[rudi poo]

a few weeks ago we put down a deposit on a pup and were due to collect her at 8 weeks old. however, the breeder text me yesterday and that as she was completely weaned now we could collect now at 6 weeks old. now i am very weary about this as i know its very important for socialisation etc that they stay in the litter til at least 8 weeks.

we already have 2 bitches at home though, so could the new pup learn from these two? or is it really best for her to stay with the litter?

any advice is appreciated!
thanks

[cigwyllt]

I would be unimpressed by a breeder who claimed the pups were ready to leave at that age. The rest of the litter and the dam are much better placed to teach your pup all he needs than your two bitches who may not be keen to play and may be less inclined to be patient.

[Lunareclipse]

The breeder needs to be beaten if they allow the pups to leave the mother at 6 weeks. They need to get all of their dogs fixed and stop breeding because they are idiots. Pups should not leave the mother before 8 weeks. The best time would be 11 weeks. A reputable breeder knows that 11 weeks is the appropriate time that pups should leave.

[CorkyMax]

It sounds like you are getting a pup that is from a back yard breeder which is not good as they are more concerned with making a fast buck then for caring about the puppies!! A good breeder would not take the pup away from the mother or siblings until at the best age--10-12weeks! Do you know if the puppy has had it's shots---I don't even like to think of a puppy having all those shots at such a young age and they may not work anyhow if the puppy was still nursing the mom at time of the shots!. But I think it is usually the breeder who gets the beginning of the shots.

Not knowing anything about where you are getting your puppy from--someone you know or did you answer an ad (from a back yard breeder). If it is from a back yard breeder---I have mixed feelings as who knows how well they are taking care of their puppies---Would your pup be safer /healthier with you? If you even wanted this breeder to keep this pup till it is older--Would they be willing to do this and like I said Do they even care about the pup and would take good care of it for that time period. For sure I would say have them keep it till it is older if all things are done the way they should be by them! But I have my doubts just because a good breeder would not take the pup from the mother so early in the 1st place. Sounds to me that greed may be in play here---Dry up the bitch and start her breeding all over again quick to make some more money. They said 8 weeks old when you went to put a deposit down---then changed it to 2 weeks earlier at 6 weeks. I don't care if it is weaned at 6 weeks--and was this the bitches/pups doing or the breeder pushing it to be weaned? You are between a rock and a hard place--right!? Your pup should be able to learn from your 2 dogs but would also be good to learn from the siblings--They play-fight and learn from each other!

[reeskujo]

Absolutely a backyard breeder...My pups never left my home until 12 weeks old..8 weeks is the absolute youngest a pup should leave it's mom...this is a critical learning period for puppies..This is the age they learn how to interact and behave with other dogs and there are things that are very crucial to proper development and can only be taught by their moms and littermates..pups taken from their mom and littermates before 8-12 weeks of age have a tendency and greater chance of having behavioral issues because they didn't have the time to learn the things they needed to from their moms.

I would seriously suggest getting your deposit back and going to a shelter to adopt or at least do extensive research to find an ethical and reputable breeder.

[rudi poo]

thanks 4 the response guys. to be honest you have just confirmed what i am thinking anyway.
the breeder by admission is not experienced, the puppies are a result of carelessness. she seems like a genuinely nice person, but not a breeder by any means! she has already said she hasn't wormed or vaccinated, and i am happy to arrange all of this with my vet.
I couldn't bring myself to walk away from her now, we've been to visit her several times and have been counting down the days til we get her home!

i just want whats best for my puppy.

i will call her later and explain my concerns. if she's as nice as she appears im sure she'll be fine with it.

[rudi poo]

ok, so i've now spoken to the breeder and expressed my concerns about the pup leaving so early and she said she has been to the vet and the vet said it was fine for them to go. do you think this correct? she dosen't strike me as a liar, and seems genuine but im still unsure. would any reputable say this?:???:

[CorkyMax]

Too bad you can't talk to the vet she supposedly got the okay from! Do you live in the same area as this person? You said you have been to her home several times----You know her better then any of us! Will she give you the name of the vet she talked to!!? You could act like you needed to find a vet for the worming and shots! If she doesn't want to give you the name---Then I am guessing she never got the vet's okay!! It is hard for me to believe that a vet would say it is okay to take a 6 week old puppy away from the mother--He should say that is too young!!--Unless he is not that great a vet!!

I am curious-----How did you find out about this puppy--an ad in the paper or what? And how was the ad worded---I may get a clue this way too!

Another thing that should give you clues as to how she is---Being to her home several times----What did you see!? You said she said it was an accidental breeding because of carelessness! That bothers me somewhat in itself. Is she a breeder--raising puppies to sell or was this just an accident that just involved her family dog? Have you seen the mother dog --and what condition is she in--Does she look healthy and not stressed out? Did you see more then the one adult dog? What does her house look like--neat/dirty. Is this place over run with animals? Is this home in the country and might there be places you couldn't see if she was breeding dogs? Be a detective when you go to this home--Look around for anything that would make you suspicious of her! If she is a breeder--I hope she is not breeding designer dogs--If she is---Then she once again is in it for the money. And if it is a designer dog----Many of these kind are unhealthy---Some of the different ''designs" are not a good combination and you may end up with a sickly dog and end up with a lot of medical problems too and costly vet bills! A problem here --You may not see the health problems until they develop over a period of a little time. I think a lot of these dogs/pups die because of this stupid greedy for money thing going on by these UNCARING IDIOTS who call themselves breeders and are selling these poor puppies just to make a lot of money!!

What breed of dog is this pup? Does she know the father dog? What breed is that? I have no idea how much you are paying for this puppy? If it is a lot--more indications to me that she is in it for the money!! A careless accidental breeding sounds like the puppy should not cost much --even possibly should be almost free to a good home kind of thing!!

Here is a link to a thread done in here a little while back that you will be interested in! It is long but a good read for you! Make sure to read it all as there are some good things said at the bottom also. Buying puppies from a pet storeThis is the place back yard breeders sell their puppies to!

Here is a post that was written in here 3 yrs ago. Sick dog....need to inform breeder but can't find the breeder......what to do?
Okay so I got my poodle from a breeder when he was 9 weeks old
Okay so she really wouldn't qualify as a breeder but this was before we knew what back yard Breeders and hobby breeders were.
Anyways both vets said that his parents never should have been bred together.
You see first issue he had was one of his testicles didn't want to drop....luckily it did before he was neutered.
And the other issue is....right at a year of age he was diagnosed with Acute Pancreatitis and now he is a year and a half and that has progressed into Chronic.
Once again we were told his parents never should have been bred together.
Well his illness has been costly but I don't care we will do whatever it takes to keep him happy and healthy.
But should we continue to try to locate his "breeder" and let her know this and warn her against breeding those two dogs together again.
We have tried to locate her but we don't remember her name all we know is the town he came from.
I don't even know if she would listen if we did find her...we have been trying to track her down. (His sibling was stillborn so he was the only puppy of the litter)
What should I do shoud I keep trying?
Or just let it go at this point and hope she doesn't breed again.....(her dog almost died in the process so she said she may not breed again)
What should I do?
By the way the vet believes this is inherited because of his young age and the fact that we have kept him strictly on his dog food his whole life....(never any table scraps)
Though poodles are prone to this
What if we can't find the breeder.....I mean we've been looking for 6 months now.
We don't have her info.....we didn't end up registering him because the breeder messed up the paperwork (we found that our after sending his registration forms in which had all her info)
Should we keep trying....
She just needs to know never to breed those two dogs together again....
This was just a lady who bred her two poodles out of her home......my mother in law found the dog for us in the local paper in her old town........we drove 4 hours to get him. She used a stud service I believe (both her dogs were female)ago:

[Lunareclipse]

If she was honest, she wouldn't have a problem with you talking to her vet. In fact, all of the good breeders suggest it and include that information when you adopt the dog. If the lady is being honest, then the vet is an idiot and she needs a new vet.

[DobermanGuy]

Originally Posted by rudi poo

ok, so i've now spoken to the breeder and expressed my concerns about the pup leaving so early and she said she has been to the vet and the vet said it was fine for them to go. do you think this correct? she dosen't strike me as a liar, and seems genuine but im still unsure. would any reputable say this?:???:

My girls were weaned by 5 weeks of age. Their mom decided this, NOT the breeder... Oftentimes when the mother of the puppies decides that it is time to start weaning them she will soften some of her food in her mouth and then spit it back out near the puppies. This is not at all unusual. She is still doing her job and feeding the puppies but she is avoiding their sharp teeth being on her! LOL!

Call the Vet if you have any concerns. I would put more faith in what the Vet that actually examined the dog said than some random advice I read on the internet. We can't 'see' your puppy and the Vet did...

This puppy should be fine if the Vet said it was healthy and you have other dogs around to help it learn and develop. Puppies can learn bite inhibition just as easily from an older dog as they can from a sibling...

What is really bad is when people bring home a very young puppy and there are NO other dogs around to help it learn. That makes it a LOT harder on the owner in the long run as they will have to make up for all of the learning that the puppy missed out on by not being around the parents and siblings that extra time.

[reeskujo]

It's not just about them being weaned it's about what they learn from their mom and littermates at that age..This is when they're taught bite inhabition and how to interact properly with other dogs..My pups never left my home until they were 12 weeks because between 6 - 12 weeks is when they learn the most from their moms and littermates.

While pups at 6 weeks will most probably be free of any health problems there's a high probability of behavioral issues when they are taken away that young..I'd say when the vet said it was ok to take them at 6 weeks and they'd be fine I'm quit sure he was referring to the puppy being healthy and not so much about what the pup still needs to learn rom it's mom and siblings.

[DobermanGuy]

Originally Posted by reeskujo

It's not just about them being weaned it's about what they learn from their mom and littermates at that age..This is when they're taught bite inhabition and how to interact properly with other dogs..My pups never left my home until they were 12 weeks because between 6 - 12 weeks is when they learn the most from their moms and littermates.

This poster has two other female dogs in the home. This puppy WILL learn bite inhibition from them quickly in my opinion.

Personally, I prefer to bring a puppy into a home that already has a trained adult dog around already. Dogs really DO learn a lot from being around their own kind...

[Lunareclipse]

Why wasn't the dog's owner responsible about getting the dog fixed. That litter could have been prevented altogether.

[rudi poo]

Originally Posted by Lunareclipse

Why wasn't the dog's owner responsible about getting the dog fixed. That litter could have been prevented altogether.

i totally agree, but that's a different subject!

so i spoke to several vets, and the general consensus was that ideally she should be with her mother until at least 7 weeks, but 6 weeks was acceptable. i also spoke to the breeders vet, and she said she had said the puppies were able to leave more for the mothers sake. she was becoming stressed and her teats were red raw and scratched to absolute death.

so after a LOT of thinking, we decided to pick up our pup. she's been with us 5 days now and is doing fantastically!
my 2 bitches seem to be showing her the ropes, and she's bonded well with them, as well as us (she's curled up asleep on my lap as we speak!)
we are just going to make sure she is super socialised. as i said we have 2 dogs, and 3 young kids so i think thats a good start. there are also a few 'puppy parties' that go on in our area, so we'll get her involved in them too.

im quite confident that we will give her a good start, and our puppy will grow into a super dog

Originally Posted by DobermanGuy

This poster has two other female dogs in the home. This puppy WILL learn bite inhibition from them quickly in my opinion.

Personally, I prefer to bring a puppy into a home that already has a trained adult dog around already. Dogs really DO learn a lot from being around their own kind...

our pup already seems to have got the idea that when you need the toilet you stand by the back door. now i don't know if that's from us taking her out there or she's picked it up from watching the other two. either way, its saving my carpet so im pleased!

[CorkyMax]

So glad you came back and told us how things are going. In reading between the lines--Sounds like you are a very good mom to this little girl. It also sounds like she is fitting in really well. Happy for you and her! But you haven't told us what you named her or what breed(s) she is?! Also would like to hear the same things about your other 2 dogs and their ages too. This forum is called I Love Dogs and we do!--So like to hear about the member's dog family and what kind of personalities they have! I bet you are a busy mom though with 3 young children and 3 dogs but would love to hear more from you when you can find the time. Give that little girl a hug for me, lol, even though she is prob not--Well maybe she is--SITTING IN YOUR LAP again right now! I know the first day I got my little Corky--I carried him around all day!

[lange]

Depending on where you live it's actually illegal to give the pup up before it's 8 weeks old, I'm surprised a vet wouldn't know this. Where do you live?

[rudi poo]

im in the uk, so as far as im aware that law dosen't apply here

Originally Posted by CorkyMax

So glad you came back and told us how things are going. In reading between the lines--Sounds like you are a very good mom to this little girl. It also sounds like she is fitting in really well. Happy for you and her! But you haven't told us what you named her or what breed(s) she is?! Also would like to hear the same things about your other 2 dogs and their ages too. This forum is called I Love Dogs and we do!--So like to hear about the member's dog family and what kind of personalities they have! I bet you are a busy mom though with 3 young children and 3 dogs but would love to hear more from you when you can find the time. Give that little girl a hug for me, lol, even though she is prob nort--Well maybe she is--SITTING IN YOUR LAP again right now! I know the first day I got my little Corky--I carried him around all day!

busy is one word for it!! they keep me on my toes! but i love them all!
the 1st dog we got was our brindle staffordshire bull terrier named tara. she'll be 3 in june and we got her when she was 11 months old. she is the happiest,craziest, friendliest dog you will ever meet! she loves everyone, and will lick anyone to death given the chance!!
she really lives up to the staffy's reputation of being a 'nanny dog'. she adores our kids and i can honestly say i trust her with them 100%. she hasn't got an aggressive bone in her body. we are so lucky to have such a wonderful dog.
rudi is our english bull terrier and she's almost 4. we got her last christmas. she is a real alpha female, and me and her have locked horns several times! i think she's finally got the message that im boss (although she dosen't like it!) she is a typical bully, and is sooo stubborn! if rudi dosen't want to do it then she won't do it!!
she is a very loving dog and loyal dog, and is protective of her pack. she adores my husband and would quite happily spend 24/7 with him.

then there's our new addition, callie. she's a staffy x american bulldog. she really is a little bundle of joy, a typical playful lil pup! she already loves the kids and her tail goes into over drive whenever she spots one of them!

she will be the 1st puppy i've brought up from the beginning and im looking forward to the challenge! i've had dogs around me my whole life and i adore them, so i think i'll do ok, or at least i hope so!

[DobermanGuy]

Originally Posted by rudi poo

im in the uk, so as far as im aware that law dosen't apply here

It does not apply in MOST of the USA either. Last time I checked only 11 or 12 states had laws on the books about age. And the states that DO have those laws generally aim them at large facilities/businesses and not private individuals.

You can believe that your puppy WILL learn from your other dogs there. Sometimes this can be good and sometimes it can be bad. Dogs can learn bad habits just as easily as the good things. LOL! :mrgreen:

Welcome to the site and wish you the BEST of luck with your new puppy!

[lange]

Yes, the US is what I was talking about. I have no idea about the UK's pet laws. About 20 states here carry age restrictions, about half of those are also directed towards individuals.