Best age for a pup to come home?

[erikh45]

I am wondering what people's opinions are on when the best time to bring home a new puppy. 6, 7, or 8 weeks. I have been reading a bunch and there are alot of different opinions out there. Let me know what you think, and why.

[gspman]

My personal opinion is it doesn't matter that much. People get too caught up with that stuff. I do think 6 weeks is a little too young though. I've had a couple pups at 7 or 8 weeks and I also got one that was 7 months old. No difference in my opinion.

[pinkfloyd4ever]

can't say i know either, always thought the "rule" if you will, was to be with the mother for at least 6 weeks

[erikh45]

I guess I have always heard the "at least 6wks" rule. I am wondering if sooner is better, or if it is better to let them be in the litter longer. I have heard that if they stay in the litter longr they will be less nippy. I am sure that there are all kinds of opinions out there, and there are examples of good dogs that were brought home at 6, 7, 8, and 15,wks old. The reason that I ask is that the pup I am waiting to bring home will be 6wks on 1-23. I have that whole weekend, and the following week off of work, so it would work well to bring her home then. If I had a difinitive answer that 8wks was best, then I would put off my vacation until 2-6 or so. I am probably over-analyzing it, if so, let me know.

I am glad I could use this windy, indecisive post for my 100th post.

[springerspeed]

Personnally as a breeder I did not let them go before 7 weeks. I let the first litter I had go at 6 weeks and as they were being picked up it just seemed to me to be a little early. I can't say why I thought that but it was more of a gut feeling. All litters after that went home between 7 and 8 weeks and this seemed to be the perfect time to let them go. Again, I can not put a finger on why. It just felt like the right time. May just be me so take it with a grain of salt.

[caseymcq]

7 weeks is a good age for pups to go to their new home. Richard Wolters actually recomends it in his books so that the pups training can begin. I am sure 8 weeks would be just fine too.

Are you getting pretty excited for the new pup?

[SpringerGuy]

As a breeder, 7 weeks seems to work well. However if you have all of time off, go for it. The potty training and the bonding with you will be worth the "maybe a little early" thing. And your pup will cry the first few nights no matter what age you get it home. Good Luck!

[erikh45]

That is the conundrum I am in. Get her at 45 days old, and have a week off, or wait until she is about 58days and then bring her home and try to change my vacation. I will probably pick her up at 45days and make sure to socialize and spend time with her. Thanks for all of the replies.

Erik

[kkahmann]

Auburn University did a study years ago on several hundred litters of hunting dogs--pointers and hounds mostly. Thier recomendation was 49 days-- 7 weeks. I seem to remember it had something to do with brain developement regarding socializaton to people. They also said a week early was better than a week late.

[nofishfisherman]

I was debating the same question. We put our deposit in for a vizsla puppy this weekend. The litter is due in mid Feb so its looking like mid april or so for bringing the little guy home depending on whether we do 7 or 8 weeks. I don't believe our breeder wants to let them go any earlier then 7 weeks. All the reasearch I have read says 7 weeks so thats what I was planning on. I am also planning on taking several days off to be at home with the new puppy, not sure if it will matter if I'm there or not but I want to absorb as much of the puppy time as I can since its so short lived.

[erikh45]

After counting the actual days since birth, she will come home on the 47th day and then I will have a week off. I think this is a pretty good scenario for bringing home a pup. On Sunday night we had to put our 11yoa dog down after his cancer got into his spleen and it ruptured. Way too much going on in my life right now.

[JConrad]

No earlier than 7 weeks for sure... The kennel where I help out recommends 10 weeks but they also take the time to handle the young pups aclamating them to human handling..

What is critically important for these young pups is they need to be held, handled, stroked, etc. every day and several times during the day. This helps them bond with their new owners now that they no longer have their litter mates to cling to. It also teaches them to have confidence with humans. Hold them up by the chest and let their legs dangle. Put them on their backs and examine their paws, legs, belly, neck, ears, etc. and do this every day a few times a day for some time. This teaches them to trust you and other humans. Vet's really appreciate this plus you will appreciate it if and when you have to examine your dog in the field due to an injury. Key is you want them to trust you and have confidence that you are their master and will do them no harm.

I applied this teaching with my Griffon right from the beginning when I picked her up at 7 weeks and it is amazing how I can handle her and she has complete confidence in me. I can roll her on her back examine her completely, trim her nails, clean her ears, etc. with very little if any objection. Obviously, she trust me. Also if you have a table that you can put her on and do this all the better.

I sure hope this helps!

[Bryce]

Day 47 is most likely not a problem. We have let several pups go early. The biggest guage for us is how they have matured. We want them completely weaned to hard food which in our regimen takes them within a few days of the magical 49. We also watch them playing. When they are actually starting to hurt each other, it's time to get them seperated. These are labs and so far I feel we've had fairly fast maturing pups. Each litter needs to be evaluated. Our main dog right now had 2 litter mates that had to wait until 8 weeks due to airline restrictions. Not sure if it was just our pup or the additional time with her litter mates, but she was a handful to crate train even though she had lived in a crate with the other 2 for over a week.