# 6 weeks? 7 weeks? 8 weeks? When should puppies come home?



## Jason Caldwell (Dec 11, 2008)

I talked to a breeder yesterday who was adamant about holding onto puppies and not letting them leave the kennel until 8 weeks of age. This breeder has done plenty of litters. 

Deferring to a higher power, and putting my personal history with starting training aside, Tom Rose has written that working dog training can start at 5 or 6 weeks, and that he would not get a puppy older than 10 or 11 weeks. I'm not saying Mr. Rose is the ultimate authority, but I'm picking someone experience wise who has a pot to piss in. 

8 weeks just seems too long to me. I'd prefer 6 weeks, maybe 7.

Any thoughts? Would 8 weeks make you look elsewhere even if you were excited about the breeding?


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## Anne Vaini (Mar 15, 2007)

I take at 6 weeks. However, this takes a person who knows what they are doing with THAT AGE of puppy. And there should be a purpose to it.

I do it to take advantage of the 6-week span where a dog learns at a faster rate than at any other time in its life. I do it to train a puppy to be neutral to other dogs.

I wash out a puppy that is not retrieving by 14 weeks. So what good is it to me to get a puppy at 12 weeks? I've wasted the best part of its life (as far as training goes) and have only 2 weeks to introduce the retrieve.


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## mike suttle (Feb 19, 2008)

Good thread Jason. Lets hope this one stays pure. LOL
When I get a puppy for myself I prefer to get it at 5 weeks from the breeder if possible. Now, as a breeder I wont let puppies go at 5 weeks unless I have a very good feeling about the ability of the new owner to care for a baby that young. 
By the time our puppies here are 4 weeks they are eating on their own and usually totally weaned by 5 weeks and living by themselves. This is the biggest reason I like to get them very early. I dont want them living with their littermates for too long. And i think that no one can raise and expose the puppy to the things that are important to you, better than you can.
it is harder to pick a superstar at 5 weeks unless you have watched them grow up everday, by 8 weeks they are easier to pick if you will only have a short while to see them and make your descision.
Everyone will have a different opinion here. I have let many puppies go at 5 weeks and have never had any problems with them in their new homes. 
8 weeks is not too late for sure, especially if the breeder is doing something with them each day.


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## Daryl Ehret (Apr 4, 2006)

In most cases, it's state law to not release them prior to 8 weeks age, and for importing from other countries sometimes 12 weeks. It's believed that 8 to 11 weeks composes the First Fear Imprint Period, and that 6 to 14 months comprises the Second. I'd not be concerned about receiving a pup at 8 weeks, but perhaps afterward, depending on my faith in the experience of the breeder.


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## Kadi Thingvall (Jan 22, 2007)

As a breeder I usually send pups home between 7 and 8 weeks. Partly because the rules for shipping are 8 weeks, and on average 1/2 of each litter is shipped.

If someone comes to me and says they want to take their pup home at 6 weeks, my response is "why?" and "what is your experience with pups at that age?". If they can give me a good solid reason why, and they have experience with pups that young, I may let them. If their response is "I read it on the internet, that's when I should do it" I probably won't agree. 

There are also other factors here, a buyer may not be that high on the list for a pup, but be trying to demand they get the pup at 5 or 6 weeks. Well, if I have someone higher on my list who wants to come see the litter at 7-8 weeks to pick out their next pup, I'm not sending home a pup at 6 weeks, unless they want an opposite gender.


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

There is a lot of stuff happening at 5, 6, weeks that the pups benefit from. Most people are not really gonna be able to duplicate this.

I like to get them at 7 weeks in a perfect world, unless of course I get the dog from France, and then the idiots just do whatever the **** they want. 

I would like to hear why someone would want to get a pup at 5 weeks.


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## Daryl Ehret (Apr 4, 2006)

The breeder of my new pup was intending to ship after Jan. 10th, but the pup turns 8 weeks on Jan 3rd. Because they go through a transport service rather than ship themselves, I arranged to have the pup shipped on Jan. 6th, and appearantly the transporter doesn't ship that frequently. The transporter told me around Dec. 14th that their next ship date would be Jan. 6th, and I'd be mighty uncomfortable waiting weeks later for their next shipping date.


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## Howard Gaines III (Dec 26, 2007)

Jason my vet told me years ago that the Foundation for the Blind did a study on puppies and age. The result was that at 7 weeks or 49 days the puppy had a better bonding chance than at any other time. I like to get them and get rid of them by 7 weeks. Also the breeders can do LESS harm to the puppy's imprinting...


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

I used to send them all at six weeks but I got so tired of calls saying there was something wrong with the pups because they sleep to much. I let them go at 8 weeks now but they have sit, down and shake down pat at 6 and 7 weeks. Spring pups have been in the water since 4 1/2 weeks. I will still let them go to the right people at 6 weeks. I don't get to carried away with teaching the pups because how someone else may want to do it may be different but I like to get them thinking. Besides, I like walking the people into a 1/4 acre yard and calling the pups so they can see them come running. This helps them understand the fallacy of pups needing that early sensitization BS. LOL I'll never quit!!!


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

I think that 49 day stuff came from Jim Wolters book on bird training. Never hear of it coming from the guide dog studies. At any rate, the puos do bond more easily when they leave at 6 to 7 weeks. I would be very hesitant to put an exact day on it like "THE 49th day".


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## Jason Caldwell (Dec 11, 2008)

Really nice to read some great posts from people on this board who know their stuff.

I remember talking to a breeder and her opinion was that puppies needed at least 7 weeks to be with their mother and littermates for social stimulation, and discipline from dear old mom. Not saying she's right, just saying that was her two cents. 

The post makes me feel more comfortable with the breeder.


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## Selena van Leeuwen (Mar 29, 2006)

here it is required by law that puppies must be at least 7 weeks before they may leave the litter. common practice in KNPV is 6 wks though, we let them go between 7-8 weeks. At 5-6 wks they're is happening a lot of stuff in the litter, 7 wks is a great age to let them go to their new homes


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## Courtney Guthrie (Oct 30, 2007)

You know, I got my APBT/AST at 6 weeks and Judge(GSD) at 12 weeks. I find that I'd rather have waited another week for Red and gotten Judge at least 5 weeks sooner than I did. 

I say 7 weeks is prime IME. 

Courtney


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## Jessica Gainer (Oct 9, 2009)

We keep puppies until about 8 weeks.... For one, their ears are usually to small to tattoo until they are about 7 weeks. After they are tattooed we will let experienced owners take them. For just pet puppies or new handlers we keep for 8 weeks. I think that "pack/social" things are learned between 6-8 weeks that are important to me.. I think this becaue what I have noticed with my own dogs... could just be my dogs I have had. We do however start training our pups at a very young age, scent pads as soon as they can walk and eat, sits, downs, at a young age. The pups are pro's when they leave BUT they so have some imprinting done.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

I got both my GSDs at 6 wks.


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## Timothy Saunders (Mar 12, 2009)

I like to take my pup as soon as it is weaned or when the mom is done feeding. I like my pup to bond with me right away and not with other dogs. Also I agree with the socialization aspect as well. I also find that if you get a breeder who trains , they start messing with the pup and teaching things I don't want taught or taught differently


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

I think a lot depends on the individuals involved. If the breeder is involved with imprinting, testing etc. then a puppy can benefit by extra time with his/her littermates/damn. On the other hand, if the new owner knows what they are doing, they can do a lot of imprinting and bonding at 5-9 weeks.


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## Daryl Ehret (Apr 4, 2006)

I never understood the _"separating them to prevent them from bonding with other dogs"_ line of thinking. My dogs have always prefered the human over other dogs, no matter how often they are put together. When I'm available, they hardly acknowlege each other's presence.

Unless of course, this is what you mean by "bonding"...


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

That is what I usually see with them being separated at 5 weeks, or less. No idea how to interact with their own species. Massive insecurity. That is all I see with dog aggression.


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## mike suttle (Feb 19, 2008)

I usually have to separate my Arko puppies before 6 weeks before they kill each other (which they have done at 5 weeks before). I have never seen any problems with the way they interact with other dogs as adults a result of that. Some are dog aggressive, some are not, the age they were separated from the litter seems to have little effect on that from what I can see.
I do it purely to prevent terrible fights, it has nothing to with bonding more with people or dogs or anything else.


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## jack van strien (Apr 9, 2009)

I like the pups at least to be separated by 5 weeks of age so they can start developing their own world.Interacting with the other pups and other dogs once a day for funtime is great.At 5 weeks they just follow you around and accept almost anything as normal.Maybe they are not developed enough to see things as strange and follow you as the leader who knows best.Having lived on a farm i know it is important to have them interact with anything they will come across in their lifetime.


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

I had a one in a million chance with my Briard - saw him from day one - visited him and the litter nearly each day and put them all through their paces. This way, when he came to us at 7-8 weeks, he knew us and I had been able to pick "the best" for me anyway.

We were discussing giving up pups at 5 weeks just last Saturday. Only someone who knows what a pup's needs are can do this, imo.I don't know, unfortunately, anyone who's taken a pup over at this age, even though our Kennel Club rules would not condone it but.....

I can't see anything negative, can only assume the positive but find it hard to compare. Some pups would benefit from this, with some it might not make such a difference. Would also like to hear from those who took them at 5 weeks, what advantages they experienced.

Is this an attempt to "squash" the pup's character, forcing it to become subordinate?

What advantages do Handlers find in taking it at this age as opposed to say, 2 weeks later? Although I know, 2 weeks can make one hell of a difference in a pup's development.

Can you choose "your" pup at this age?

Interested


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