Ive just been wasting some time and nosying around on a well known animal sale site and came across an advert from somebody who is selling their 8 week old large breed puppy. They say that they have had her since she was 3 and a half weeks old as she was hand reared and had to be bottle fed. This had really turned my stomach (crunchy nut cornflakes ahoy!!!!!)  What sort of money-grabbing monster lets their puppies go to their new home at 3 and a half weeks...hand-reared or not!!!!!! It has to be a case of the breeder realizing that this breeding malarky is just way to much like hard work and wanted shut!!!!!! My heart breaks for the little one being taken from its litter-mates and missing out on vital socialisation and learning from its friends. I feel like contacting them and finding out who bred her and phoning them and giving them a piece of my mind!!!!! Poor baby....8 weeks old and on its way to its second home!!!!! And the reason for the current owners selling her... because she is jumping all over their small elderly dog who has a bad back end!!!! Shocking excuse for selling her IMO as they must have known this would happen before getting her and exceptionally poor vetting by breeder. But saying that....I doubt they gave a toss. Money in their pocket.....goodbye puppy!!!!

Ok rant over.

I'm certainly not defending the 'breeder' but a friend of mine took on a 3 week old pup when mum of litter died, friend had a litter herself and her bitch took on the pup as one of her own, which she then kept,  it would be nice to think this is what happened, but I doubt it, some people really are only in it for the ££'s

A Friend of mine had her first doberman at 4 weeks old. 

It was actually KC registered, but pet bred.  The couple had split up, and the dogs belonged to the ex. 

As they were becoming hard work the male ex partner was going to drown the pups, my Friends other half was working next door and took one home.