Matt says to me tonight,have a look at him..go on...what u think so I looked at the male dog in the pic,looked nice enough..got some lovely names in pedigree and he's got cc's ect ect bitch is nice too blah blah blah...
I goes to the gym comes home and he tells me he's e mailed and we can view the weekend...
For a start I didn't want one yet but tbh the thought of seein pups got me all warm inside n a little excited so thought Ahh what the hell...
Now here's my annoyance...on the ad pups are not even two weeks yet....YETbreeder is allowing viewings weekend...
Hmmm I never let anyone see my pups til the bitch was happy to let family members have a nose and tbh this was around 4ish weeks and over....
Anyone eles allow viewings as early as two weeks?? I've been right put off now

4 weeks is the earliest I would consider.
My girl would not have been happy at 2 weeks having anyone other than me with the pups.

Well ud think that wouldn't u! What has annoyed me is the advert is perfect its of the show dogs standing ect rossetes and then they're allowing viewings at two weeks....I wasn't keen on lookin at pups to start with n now it's put me right off again
They're show people!!!!
Ud think they know better

I have visited some pups at this age but only when I know the breeder personally.
Other than that it's been around 5 weeks. You can't really assess a puppy until it's really moving about and developing its personality..
In your case I'd be concerned too, it's way to your for a stranger to walk into home with such young pups.

Have you decided on a BM?

It could be they know how the bitch is with pups and people viewing them at a young age is nothing to her.
Personally I would never consider it but I like to think the best of people and that's what how I can rationalise it.
At 2 weeks I would think it's difficult to get a true sense of the pups and their personality and form.
If it doesn't feel right then I wouldn't go view.
You could always call the breeder and talk to them. You will get a better feel of how things are with talking to them than an ad and take it from there if u think despite the 2 week viewing the pups are of good quality and what u are looking for.

To be honest, from a puppy buyer point of view, I can't see any point or reason for viewing pups at 2 weeks.   All they do is sleep and feed.   They are so young at this age, that you wouldn't recognise them in a few weeks time unless they had really memorable markings, and markings can change anyway.

From the breeder point of view, perhaps they prefer to have buyers who are willing to travel and make the effort to meet the breeder.  However, at this age, I wouldn't want anyone coming into the house bringing goodness knows what in.  I wouldn't want the bitch stressed by strangers coming into the house either - no matter how good the bitch is with strangers around her pups, they are her pups and I feel it's wrong to take advantage of a dog, or bitch's good nature.

Really, the time to meet buyers is before the litter, or after about 4 weeks, when they are up and about.

>Now here's my annoyance...on the ad pups are not even two weeks yet....YETbreeder is allowing viewings weekend...

A big NO NO for me.  But I don't allow viewings until pups are 5 weeks.  My reasoning being that people looking for certain traits can't possibly judge earlier.

And, to be honest, I feel that pups have had a chance to benefit from the bitches antibodies by this time.  

I know some people will think I'm being unfair, but if you have a waiting list, then you wouldn't be advertising at this stage.  And certainly wouldn't be asking newcomers to pop round and view.

My bitches love having people come and see them and their litters from the start, and certainly if someone wanted to come and see them that early In would allow it, though for those with long journeys I do stress that they aren't very interesting until their eyes are open and not really out and about playing until 4 weeks.

I have had people come weekly to see the pups.

Good socialisation.

Actually it is safer for people to see them when they are fully protected by Mums immunity than when it starts to wear off during weaning.

3 weeks for me, as I know my bitches would not want strangers here before then. HOWEVER when I viewed my first Golden Retriever pup (such a trusting breed) from a very good breeder indeed, I was allowed to see the pups at 6 days! For us (the entire family, I was just 18 so it was my mum and dad and brother as well) it was a very special experience. No you couldn't see characters but it didn't matter. It meant we got to follow the litter from the start more or less. We didn't get to pick a puppy but had seen them a few times at different ages and were very happy with it. The bitch didn't mind.

They are so young at this age, that you wouldn't recognise them in a few weeks time unless they had really memorable markings, and markings can change anyway.

I have an 8 day old litter at the moment (all sold before birth). For the first time I am using puppy ID collars. I first tried the paper ones but found them dangerous, now use fabric velcro ones and it's working really well. I am putting photos on Facebook and my website and my buyers are really interested to be able to tell which pup is which as although they do not know yet which is theirs, they can tell the sexes apart from the colours of the collars and so know that THEIR pup is one of a few they can spot in photos. :)

For a show puppy ...If you want the pick of litter you need to be there at birth or at 8 weeks approx..not a lot to see at 2-3 weeks.
If a pet then.... when the character starts to show through, much later than 2 weeks.

This smacks of a big litter and a breeder who wants it wrapped up quickly....I imagine they want a sizeable deposit to tie you in too.

A breeder I was going to get a pup from (pregnancy failed) said if we wanted to, we could come and see the pups at two weeks, but we would only be allowed to look from outside the house through the patio doors and only for a short time. We could come back to see them properly and to start making a choice at 4/5 weeks. They were Goldens too.

4 weeks, only family get to see them earlier. I use id collars and give perspective owners a link to my private Photobucket page where we update daily (well my daughters do) People liked to be kept in the loop but pups come first.

4 weeks is my earliest and then they can come whenever they want, it takes a lot out of you having constant visitors, let alone the dam and pups, I sure wouldn't want it starting beforehand I want the dam leaving alone and the pups to be left to thrive and I would not want anyone handling 2 week old pups, poor things.......

For me it's three weeks, most experienced folks who want a dog for show or work don't want to visit but pet owners can't wait to come an coo over the babies. My bitches are more than happy to have visitors by this stage, in fact they often opt to have a wee break on the sofa from baby duties and leave them to us daft humans for a while. By the time mine are five weeks they have had loads and loads of visitors for playtime and socialisation.
K

There are viewings and there are viewings though, playing devils advocate here, we are all thinking of viewing - seeing and handling the pups, maybe playing with them, chatting at length with the breeder etc. However...the breeder may see viewings at two weeks, - you can stand in the lounge and watch the pups waaaaaay over there in the whelping pen, meet mum briefly and be grilled over a cup of tea at length about commitment etc.

The first time I saw a litter of pups many years ago now, they were just over two weeks old, I had to dip my feet in her hall way and then was only allowed as far as the lounge to peek at them through a window. The breeder wanted me to meet the other dogs and have a 'cavalier' welcome, she wanted to see how I reacted to the adults, what I would do if one jumped on me and generally get to know me.  Three weeks later I was allowed back and was able to sit and play with the pups. I was eventually able to choose from a couple of suitable ones when they were 7 weeks old.

My puppy owners came to first view the pups at three weeks old, however in retrospect that was too early, not for the pups, they had a great time and mum was only too glad to have a bit of a smooch with someone different, however their personalities didnt appear until 5 weeks at least. So next time I will wait a bit longer.

>This smacks of a big litter and a breeder who wants it wrapped up quickly....I imagine they want a sizeable deposit to tie you in too.

You read my mind.

I understand what you are saying Alfieshmalfie and most of our bitches would be fine with visitors, however, it is the time that most of us breeders are glued to our litters 24hrs a day, it is the time period when if you are not very careful you can lose a pup or two if not on the ball, the dam can accidently sit on them etc, pups are continually lost through people not being there, we sleep with them and watch constantly, having visitors not only for me is bad for the handling (if allowed) but also for distracting the breeder, opening the door, chatting, making tea's, coffee's, introducing dogs etc and doing a more serious vetting if not already done so is not the time, not when we are supposed to be on high alert if we want our whole litter to make it.

I too would be very worried that this breeder is not the type to have a pup off, the interest of the pups is not first in their mind...........

Way too young, you can't asses anything at that age, angles, pigment, bone, depth, tightness of feet, colour of eyes, frontage etc. If its the same breed you were talking about a while ago then some pups are born really dark some are even just off black (even if they are not brindles) and by a few weeks of age the darker hair goes and the true colour is shown. Iv sadly even known pups at this age die perhaps from infection (one of the most successful in the breed lost an entire litter at this age) so I tend to make people wait until 5 weeks ish.. when I choose a dog for the ring, or I'm importing I like to wait until 6/8 weeks as a personal preference.

No one would be able to choose at this age, but if the breeder is quite close to you and you want to meet them and have a general chat, get to know them etc then go for that reason rather than at this point the puppies.

Only my neighbour, who 'sat' mine and me hers, would see our puppies earlier than about 5 weeks.   Trouble with Basset puppies is at that age their ears are not really 'down' so some people might be concerned not to see aaaah long ears.   For this reason a lot would depend on who the people were - if they have had the breed before, I'd let them come by around 5 weeks because I prefer to get to know my new owners a bit before they take my puppies.   otherwise it could be even later before I have anybody come in.

No way would I allow just any Jo to see my puppies at barely 2 weeks old.   Pointless - all puppies do at 2 weeks is eat and sleep!

Add - for a show puppy - no way before about 4 months!!!    In my breed, we run on a couple of promising puppies and then make the decision about which one is going to be the better prospect.   If both are good, as a buyer I'd go see them and discuss which the breeder feels she wants to keep, and which I think I'd like.   This certainly couldn't possibly take place with Bassets, at birth or 8 weeks....... much as I've been able to identify clear good-uns pretty early on.   My most recent buy-in puppy was one of 4 his breeder had run on.   I bought him at 4 months, to show, and yet he still managed to suffer premature closure of the growth plates, ulna both sides, which has ruled out my plans.

I saw my pup for first time at 2weeks, BUT I am friendly with her breeder, and as bitch had litter before and she knew how she was, we had no issues. I saw them at 2 weeks, 4, 5, 6 and 7 weeks, and have to say, my first choice when I saw them at 2 weeks was the pup that came home with me at 8weeks :)

As I said I'm happy to have visitors any time, but make it quite clear that choosing will be at 7 weeks.

I didn't make final decision until 7 weeks, and had narrowed it down to two show quality girls, but when it came to splitting hairs, I allowed my heart to rule and go with the girl that caught my eye at 2 weeks :)

My mentor in one of my breeds always picks what pup to keep AT BIRTH. Considering the number of Champions she's had (several with 10 tickets each or more), it's worked for her. She knows just what to look for in the shape of body, head etc.

I pick at birth too, that is....I can tell the best in the litter structure wise.
Then the wait to see if it all works out in practice with teeth, temperament and tail carriage.