Janice:

You may enjoy reading the "Art Of Raising A Puppy" by the Monks of New Skete. It is a very good book on puppy development from birth to leaving for their new homes at 8-10 weeks of age. There's also a great section on temperment testing puppies that is very informative. It's an easy read and it had a lot of great information. It was quite a bit different and more in depth than a lot of other puppy development books that I've read over the years.

Janice,

Good topic. I have some very strong feelings about this based on experience.

My son started asking us for a puppy when he was 14. We hemmed and hawed and finally brought one home when he turned 16. He is now 18, and we've had Hans for just over two years.

My son promised he'd take care of the dog, clean the poop, feed him, groom him, and that my wife and I wouldn't have to do anything. Things started out well, for several months our son set his alarm for 2:30 AM and 6:30 AM and got up and took Hans out to relieve himself. But that kind of behavior didn't last. Our son is 18 now and my wife and I do the lions share of the work and have to prod our son to do his share. He never walks Hans, my wife and I have to do that. He is supposed to clean the poop area a couple of times a week and getting him to do that is like pulling teeth. Most of Hans outside play time is with me or my wife. When Hans needs to relieve himself he comes to get me, I tell my son to take him out, and Hans runs to the door to wait for him. Based on this, I'd say 18 is too young to bring a puppy home.

My wife and I are in our mid 50's. Hans has a fair amount of drive and he can wear us out. Though we are able to keep up with him most of the time, I'm thinking that unless you have kept yourself in shape, you want to bring a puppy home before you hit 50.

So in my experience the age to bring a puppy home depends on how responsible you are and how much energy you have. So I'd say the optimum age to bring a puppy home is probably from the mid 20's to late 40's, assuming the person in the mid 20's has grown up enough to be a responsible self starter.

Our son says that when he moves out on his own he is taking Hans with him. My wife and I think if that happens and we want another GSD (we likely will), we'll probably get a trained adult.

Wait ... just reading over this thread ... Oh, you meant when is the optimal age of the puppy! Never mind.

 Quote: Rich Pallechio

... Never mind.

... said in his Roseanne Roseannadanna voice....

I will out myself and confess that I did just the same thing to my parents when I was 14!!

Shame on me... and my parents were stuck with that little Pomeranian for 17 years!! (J/K - we all loved the little jack@$$ and were heartbroken when he passed away...)

Honestly though - more priceless information here from the best dog forum on the web!! I totally understand the rationale behind 7-9 week 'go-home' times, but we got Oscar at close to 12 weeks... and he turned out just fine - QUITE dedicated to his mum, and not what I would call overly "doggy" at all. Maybe we just got lucky.

*I'm a little stunned by the thought of a litter of 7 week old pups being so vicious with each other that they need to be separated, but that just shows my inexperience, and preference for more "low-key" dogs. As boring as that may sound to most here...

~Natalya

 Quote:

*I'm a little stunned by the thought of a litter of 7 week old pups being so vicious with each other that they need to be separated

Its alotta fun to watch when it first starts But sometimes they can get a little outta hand, in the "won't let go and just hangs onto the littermates neck thrashing his/her head around no matter how much the other puppy screams or tries to lash out" sense.

 Quote: mike j schoonbrood

 Quote:

*I'm a little stunned by the thought of a litter of 7 week old pups being so vicious with each other that they need to be separated

Its alotta fun to watch when it first starts But sometimes they can get a little outta hand, in the "won't let go and just hangs onto the littermates neck thrashing his/her head around no matter how much the other puppy screams or tries to lash out" sense.

I was waiting for you to say something to that effect, Mike - you usually find amusement in things that make most people cringe.

~Natalya

 Quote:

you usually find amusement in things that make most people cringe.

Its a gift

 Quote: Mike J Schoonbrood

 Quote:

you usually find amusement in things that make most people cringe.

Its a gift

.... and a curse ....

In all seriousness, though, is this very early serious fighting done mostly by working dog litters?
Is this because working dogs are bred to be rank concious, and tough, or is that even a true statement?
Are the pups trying to sort out the "who's the boss" question early on?

For those that send pups to new homes prior to 12 weeks, what is your thoughts on the "fear period" that takes place between 8 and 10/11 weeks? What effects will this have on the puppies development if they are put in new homes during this time? Are you concerned with the stress of vaccinations(for those that vaccinate), new homes, leaving litter mates... all compiled into a short period of time?

We have chosen to place our puppies in their homes at 12 weeks. The pups do not however stay together. At 6 weeks we begin crate training by putting 2 pups to a crate for a week and by 7/8 weeks they are all in their own individual crates.

By 6 weeks all feeding must be done separately(we feed in crates) as they can have some serious fights about food even at this young age.

Between 6 and 9 weeks my puppies still have interaction with each other as my feeling is they learn a lot of the dog "etiquette" Cindy referred to . This is all very supervised because it can occasionally get out of hand.

After 9 weeks all interaction we do with the pups is done individually and they spend no more free time with litter mates. This makes for a very busy 3 weeks before they go home when you have a large litter.

We do allow and encourage the new owners to visit after 8 weeks if they are inclined and distance is not an issue.

This has worked well for us and the breed we work with.

Shannon