those couple of weeks that are crucial (bite inhibition, etc). We've had a little bit of a rougher time with Quinsi and his biting. He's gotten better but it's taken a little longer for him to understand.

 

[prosas]

well i know that when my sister picked up zeus he was the last one left from the litter. it wasn't even 4 weeks when she picked him up. the woman i got him from was only in it for the money and her ex let her keep the litter so she could sell them to get back on her feet. she got rid of all the other puppies at 3 weeks or so and kept pestering my sister to come pick up zeus asap. i was furious, not just becuase of that, but because he was not the puppy i picked from the litter. but he is a healthy, 2 1/2 year old boxer and i wouldn't trade him for the world. i know he hasn't been through anything bad like some of the others i hear about, but it hasn't been an easy ride. after my ex and i split up, i could tell zeus was happier. i guess him living in misery was evident after i left my ex. either way, as long as you provide for your pup like everyone says, he will grow up to be fine. mine is living proof of that.

 

[BeckyNC]

I adopted my girl through rescue, but spoke with her original owner. She told me Tae came home with them at the age of 6 weeks. Fortunately, she has good bite inhibition. I do not think she was exposed to a lot of other dogs at a young age, so the fact your girl has an older sister may help in this department, in addition to puppy kindergarten. Sooo, I guess 8 weeks is ideal, but for my girl 6 weeks turned out OK.

 

[Night Train]

Thanks for all the replies. I have to admit I was worried yesterday when I started this post. I took her into the Vet yesterday just for a check up and had a long talk with the Vet. Come to find out my Vet had Boxers in the past. She wishes she could still have one but said it wouldn't be fair because of the time she spends away from the home. We started talking about getting the pup so young, my other dog, and things like that. She told me that Boxer are puppies for a looooooooooong time, that they don't really "grow up" and the fact that I brought home such a young pup didn't bother her because of my older Boxer girl. They will lay on the floor and bite one another in the jawls (sp?) and the Vet told me that is great because my older Boxer is teaching her about biting. I suppose I could go on and on about this, but I won't bore you. The bottom line is; I think they both will be just fine. BTW: Chelsey weighs in at 5 lbs 8 oz LOL* My other Boxer, Bridget weighs in at 62 lbs....

 

[pyermoli]

I brought Oscar home at 6 weeks and he's just fine.

 

[Night Train]

Thanks for all the kind words people!