My dog's breeder, not a BYB but a reputable kennel with many years behind them, lets their pups go at 6 weeks.

I confess that, after reading how important it is to wait until 8 weeks, I was really anxious about bringing a 6 week old pup home and wondered if something would be askew with him because of it.

One thing that was mentioned here recently is that pups taken earlier than 8 weeks don't learn the "biting rules" from mom and littermates. That clicked with me because my pup was really mouthy and it took a long time to get "no bite" through his head....and even now, at 19 months, we occasionally have to give that command. He is still very mouthy.

He's a great dog and maybe we just lucked out but if I had to do it over again I would wait until 8 weeks.

 Quote: lee sternberg

Opinions????

I like taking a pup at 8wks and older. Maybe "tradition" in some people's eyes but more preference for me.

I actually have not had an 8 wk old pup for about 5 years now. All have been 9wks to 12wks.

I think a big factor is interaction from the breeder for the pups first 8 wks.
Watching Ed and Cindy's videos is what I will do with my litters. Lots of time spent with the litter, handling, playing, exposing them to all kinds of environmental things and so on. I think this really helps puppies to be confident and maybe even bond with their human better since they are already used to all kinds of things when they go to their new home.

IMHO, There is a BIG difference in pups raised this way and pups that are raised with little or no real interaction with the people caring for them and their mother.

I always understood it to be that a pup is ready to leave the litter at six to eight weeks, so six is just at the early end of the spectrum.

My first GSD I got at five and a half weeks because his mother died during whelping, and after I drove two and a half hours to see him, I just brought him home, as leave him there in a kennel. I had no problems with him. He turned out to be a wonderful dog, perfect actually.
Friends of mine got their GSD pups at 8 weeks and had just as much or more problems with dog aggression and mouthing.

This pup I also got at six weeks.
I have had no problems with him either. Both pups were going to the door to pee at 8 weeks. I'm not convinced that getting a pup earlier makes them more dog aggressive or mouthy, but that is just my opinion. I'd rather have them with me bonding and learning, as opposed to sitting in a kennel. Of course, some breeders do alot with the pups, BUT others don't.

I'm glad you posted this, as it's always been of interest to me

 Quote: Janet Koehler

I'm not convinced that getting a pup earlier makes them more dog aggressive or mouthy, but that is just my opinion.

I am not convinced of this either, however I think they learn a lot of pack structure and being around other dogs during this time. It may not cause issues with the human counterpart but I believe that it makes a difference in socializing around other dogs.

The author of "Training The Behavior" states, "researchers of socialization have determined that at seven weeks the puppy is going through its most critical and receptive period of socialization". He further states, "that the owner be the person most involved in the puppy's activities at this age". He says it heightens trainability if the pup is given to the owner before 7 weeks.

 Quote: lee sternberg

The author of "Training The Behavior" states, "researchers of socialization have determined that at seven weeks the puppy is going through its most critical and receptive period of socialization". He further states, "that the owner be the person most involved in the puppy's activities at this age". He says it heightens trainability if the pup is given to the owner before 7 weeks.

I'd agree with that.

Sandy, you said, why not leave the pups with the dam and litter mates for two more wks. How many breeders do you know that leave the pups in with the dam after six weeks?

I brought Jerri and the Dobe before her home at seven weeks. Both are/were pretty confident dogs and very trainable.


Lisa

It is a personal perference of mine not to take a pup before 8 weeks. 7 weeks would be ok, but 6 weeks I would really prefer not to take the pup from its litter mates prior to 7 weeks minimum. I like 8-10 week old pups in general and I got Cajun at 12 weeks. I also got Duke at a little over 12 weeks.

In regards to bonding, I never had a stronger bond with any dog than what I had with Cajun. And Duke was wild and still has a very strong bond with me and a desire to please and is extremely trainable.

I think it has much less to do with the age of the pup than the handling of the pup. Socialization has less to do with age than the effort put into it by the breeder and the new owner. No matter the age of a pup(6 weeks or 8 weeks), if it is kept sheltered from strange things, people, places, and animals it is far more likely to have issues than a pup that is exposed to these things and actually socialized. I don't personally think that 2 weeks has any affect on whether or not or how much a pup will bond with its new owner. But that is JMHO.

The New Knowledge of Dog Behavior by Pfaffenbeger describes a number of critical periods of a puppies life. " Up to 7 weeks of age, a certain amount of trying-out dominance is good for a puppy. It causes him to have respect for other members of his species and it also develops in him something of an attachment to his kind." Puppies taken too young from the litter may become dog aggressive, left in the litter too long do not become attached to humans as well. Seven to eight weeks of age seems to be a good period.

 Quote:

left in the litter too long do not become attached to humans as well

This is what I have not noticed. I think the handling methods come into play here along with whether or not the pup is ever completely separated from other canines. I've had pups that were kept with their littermates and other dogs up to 14 weeks and never had a problem bonding with them. Yes, it took longer and they had to be separated from other dogs for longer but the result was no different than getting an 8 week old pup.

Dogs, unless attacked or not socialized will prefer members of their own species over humans. Humans offer completely different things to a dog than another dog does. Dogs can communicate with other dogs and play with other dogs far more naturally than they can communicate with humans. Communicating with humans is a learning process that is not instinctual though dogs do exhibit incredible observation skills and a natural inclination to watch and pay attention to humans in direct comparrison to wolves.

Humans offer food, shelter, and comfort/affection/scratches etc at the basic level that other dogs are not capable of providing but humans cannot compete with the communication and instinct that another dog shares with your pet. This is why the socialization, bonding, and separation periods are so important, no matter the age of the pup.

JMHO....