I've been asked to keep two of my puppies for a couple of extra weeks after their 8 weeks old and ready to go to their new homes, one will be 10 weeks and the other will be 11.

It's the first time I've been asked to do this and wondered what everyone else does under these circumstances?

And what do you do about vaccinations?

i kept one until 12 weeks and we had her first vaccine done and they had her 2nd a really good home with someone i know well and i was happy to keep her a little while longer

I rarely have all pups going at 8 weeks. 

Those that go by 10 weeks go without vaccinations, those staying past 10 weeks will not go until they have had the full course. 

If I have been asked to keep them longer I would expect the new owners to pay for the vaccinations.

Regards socialization, they will need to do what you would do appropriate for their age as you would with the one yoru keeping.

If you don't know the people that well, I wouldn't keep if not paid for in full.  You could end up with older pups that don't sell easily in the current climate. 

If they want the jabs done while with you, I would expect them to pay for them when collecting their pup.

I let mine go in the UK after 12 weeks, ie after a full course of vaccinations and microchip.

I'm running one on for a lady in Norway which needs a rabies jab so that's 3 months plus 21 days.
I treat them like the ones I keep, collar and lead on and out for walks, shops, cars,meet and greet lots of people.
If you are keeping a litter mate in any case,two are usually as easy as one I find.
I wouldn't be going to this extra work if I didn't trust the new owner.

I once had a holiday booked and had to leave a pup with his breeder for an extra week.  I don't think she was in any doubt we were serious but we did offer to pay in full before we left - I felt much happier knowing that everything was settled. 

In this case I had explained the holiday when we joined her waiting list and originally we were booked for a litter that wasn't due for 14 months so the breeder knew about the holiday before moving us to an earlier litter.

We were away for three weeks and, at the time of leaving, we weren't entirely sure which boy would be ours.  The  breeder sent me regular updates and we had a few text conversations (when I could find coverage) but I couldn't wait to get home!  We drove back to Caen from the south of France one day, back to Somerset the next, then up at 5.30am for our drive north to collect the puppy.  By the time we got him home we were simply running on adrenaline and pure puppy excitement :)

I kept a couple of extra pups for a couple of weeks due to holidays and personal stuff without a bother at all.  It was lovely to watch them all interact with each other as the litter got smaller. 
I took full payment and added the cost of vaccs, which the owners paid.
Socialisation was a pain though as you need to do it all 1-on-1 so it took HOURS!!!  I made sure each pup had time on it's own daily.
Housetraining was a nightmare too but by the time they were picked up, all 3 were dry/clean in the house.  I should've charged extra!! I was frazzled!!lol

It was an experience but I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I've done it many times, but you have to be certain the person will definitely want the pup. One of my dogs is here because I kept him an extra 3 weeks, the person then changed their mind, and nobody wanted an older pup so I had to keep him.

Ditto others, if keeping over, the vaccinations are started if not finished by the time they are collected and added to the pups price discussed prior.

I've always got to know my puppy owners very well by the time they collect so have never felt the need to charge for the pup or vacs beforehand, but agree if you have not known them for long in this day and age it is best to cover for all eventualities with a deposit there probably have been people who have been left stranded with older pups.

I've never charged my puppy owners extra for keeping a pup over either, I know it is extra food, time, cleaning and needing to socialise a pup etc, but I've never felt comfortable about charging extra for that, I generally end up with some flowers or chocolates funnily never been offered money :-D

At the end of the day it is worth the extra effort to get your pup that lifelong home and stay in good favour with your pups owners. :-)

Just discuss the extra add on for the vaccinations, there always seems to be one puppy owner who needs their pup to have an extended stay, never got away with a full litter going at 8 weeks. :-)

My first pup went aged 10 weeks & have gradually been going ever since. I had to jab my own pups(3 girls) so did the boys I still had(4) at the age of 12.5 weeks. I have kept 1 boy for 3 weeks(picking him up this saturday) & another for 2 months(I have charged for food only for this one) dues to holidays. They are 20 weeks this Friday & the last boy to go will be 5 months. I have to say it has been extreamly hard to train(house/lead/socialise) them all but one does what one has to do, until one finds the correct forever homes!!!

I've kept a pup to 4 months, and apart from her the earliest my pups will start leaving is between 8 to 10 weeks and over a 2 to 3 week period! So, being asked to keep a pup til 10 or 11 weeks isn't a problem :-)

I wont vaccinate earlier than 10 weeks, so pups with me at that time get done by me (already discussed with owner that the cost will be passed on to them) ... just the first jab if the owner's vet uses same vaccine, if not then they either return to my own vet (had an owner do that but only a 100 mile round trip) or I keep pup to have the 2nd jab done at 12 weeks, then keep 3 or 4 days longer to ensure everything has settled down :-)

> I've never charged my puppy owners extra for keeping a pup over either,

Only time I have done this is in the case of exports.

I always consider anything up to 10 weeks or so as normal puppy homing age, and would only charge after that, and only charge a nominal amount for the extra couple of weeks (covers extra expenses, taking to classes etc) as often pups for export can't go until 12 - 16 weeks.

I got Nando at nine weeks as I was working in America. The breeder was really happy with who he was going to so she was more than happy to keep him for me. I didn't get his vaccinations as I wanted to make sure he was getting two of the same vaccine at the vets and wouldn't have the course repeated. He spent a further week amongst the older dogs and the breeder's children and horses which was great socialisation :)

The breeder I got my boy from charged me £60 to keep him for 2 weeks because we had to wait till 12 weeks to fly him home. It was flight from London to Inverness but much easier for him than a long road trip. I thought £60 was a bit much.

I'm on the other end of the line here...I'm a buyer who needed the breeder to keep the pup for me over 8 weeks beyond the normal 8 week letting go period.
My pup was in Sweden,and I am in Italy.  The breeder was sterling. she kept the pup until he was 3 m and 21 days...time enough to have his rabies vacc at 3 m and also to have his two puppy vaccs. I paid for the vaccinations, the pet passport etc..but she kept him without extra charge  for the eight weeks he was there.
Now I have  a well socialized ,happy,balanced puppy thanks to the breeders input. He was with four pups ,three destined for export so is very friendly with other dogs.He was lead trained.Within two weeks at my home he is virtually house trained too.He is also great on a grooming table and permits me to shave his face and feet without any fuss.(a boon).
Without   the breeders cooperation I would be forced to buy an Italian pup from breeders who think health testing means taking a pups temp and having a cold nose( I'm exaggerating,but you get my drift). 
May I say a general THANKYOU to the breeders who are willing to work with the puppy buyer.For me I have my puppy of a lifetime.  I can't  thank the breeder enough.

> The breeder I got my boy from charged me £60 to keep him for 2 weeks because we had to wait till 12 weeks to fly him home.

So in effect they kept the pup an extra 4 weeks.

As I said I am quite happy to keep pups at no extra cost for a week or two past the usual homing age of around 8 weeks, but after that feel a small charge is applicable beyond that.  My breed is averagely priced.

So in effect they kept the pup an extra 4 weeks.

No she kept him for 2 weeks, I saw him at 10 weeks, yes I did fly down to see him and fly back the same day and all I got for my trouble was a cup of tea and an extra £60 charge (cos he is fed on mince and things like that). He is worth it though.

To be honest, that works out around £4 per day which sounds very reasonable to me. Pups at that age are very labour intensive and eat like horses (on mince you said, which is not cheap) plus all the socialisation/handling etc.

As a breeder I appear to be 'missing' the point. I do not understand the need to charge for keeping a puppy beyond 8 weeks of age, or that this is some extra special requirement!!! Who are all these breeders willing to allow, I assume, ALL their pups to go at the 8 week stage? Poor Mum's, that's all I can say :-( I do not allow pups to leave all at once, ie at the 8 week point, they are staggered, 4 days minimum between each pup going ... for training purposes, for Mum's purposes and for me as the breeder!

> As a breeder I appear to be 'missing' the point. I do not understand the need to charge for keeping a puppy beyond 8 weeks of age, or that this is some extra special requirement!!! Who are all these breeders willing to allow, I assume, ALL their pups to go at the 8 week stage?

2 parts to this question
Part 1 ~ So if your litter are say 13.5 weeks when someone visits & they want a pup from you(even when mentioned to look for other litters once back from holiday) but are going away when the pup is 17 weeks & cant have it until it is 22 weeks. In the pups best interest it has stayed with me & I am doing all the same as I would with my keepers(lots of training(lead/house/socialisation) & all that is going to paid is the food he has eaten in the 7.5 weeks he has been kept longer(a fraction of the cost a kennels would charge & better for the pup too!!).
Part 2 ~ The pups stay here until all homes have been found..my first went at 10 weeks with the last going at 22 weeks

Trialist in a small breed with smaller litters I can see that it would work. In one of my large breeds the average litter size is 10, litters of 13 are quite common, by the time they get to 8 weeks the mum is usually pretty fed up with them. If you left four days between each pup going they would be fairly old by the time the last one went.
In the larger breeds with a large litters they also start to play quite roughly, most breeders stagger the pups leaving over a week or two so it is not bad, also it enables them to give time to each new owner on collection.
Having said all of that I only had seven in my last litter so it was fairly easy, and mum was still feeding the puppy we kept till she was about 12 weeks, although I doubt by then she was managing to get very much, I think it was more of a comfort thing.

Sorry, can't see the difference between a small litter or a larger litter, my breed quite usually has 8 pups. OK, 4 days isn't a must, but I still would want 3 days between each pup going, but then I start off crate training ... that needs to be done individually. Guess there are expectations and then there are other expectations!

Eh?

> Eh?

You have questioned why some charge to keep a puppy beyond 8 weeks. I have given you an instance why I have charged a nominal fee(less than 10%) what a kennel would charge at that!!

To be honest, that works out around £4 per day which sounds very reasonable to me.

So glad it doesn't cost £4 per day to keep a puppy as I would be paying about £50 per day to keep all my dogs.

To be honest, that works out around £4 per day which sounds very reasonable to me.

So glad it doesn't cost £4 per day to keep a puppy as I would be paying about £50 per day to keep all my dogs. Only an small/med breed.

We are talking about boarding a puppy that has been booked, and therefore could have been picked up at the usual 8 to 10 week stage that one would expect puppies to normally leave. 

Beyond this time the breeder is doing the buyer a service for which they are charging a nominal fee compared to the commercial charge that would otherwise be charged for boarding a dog while owners are on holiday.

It may involve the breeder in added expense if they have to pay for puppy sitters while they are out, say at a show, work, when they would have expected not to need additional cover etc.

This is not the same as a puppy that has not been homed (found a home) until it is older.

OK, I'm still happy to keep a pup for the right time to go to it's new home ... not talking about unbooked pups, all mine are booked before they hit the ground :-) The girl I kept 'til she was 4 months of age was booked very early on ... she was heading for search and rescue work, she was absolutely the right pup going to the right handler - just the timing wasn't quite right for him when she was between 8-12 weeks of age. I certainly wasn't going to home her elsewhere just 'cause he had a number of overseas business trips, nor was I inclined to charge him extra, the home is the most important thing in my view. Ah well, each to their own :-)

In the end I didn't need to keep the puppy the extra 4 weeks, the new owners decided they could work around their initial problem.

The second puppy we were asked to keep an extra 2 weeks is paid for, papers have been exchanged and insurance activated in the new owners name (just as a precaution).

He will stay here free gratis until he's collected. I'll be doing everything with him that I do with my keeper.

> To be honest, that works out around £4 per day which sounds very reasonable to me.
>
> So glad it doesn't cost £4 per day to keep a puppy as I would be paying about £50 per day to keep all my dogs. Only an small/med breed.

My medium breed pup, has come to just under £1 a day(at 17-22 weeks)...dont forget that pups are on 4 meals a day, so would cost more than feeding an adult dog.

>The second puppy we were asked to keep an extra 2 weeks is paid for, papers have been exchanged and insurance activated in the new owners name (just as a precaution).

Am I missing something here? I didn't think that insurance was activated until the pup LEFT the breeder to go to it's new home, so if you have still got it then the insurance would be invalid

I have kept pups here longer than the 8 weeks when the new owners couldn't take them. All I have asked for is the money for the innoculations. I have had an extra few weeks with the pup and have enjoyed the extra play time ;-) I have also delivered a pup to the other side of the country (ok, I was invited to stay for a few day sholiday on the west coast of Scotland by the new owner :-) ) but I didn't charge for this either. I got to know the new owner quite well and we still phone one another regularly. In fact much more often than any other puppy owner. I made a good friend that year. :-)

I activated the insurance as a precaution. I asked the new owners if by chance the puppy hurt itself or became ill who would pay the vet costs?

The puppy isn't mine any longer, they've paid for him and taken his papers.

I'm only looking after him.

Insurance is activated on the day mine leave usually.

Wise precaution. 

A few years ago now I got burned by keeping a puppy for a booked holiday to 16 weeks.

the agreement had been full payment at 8 weeks, but it  n ever was forthcoming before they left, and at 10 weeks puppy managed to slip when running off back step with other dogs wedging it's leg in the space between the steps and dog run, and broke it's front leg.

I was faced with several hundreds of pounds vet bills (It was a green stick fracture and healed well)and then the people had to decide if they would still have her.

I well remember them having me trot her up and down to check for soundness before they eventually did, even with the vets report saying she was fine.

Interestingly enough the same owners had a puppy from a fellow breeder as a companion for this one a few years later when their aged one had died.

They asked for that one to be held until 16 weeks also on some pretext.  I rather suspect they simply preferred to get their puppy at this age, missing out most of the messy house-training baby stage.

I have agreed to do it but prefer not too. Simple reason that I have a breed that at 7-8 weeks clearly need the ammount of individual attention I cnnot really give and to be getting used to the sights and sounds of what they will have to live with asap. e.g Although I have friends with kids who see the pups. I don't have any myself so not quite the same. Anyway, I have done it and not charged but get the vaccinations done  which the owner pays for and usually a deposit.. Never been offered any additional money or asked for it but my OH thinks I should. I have to keep them separate fro my other dogs ( not from the sibling I keep ) but once all the pups have gone my own pup can be launched properly with my older dogs who don't all take kindly to little pups taking the mick.

Brainless, did the new owners pay for the vet bill or were you stuck with it in the end?

The one who fractured it's leg, no I paid the £350+ vet bills.  If I remember right the pups were sold for about £400, born in 1999.

I have one left of my litter, she was 8 weeks on Monday and she is going on Sat but as far as I am concerned she will be the same price, the only extra I will charge is far her first jab which she had Monday along with the pup I am keeping. The two vets hav conversed and are happy to do the second jab in the new owners vets. Granted the owner is a friend who already has 2 of my breeding but even if she was not I do not see holding a pup for a few days extra as a problem. 16 weeks though is a different matter and I would want the pup insured and jabs paid for. I would start socialization and house training as normal but would expect a contribution towards feed. (Large breed...eat a lot !!)
Aileen

I kept a pup for someone until it was 16 weeks as it had to have both vaccinations before it went (long story why). I charged normal price for the pup and cost of vaccinations. I also kept a pup and insured both of them because I wanted peace of mind. The only insurance I could find that would transfer ownership was the Kennel Club one.

I didn't take a deposit (never do). I did all the usual socialisation that I would do with my own but the pup really did need more one to one attention than I felt I gave. I would never keep two from the same litter for this reason. When the pup left, the one that I kept obviously missed him very much too :(