Hi Everyone,

I was just wondering how long you all keep your pups ? I have never let any of mine go to new homes before 12 weeks because I get them all vaccinated first and thought that 12 weeks is a good age. I have however had people ask me for pups at 8 week and have told them No. A lot of people say that the're no longer pups at 12 weeks. What are your thoughts ? (they are pekes)

Donna

Hi Donna
I don't know anything about Pekes or Toys in general but can tell you how I feel about Wolfhound pup's. :)
In general IW's would have first vaccs at 8 wks and go to experienced homes, second vaccs at 10 wks and then go to first time owners.
I personally feel that from the reading and research I've done there is a marked *fear period* for pup's around 7 - 10 wks, hence the difference in time to go to experienced or first time owners. But conversely there is a bonding process during these early weeks too, so IMHO it is a matter of personal preference for each individual breeder. :D
Nicky

My friend was calling for toy poodles and she was told 8 to 12 weeks but if their are small children 12 weeks, probable for the pups safety because they were so tiny. As long as the pups are well socialized (toy breeds) I really don't see anything wrong with keeping them till 12 weeks.

Mine all go at 8 weeks {give or take a few days if it is near a weekend}
I have never had a problem with any of them settling down but have heard of other puppies who have not gone till they are 10-12 weeks having difficulty settling in.......

With my first litter I insisted that they could not go until they were 8 weeks old, which of course meant nearer 9weeks with mid week born pups, as vast majority of people like to collect at the weekend.

I did find that the pups were actually ready to go from 7 weeks, and are really needing to learn things on their own, definately individuals by then, often doi8ng their own thing.

I now let them go some time after 7 weeks, but as it is a numerically small breed in reality pups leave as the homes are ready anything up to 16 weeks when I have held pups for holidays/export etc.

hi
not as a breeder, but as a purchaser i would want a pup at 8-9 weeks old, not 12 weeks on,a lot can be achieved in the 8-12 week period, this is just my prefrence, regards tina

As a purchaser I agree with you Tina, as a breeder see the other post. How's that for double standards :-)?

I think sharon you hit the nail on the head. The mental and physical maturity of the breed of pups in question is the deciding factor.

With my first litter I stuck rigidly to an 8 week minimum, but with experience have found that anytime after 7 weeks the little darlinga are ready.

Elkhound pups seem to be very physically advanced for their ages, being able to do things a lot sooner than average. Bark, eliminate unaided etc etc.

I rarely have a mass exodus, and in practice pups leave over about a 3 week period, this allows me to enjoy them to the full, but in smaller volume.

My change in approach (albeit only a few days, i.e. the first weekend after 7 weeks as my ready date) was somewhat a compromise between the current thinking that pups bond best from 6 weeks onward, and the fact that pups learn a lot from their Dam. I remember remonstrating with a Guide dogs for the blind speaker who maintained that keeping a pup beyond six weeks did it no favours as pups do not need their mother after five weeks!!! Physically maybe, but certainly not mentally.

My American Cocker pups go at 8plus weeks, for pets. Show pups usuallly we have to run on much longer, to evaluate! The pugs (just selling 2nd pup of first litters now) will be from 8 weeks (experienced home, no kids) and from 12 weeks, (first timers, kids in house). Devleopement rate of my 2 breeds is so different, and so far the pugs do not seem to have any inbuilt fear response at all!!:)
Gwen

hi i breed rottwillers and i let my pups go at 7 weeks any longer and i think they all would be fighting together, i do checkups on the pups and they are all doing well and it is amazing as they never forget me, im the crazy woman that used to shout puppies to get there attension and it worked. i had to keep one pup called lani for 12 weeks due to the fact she was traveling a very long way so needed her jabs first. when the time came to let her go we all cryed for days because we had her so long. so in my opinion 7 weeks is a good time.

Hi Donna, haven't a clue about pekes, but when I started almost everyone in my breed kept deerhound pups until they were 12 weeks. The rationale was that these giants mature very slowly mentally and grow very fast physically that mistakes in feeding/exercise before 12 weeks could prove disasterous (not that mistakes after 12 weeks aren't :-(), and that the mentally immature pups benefit from the extra time with mum and the litter. In addition deerhound pups are so big, and so apparently calm (most are actually extremely sensitive as pups, though 99% of adults are bombproof), that inexperienced owners frequently treat them as older and more confident than they really are.

The 12 week "rule" was later reinforced when there was a case of PSS (liver shunt) in a deerhound puppy, and thanks to the campaigning breeder most deerhound breeders began to PSS test litters. At that time you had to wait until the pup was 12 weeks before you could test.

Now the PSS test is done at 6 weeks, and with the research on bonding, fear periods etc, some breeders let the pups go at 7 - 9 weeks.

I still keep mine to 12 weeks unless they are going to someone well experienced and known to me who can have their pup earlier. I still feel that the 'old' reasons are valid, and have never known of a 12 week deerhound pup that had any problem with settling in its new home or with bonding. If I'm being truthful I also have a small ulterior motive for keeping the pups to 12 weeks. I don't breed often and look forward to and enjoy my litters enormously, so I keep them as long as I can :-).

Much as I'd like to, I couldn't run on a pup much after 12 weeks because I know fine rightly that I'd get far to attached to it to let it go anywhere :-). Because they are 12 weeks the pups go fully vaccinated though I'd actually rather let them go without their second vacc so that the new owners have to take them to their own vet soon after they get their pup.

This is something that I have been thinking about - Loki's pups are due 10th November - so that would mean, all being well, and if they come on that date, they would be 7 weeks old on 27th December - so I have decided that they will not be going anywhere until they are 2 months of age - so we should (we hope) be having puppies around the Christmas tree - what fun ;-) ;-)