Have been thinking about this for a while, and it seems in my breed some will let the puppies go to their new homes at 7 weeks rather than the (I thought) recommended age of 8 weeks. I am thinking this would be a good topic of conversation between ourselves as I understand some breeds shouldn't go until much later than this even.

I've only bred 2 litters. Each litter started to go to their new homes the weekend after they were 7 weeks. On both occasions, this was almost the 8 week mark, although with the 2nd litter I had a couple of pups which were held back for holidays etc.

I am feeling much more certain however, that my breed (Golden Retrievers) are fine to go at 7 weeks (but not earlier). During that last week which brings them up to the 8 week mark, I really started to feel that they were ready to go. In the pictures taken with their new owners as they left for their new lives, the pups were huge, chunky little munchkins, some were struggling to hold their pups they were so big (around 7 kg mark).

Would be very interested to know what you all think, and especially your views that with the Accredited Breeder Scheme pups can't go until 8 weeks.

Thanks
Tanya

I'm not a breeder, but I got one of my pups at 6 weeks (BC) and another at 7 (Cocker). It was only a week but it made such a difference to toilet training that I wouldn't get a pup at 6 weeks ever again. I don't think there's much of a difference between 7 and 8 weeks though, but it wouldn't bother me if the breeder insisted on waiting till 8 weeks. I'd figure they knew the pups best and go with what they decided.

Think there are many reasons for deciding the best age let a puppy go to it's new home not least has it learned the correct dog to dog body language and bite inhibition.

For me the training of a puppy to be clean in the house is easy to to compared with teaching it how to approach other dogs and when it's teeth touch skin the bite stops. There are some things that a human can't teach a puppy it needs it's dam and litter mates to do this but sadly many poorly bred pups do not have a chance to learn as they are removed from the nest far too soon.

So would you consider 7 weeks too young?

It seems with my last litter, they settled much better once in their new homes. By the time they went they were charging round like a band of brothers!! This litter was partially toilet trained as I used trays with litter in, and all pups were toilet trained in a very short time of going to their new homes.

I agree that 6 weeks is too young, but there is a huge difference between that and 7 weeks imo.

>especially your views that with the Accredited Breeder Scheme pups can't go until 8 weeks.

I wasn't aware of this rule, and I can't find it mentioned on the ABS Requirements and Recommendations page.

If you do a site search this has been debated numerous times and even quite recently.

My breed club say minimum 7 weeks, and personally I let mine go the weekend following 7 weeks, as my breed are certainly ready.  Medium independent size Spitz breed.

It depends on the breed, as a rule of thumb 8 weeks, but some breeds are ready earlier and others later you really do have to rely on the knowledge of the breeder who should understand the breed enough to know when the pups have gained all they can from their dam and litter mates and before the litter become a 'gang' or pack.

Since I have had more than one dog I do not bother to toilet train, as soon as they are able to control themselves they do what the others do and either go or ask to go outside, seems pointless to train a pup to use paper or some such and then have to teach them to use the grass.

I've never let pups go before 8 weeks but the book of the bitch advises 7 weeks and says that 8 weeks is a sensitive period when major changes and upsets are not advisable.

Think it is up to the breeder who should understand their breed and their breeding. It used to be said that the pups go through a fear period between 10 and 12 weeks so one assumes that the best time is as soon as they are ready but I think most will not be at 6 weeks and other may well be best kept with the dam and litter until around 14 weeks.

The book of the bitch is very good but you do have to use it with the knowledge you have of the breed along with the experience of those who are your mentors, like your bitches breeder and the stud owner, and having taken all the advice you make your own mind up.

I think between 7 and 8 weeks is the optimum time. Certainly the pups that have left here later (due to holidays etc etc) have have a more difficut time settleing in their new homes and in urn they are ready to go out into the 'big wide world ' by then.

I think 6 wks is ideal.

It is also the age recommended by the APBC:

http://www.apbc.org.uk/articles/puppysocialisation1

http://www.apbc.org.uk/articles/puppysocialisation2

My last litter of the 3 going to new homes i let one go at 7 weeks to my mom who has lots of experience and had already got a older spitz but the other 2 that were going to fairly inexperienced homes they both went at 8 weeks, they all thrived and are doing very well 3 years down the line.

IMO between 7 & 8 weeks and NO earlier than 7. They are still learning so much from mom and litter mates in the last week or two.

I think 6weeks is far too young to rehome pups, when I think how tiny mine were at that age although fully integrated with my other adults under supervision from 4 weeks old and learning good manners from them all as needed I would not have been happy to let them go so young.

I introduced them to allsorts in the house and outside and one girl 12weeks old  was so bomb proof that the day after she left me she was taken to a junior school to pick up her new owners grandson and took all the kids wanting to make a fuss of her in her stride, I was so proud of her as were her owners and would advocate getting  any outside pup at an older age if they were all like her.

My litters are only small but those pups regardless of size need educating by the dam and siblings which won't happen after they have been split up.

I introduced them to allsorts in the house and outside and one girl 12weeks old  was so bomb proof that the day after she left me she was taken to a junior school to pick up her new owners grandson and took all the kids wanting to make a fuss of her in her stride, I was so proud of her as were her owners and would advocate getting  any outside pup at an older age if they were all like her.

My bitch was like that at 10 weeks when i carried her up to pick the kids up, think it all depends on the breed.

My breed isn't normally that keen on kids but I worked hard on making sure that nothing bothered them.

I do Early Neurological Stimulation so don't know if that helped, vet commented on how outgoing they were and eager to get out of the carrier rather than hiding at the back even on the second visit. 

Thats lovely Rhodach, i think you can always spot a milllion miles away the pups that have had the best start they could wish for.

My most recent litters have gone to their new homes between 7 1/2 and 12 weeks and all new owners have remarked how confident they have been, outgoing and view everyone they meet as there especially to see them.

My Spanish perfect time is 7 weeks. Now this is a breed that is up on its legs at 2 weeks, playing properly at 3 weeks but there's no way that I would let them go any earlier than 7 weeks.  Pomeranians best time is 12 weeks.

Hi, I wont let puppies go a day before 8 weeks. In fact my current litter, the first pup to go was at 9 weeks, the last will be 11 1/2 weeks.

I don't know how the heck anyone thinks it's ok for a pup to go at 6 weeks (someone has said it is ... sorry, but not read all posts). Maybe breeders letting their pups go this early are responsible for those dogs with dog-dog aggression issues. Certainly in my breed there is a heck of a lot of dog language learning goes on between 6 and 8 weeks. Can't honestly see that my breed is any different to others in this respect.

We can look at so called 'fear periods'. However, who is to say that puppies tie in with the text books? I know my girlies never read Book of the Bitch. I can sure as hell say none of my pups have ever read the varied books that discuss 'fear periods' ... each and everyone quotes different ages.

I want my pups to be excellent communicators with other dogs, I want them to be confident, to be able to cope with everything they may have thrown at them in their new lives, etc. This cannot be achieved before 8 weeks.

Course, it's very easy to send pups off on their merry way at 6 weeks of age, cuts out a HUGE amount of work for the breeder!

"understand the breed enough to know when the pups have gained all they can from their dam and litter mates and before the litter become a 'gang' or pack."

Hi Nova
I think this is along the lines of what I was thinking when looking at my last litter as they were coming up to 8 weeks. They had definitely started behaving as a "gang", which is why I had thoughts several times during that last week that they might have been better going at 7 weeks instead of 8. This would have had nothing to do with the extra work involved, more to do with how they were behaving.

It can also vary between litters and individual pups.  I am happy with 7 1/2 weeks onward as I have found 7 weeks the best age for the ear tattoos and also worm at 7 weeks giving a few days for tummies to settle.

"Course, it's very easy to send pups off on their merry way at 6 weeks of age, cuts out a HUGE amount of work for the breeder!"

Dogs for the Disabled were interested in having a pup from our first litter. The man who came to see me said that they take their choice at 6 weeks. I presume there is a very good developmental reason for this...

As I said in my post above, I really feel with my last litter especially, that they would have been better going at 7 weeks. Perhaps the breeder should go on the personality of the litter as a whole also? Our first litter went at the same age as the second, but they were much easier all round. The second litter I had a big sigh of relief as they started going off, of course I was sad, but I'd been looking at them being complete hooligans for that last week realising that they were soooo ready!!!

Didn't stop me loving every single one of them either... strong personalities or not :).

Would just add, I'm not thinking of breeding anytime soon, but a subject I've been thinking about, especially as some puppy buyers think any pups sold before 8 weeks is wrong. Obviously there are many variations on this, and a breeder may let one litter go at 7 weeks, the next litter might be 8, depending on the dynamics within that litter.

The people who use dogs for the disabled/blind etc don't want them to become too doggy, they want them very humanised, which is the reason they should not go to new homes when destined as pets at that age, as we do want them to be able to function as 'dogs'.  the number one reason there are so many doggy problems on walks is lack of canine communication skills.

I have never had all pups go at once, so some will be 7 1/2 - 8 weeks, some 9 etc.  Most of mien are homed between 7 1/2 - 9 weeks, ans then the odd one a bit later.

Size of litter makes a difference.  I have found 4 or less pups after 8 weeks are not nearly as gang/pack minded as more might be, and by 10 weeks I have rarely had more than two still here, so it is easy to make sure things are not allowed to get out of hand and get pups individually socialised.

> The people who use dogs for the disabled/blind etc don't want them to become too doggy, they want them very humanised, which is the reason they should not go to new homes when destined as pets at that age, as we do want them to be able to function as 'dogs'.  the number one reason there are so many doggy problems on walks is lack of canine communication skills.

I'm not sure about that.  The people I know who have puppy walked owned dogs of their own and the Guide Dog puppies grew up well adjusted to communicating with other canines just trained not to when "in harness".  Blind people mixing in society will often cross paths with other dogs to a greater or lesser degree and their dogs have to be able to communite their non aggression/disinterest if nothing else.

Lots of puppy walkers for the GDBA don't have other dogs. Cats are almost more important - it's vital they don't chase them! Guide dogs ideally will ignore other dogs when out and about, and not see them as something interesting to socialise with.

THere are many people who think 49 days is the optimum time to rehome a pup, I like mine at that age and my youngest (GSD) came home with me at that age and is the most sociable, confident, well balanced dog you could wish to meet with both dogs and humans! ;)

Interesting reading...the dog I got at 6 weeks is fear aggressive towards other dogs. I've always wondered why as he was very well socialised, maybe that's why. Although I guess I'll never know for sure. As I said, I'd never do it again, but at the time I was following advice from someone I thought knew what they were on about. :/ Live and learn and all that.

my personal experience only but i would let my pups go at 7 weeks  a giant breed  any longer the do act as a pak and are hard work or can be for new owners

Got my Cocker at 8 weeks but the BC breeder would not let Jake go until 9 weeks, both fine with us.