# Taking home at 6 weeks?



## ls1norcal (Oct 16, 2008)

We finally found the puppy we want, however the breeder is moving the Indianapolis on the 24th. They had a trailer with almost all their stuff in it, so I know they are not lying trying to get me to take the puppy and get their money. Basically, on the 23rd they will be 6 weeks old. Is it going to be detrimental for the puppy to leave his litter-mates and parents so early? 

We put down a 300 dollar, refundable deposit to hold the dog, but I want to make sure that it will be okay if I take the dog at 6 weeks. The dog has AKC papers, and shes had the parents hips examined and they were classified as "good". She has a binder of documentation going back to the grandparents of the mother and father. 

Both the parents were on-site, and they were very well tempered and mannered. Here are pictures of the puppy and mother/father.

http://picasaweb.google.com/bsimas/Puppy#

You'll also notice, the puppies' ears are already standing up at 5 weeks. Is this a cause for concern for any reason? The breeder even admitted she'd never seen that before.


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

Yes, its too early. A puppy gets a lot of social lessons from its littermates and mother between 6 and 8 weeks old. 8 weeks is really the earliest a puppy should leave. One important lesson is bite inhibition. In a situation like this it doesnt make sense to leave at 6 weeks, in my opinion the only times it would be acceptable are if the mother had passed away or some other rescue type situation.

Where are you located? What distance is it from where you are to Indy?


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## Kay13411 (Jul 24, 2003)

Six weeks is way early for this pup.. Do you have any other dogs at home? I have raised a pup from 2 weeks old, her mother was not producing milk so she needed to be bottle fed... She is fine, no medical issues, but she does have a few emotional issues. I have 4 other GSD's here 2 are female and were able to help teach my pup.


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## Ilovealldogs (Nov 17, 2006)

I agree with the others- it is too early. The dog should be 8 weeks, with 10-12 weeks being even better.


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## luanne (May 27, 2004)

It is too early. With that being said....I got Gracie that early. It was before I knew better and of course knowing what I know now, I would have waited. I had a Husky and he 'helped' us with her. So it can be done and they can turn out fine, you just have to make sure the pup gets enough other doggie interaction and etc. It's just not the ideal situation.

As far as the ears go, that's a strange statement. Gracie's ears stood since we first brought her home and only flopped during the tee pee stage.

Lu


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

Seven weeks would be better. I can't remember if I heard that 6 weeks was OK or not. The standard used to be 8 weeks but the thinking has changed in recent years.

Ears standing - shouldn't be a problem unless you want one with floppy ears. My youngest who I first saw at a little under 8 weeks has had her ears up from at least that time forward.

One thing I remember is that a 12 week old seemed to house train a little easier than an 8 - 9 week old. So I would think that the size of the bladder & the development of the pup in general would mean that you had less "holding capacity" in a younger pup.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Cute puppies and it's MUCH better for the puppies to stay until at least 7 weeks old. Kind of a judgement on the level of the breeders that they would sell the puppies so early....

Not saying they wouldn't be good puppies or good adult dogs, but it's really setting up the situation to be less than ideal. And alot more can go wrong. Even one extra week is very important to many puppies because they learn alot from their littermates and mom.

Here's some sites that explain the stages and phases of development:

http://www.doberman.org/articles/puppy.htm

http://www.vanerp.net/ilse/GSDINFO/understandyourpuppy.htm

http://www.diamondsintheruff.com/DevelopmentalStages.html


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## novarobin (Oct 4, 2007)

I took Chatham (my lab) home when he was 6 weeks. He was my first dog and I didn't know any better. He has no issues that I know of. He was quite an alligator as a puppy but I worked hard at teaching him bite inhibition. He is still a playful biter with my but has a soft mouth and will stop if told to. I don't know if that has anything to do with when he left or not. 
I have learned a great deal since then and have done alot of reading on puppy development. I would not take one that young again and would definitely not deal with a breeder who would allow them to go that young.


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: novarobin I would not take one that young again and would definitely not deal with a breeder who would allow them to go that young.












To the OP:

Sounds to me like the breeder should have planned better. If they have known for months that they were going to move they should have waited until the next cycle to breed the bitch (or not at all!). If they all of a sudden learned they had to move AFTER the litter was conceived, they should have made plans to take the whole litter with them!

In some states it is actually illegal to sell puppies before 8 weeks of age.

I would pass and look for a better breeder if it was me.


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## ls1norcal (Oct 16, 2008)

Thanks for all the replies!

The decision for them moving was a last minute thing. I actually went there last night to check up on the little guy, and asked her about it. They own a custom painting business, and they have to go where the work is, or go belly up.

The breeders are of Hungarian Nationality, so maybe its a cultural difference on the feelings of when to let a puppy go? In every other aspect, I have been impressed. They are feeding them top notch food with some kind of natural milk mixed in with it, the kennel is extremely clean, and the binder they have with all the documentation is very thorough. Hip examinations, AKC family history papers, numerous pictures, etc. 

I understand the point-of-view about not dealing with a breeder who is willing to let them go that early, but the people seem genuine and they are not forcing the puppy on me, insisting that I take it, which then it would be no questions asked, I would leave. The parents are on-site, they've had hip inspections, they have AKC papers, I see they are being fed well, the kennel is kept up extremely well, what could really be wrong with these dogs that im not seeing?

And I am in no way looking for a bargain here, but most all the puppies around this area sell for $1500+, which in my opinion for a "working dog" is too much. They are selling for $750, which is the only reasonable price I have come across.

Thank you for everyones input!


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## novarobin (Oct 4, 2007)

Do you get papers with the dog or his he from papered parents?


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## Helly (Mar 31, 2008)

We got our pup at 6 weeks old...it has worked out fine..but I wouldn't take a pup that young again.


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## Smithie86 (Jan 9, 2001)

"The breeders are of Hungarian Nationality, so maybe its a cultural difference on the feelings of when to let a puppy go? In every other aspect, I have been impressed. They are feeding them top notch food with some kind of natural milk mixed in with it, the kennel is extremely clean, and the binder they have with all the documentation is very thorough. Hip examinations, AKC family history papers, numerous pictures, etc. "

Has nothing to do with it. 8 weeks period. My hisband is from Budapest and we like keeping them until AT least 8 weeks. Nothng to do with culture. And what you stated about food - they are just weaning the pups and to use goats milk is normal. And they should have copies of all the paperwork. Basic pre-requisite.

I agree. Why did they breed a litter in the midst of moving? Not a last minute decision


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## aaron.whitney (Oct 7, 2007)

If the Dam and Sire have OFA certs, working titles, blood tests, etc. you are narrowing the chances for your puppy to have health or genetic problems in the future. You may also want to ask the breeder what the purpose of the breeding was and if they can show you how they have faired in the past with achieving their breeding goals. Are their breeding goals in line with what you want to accomplish with a dog and the ONLY disadvantage is a 6 week old puppy?
Have you seen the puppy and how it interacted with the siblings and dam? Remember you are volunteering to replace not only all of that but also to teach the puppy the behaviors that you want from it. 
There are not many health concerns between taking a puppy at 8 weeks compared to 6 weeks. Really in that aspect a puppy can leave almost as soon as it is on solid food. The biggest concern, I believe; is the socialization and mental development of the puppy. Only you can determine if you are experienced at raising a puppy and can take the place of it's littermates and Dam and teach the puppy the social skills that it will need. You should also consider if you have the time and patience required to do that. 
If you take the number of hours the puppy is awake a day and multiply that by two weeks, and then multipy that by the number of littermates the puppy has you will get an idea of how much socializing the puppy will miss. If you are prepared to take that job on in addition to the normal puppy training you had planned your puppy should turn out fine.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

My mom adopted her Great Rottador (Great Dane/Rottie/Labrador mix) at six weeks because the mom had rejected the pups. It was a friend of a friend's dog had an oops litter kind of thing. 

Anyway, Trooper is a great, well-socialized, happy animal. Obviously, taking him away from his litter at six months is not optimal, but it can be ok. Just depends on how much risk you're willing to take.


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## RubyTuesday (Jan 20, 2008)

My daughter got Nala, a chow mix, b/w 5 & 6wks of age. I (strongly) advised against it but she was adamant b/c they were otherwise going to have them pts. (A little emotional blackmail at work???)

She loves Nala, & is committed to her, but the early separation from the litter definitely shows. Nala lacks 'doggie decorum'. Nala was here while my daughter was visiting. She'd walk right into another dog's food bowl despite being much smaller than the others, generally more submissive, the outsider & younger than all but Djibouti. She's not adept at playing with other dogs & communicates poorly with them.

In most ways Nala is a sharp cookie who learns quickly & willingly. My daughter socialized her thoroughly with people, dogs & other animals, but there's really no perfect substitute for the peer to peer interaction of the litter.

Personally, I won't get a dog younger than 7-8wks of age.


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## SuzyE (Apr 22, 2005)

paige-6 weeks
jazmin -8 weeks
cesar -6 weeks
travis -6 weeks
all were fine but consider paige was the first dog and all pups after that were taken care of by her


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I got Arwen at five weeks old. I never had a problem with bite inhibition. I agree that it is better for them to wait until the dogs are eight weeks old, but shtuff happens. 

Personnally, I think that the move and the crazyness that goes along with it, and then being shipped to you would be worse than just getting the pup a little early. 

Being aware that you may need to do a little more work with it is ok. 

I think that it is not so long ago when six weeks old was very common. 

These people are not downloading the puppies because they are tired of cleaning poop, or because people generally want itty bitty puppies. They have a legitimate reason. Perhaps they did not plan this whole thing very well, but I am not living their situation. Maybe they just did not have a choice. 

Good luck with your puppy. It can work out fine. If you decide to get you deposit back. I have one that is ten weeks old....


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## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

Lot of money for a pup without titled parents.. AKC is not a title not a guarantee of health or temperament.

The purchase price of a pup is just a small down payment on the dog -- Expensive breed and you really don't want health problems.

That said, the best bred pup could have problems.

Good luck


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## Maryn (Feb 15, 2008)

While I agree that it would be best for the litter to stay together until 8 weeks, I don't think bringing a pup home at 6 wks is the end of the world.

I fostered a pit/boxer mix from 6 wks of age earlier this year and I brought my male GSD home at 6 weeks as well.

Both are very confident, normal and dog-friendly pups. 

Dozer, the pit mix pup, was **** with being bitey for a bit. But by the time he was ready for his permanent home at 12 weeks was done with it.

Sieg, my boy, was bitey pretty bad for about a week or two.

What really does help with that issue is having another dog around to teach them. You can do it yourself, but I have seen Reich have much better and quicker results than I have had with a bitey pup on my own.


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## babyjake (Jul 14, 2008)

I got my dog at 7 weeks. But I still I think that is too young IMO. It takes alot more than you think to get them socialized and trained. And at that young of an age it's hard to get them desensitized from nipping, jumping, barking. Cause they didn't have a chance to learn that from their bros/sis.

If you get him that young...get him in a training class ASAP.


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## debbiebrown (Apr 13, 2002)

i also agree 6 weeks is way to early.

i got my female at 7 weeks, and it was Alot of extra work.!, plus the fact she would have highly benifited in alot of ways staying with the litter another week!

no its not the end of the world getting a pup at 6 weeks, if you decided to do it, just know it will be extra work on your part in alot of ways.

debbie


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## marylou (Apr 21, 2006)

I remember "way back when" 6 weeks WAS the norm.

I got Heidi and Tasha both at 6 weeks - but the thinking has changed alot in 15 years. (I got my first Shepherd *of my own* when I was 15 - he was also 6 weeks old). These guys all turned out great.

Misha was 8 weeks when I got her, and I see no big difference in her bite inhibition/general behavior than I saw in the younger ones. Chaos was 4 months - but he's a different story.


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