When to bring your new puppy home

[hrb]

A friend of mine is getting a puppy and they want to pick the puppy up at a little over 7 weeks. I was sure that I had read somewhere that between 7 and 8 weeks is a critical time for the mother to teach social behavior. Can anyone confirm that?

I want to be able to show them something that will tell them why it is important to leave the puppy with the litter until that point. Apparently they don't believe that I as intelligent as I think I am

Thanks very much

Heather

 

[Boxer_21]

I'm pretty sure most places don't allow pups or kittens to be seperated from the mother and littermates until 8 weeks of age. Riley was 8 weeks old when I brought him home as were all of the other pups when they went to their new homes.

The breeder that I went through said that 6-8 weeks is the most crucial period of time for bonding and learning from both the mother and the pups. However, I'm not a breeder so I can't speak from experience. I'm sure someone else will answer your question a lot better than I can.

 

[Lorena Rouse]

After we brought our 6 week Betsy home I read that the ideal time to bring home a puppy is 8-12 weeks. Unfortunately, and yes I am having pangs of guilt cuz she's a BYB puppy, the 'breeders' weren't willing to allow her to remain on the premisies. Another two weeks might have aided Betz in ways too numerous to mention I doubt her health would have held up.
Vet visit a week ago, the skrawny thin boxer we brought in is a healthy, active, happy little girl that just fills our home with so much joy and laughter.
So the roller coaster ride since her conception and gestation was well worth the final result. To have our furbaby home with us where we can make sure she receives the best care in her new environment.
But yes, I am 'growling' and 'yipping' and all the other stuff the book says I should to to compensate. Which makes my husband look at me funny.

 

[Jim Cummins]

I've also heard and read that a puppy should stay with mother for 8 wks. Every puppy I had from when I was a boy till I got Zoe was at least 8 wks.

Then when I met the breeder where I got Zoe he said that it is very common practice but his father believed it wasn't true (thats right I said father these guys have bred boxers for a long time). I looked at a lot of pups that BYB had for sale and they were letting them go at 8 wks. and they looked sick and skinny so went to these guy's. I was a little nervous about taking her home at 6 wks. but he said " the puppy bonds with the mother between 6 and 10 weeks, remember the way the puppy's whined and howled when you brought them home this one won't she'll bond with you and won't be afraid one bit."
Well he wasn't kidding she is the most loving girl I've known to people and other dog's. She never made a peep the first night or any other exept to come out of her crate to go pee. IMO she is a well ajusted little girl that came from a informed breeder. I'm considering my second boxer now and I know it will come from them. They felt that as soon as the puppy's were eating solid food exclusivly they were ready for their new home and parents.

 

[Boxer_21]

Originally posted by Jim Cummins
but he said " the puppy bonds with the mother between 6 and 10 weeks, remember the way the puppy's whined and howled when you brought them home this one won't she'll bond with you and won't be afraid one bit."

About the whinning and howling issue - I brought Riley home at 8 weeks of age and he never really whinned. Maybe it's because I was able to visit with him since he was 8 days old so he got to know me before actually leaving his mother, but he was never a whinner. He was a great baby, very quiet only made noises when we played and at night if he had to go take care of his business. Other than that, not a peep. I think it's a case of every dog is different here.
I personally don't think that taking the two extra weeks (6-8) away from them is a good thing. Especially because of fear (or maybe concern is a better word??), that the pups might bond with the mother and the other littermates. I think taking the pups away at 6 weeks as apposed to 8 does more harm than good. Maybe the real breeders here will proove me wrong, but it's just how I feel about this issue. I honestly think if I heard these words coming from my breeder it would raise a red flag and I'd have to go looking again.
I'm not doubting that your girl isn't a wonderful girl, but IMHO, I think that 6 weeks is way to early to take a pup away from it's mother and siblings. Again, I emphasize that I'm not a breeder, but this is just how I feel.

 

[Scrapper's Mom]

We got Scrapper at 7 weeks, the same age we've gotten most all of our other puppies. I can't really say there have been any adverse effects to doing so; Scrapper is an incredibly loving dog, but he's also had constant attention, love and spoiling from the day he came home.

 

[Bethysue]

we got kaiya at 7 weeks (and 2 days), although the breeder would have preferred for us to have waited until her 8 week birthday. the reason we got her before that was that the breeder was VERY far from our house, and she didn't want to make us drive those hours back and forth again.

anyway- kaiya was the "perfect" puppy. she was housebroken and sitting on command by 8 weeks. she slept with us from the first night on, but she was crate trained for the times we were at work. (we had a 5 year old boxer too, which helped in crate training i think.)

i am not sure what to do the second time around with chase, but i think i will try to get her just after her 7th week birthday.