# Best age to bring a puppy home.



## Liulfr (Nov 10, 2015)

Is there a plus side to leaving a puppy with the breeder past 8 weeks? For example, if most of the litter leaves between 8-9 weeks, but my puppy statys until 10 weeks, would that be helpful or harmful?


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

Interesting question.I recently watched some footage of puppies playing with adult dogs at the breeder's and it was interesting to watch how the adult dogs were teaching "manners".Overzealous biters were gently but firmly corrected.The adults would play bow to invite and abruptly leave when they'd had enough.So I'm thinking it would be beneficial for the puppy to have another week or two as long as he had the opportunity to interact with his mother and other dogs.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I think good breeders have been grooming the pups along so that one week is not going to make a difference. By the time the pups reach 8-9 weeks they can get really snarky with each other and may need to be separated. By that age, the lessons of littermates and mom have been instilled and imprinted.


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## Wags (Dec 17, 2015)

I think 1 week isn't going to be super helpful or harmful. It won't ruin your puppy, but it isn't going to make your puppy better than the others either.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

I do not think it will matter it means two extra weeks of good sleep for you


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Not going to make a huge difference either way.


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

Probably my favorite pup I've had I got at 12 weeks. It really depends on the puppy. He was running around with another puppy so wasn't alone, but he was old enough that when I was there looking at the lady's dogs (I wanted a female), he wouldn't leave me alone. He followed me ignoring everyone else, plopped down under my skirt every time I stopped and harrassed me until I took him home. Best choice I ever made 

However, he had a great temperament and personality so the adage 'a good dog is a good dog' certainly applied to him.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

It's only helpful if someone with experience is training the puppy in a way you can't.


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## BigBadWolf (Mar 27, 2016)

Lots of factors, actually, depends on the home he is leaving and the home he's transferring to, if he's gonna be alone most of the time, little dude is gonna have a heard time.


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## dogsandbooks (Mar 17, 2016)

We got our puppy at 10 weeks because it was the best time for us to have the puppy at our home. The breeder was already working on house training him and socializing him, so the extra time didn't seem to make a difference.


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## PuppyRichie (Apr 7, 2016)

I think that 10 weeks is the best age to bring puppies to home, because that is good age for socialization and proper training.
I also got my puppy at this age, and my Richie indeed became a part of my family)


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

I love bringing home puppies at 11 weeks old. I feel like that is the perfect age. They have slightly bigger bladders than an 8 week old puppy and they can play more and have a little bit better attention span.

I brought home 3 puppies at 11 weeks old, I am hoping to do that with future puppies as well.


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## vomlittlehaus (Aug 24, 2010)

I would say it all depends on the environment the puppy is going to be in. Will it be socialized with people and other dogs (littermates, mom)? Will it be started on crate training, potty training? If it is just going to be left alone for that extra time and no interaction or training, then NO. I actually like keeping the entire litter together for longer than 8 weeks. They really learn social skills and biting inhibition from each other. And this I know from having them together longer than 8 weeks. If my pups have been weaned and vaccines are needed, I will do at 8 weeks. If they stay with me then the immunity is built up before they go to their homes. Is it more work for me? **** yes!


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

I had puppies at 10 weeks, 12 weeks, 16 weeks and the most recent - max 8 weeks. We were anxious to get him. I think there is a difference. Max is also a late bloomer. 8 weeks is a real baby baby stage. I think ten weeks is a good age.


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## jcm3 (Jul 15, 2016)

I'm sure there are different theories, but the breeder that we bought our girl from said they like to release them to their new owners at 10 weeks because releasing them before this age puts them at risk for insecure behavior as an adult, as the fear imprint stage runs from 8-10 weeks of age.

I'm sure there are plenty of puppies that are fine having been delivered earlier, and there are probably lots that are a also a mess for a number of reasons.

I'm a new GSD owner, so figure I'll trust them since they know the breed better than I do. :grin2:


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

If the puppy is of good nerve and temperament two weeks will not make a big deal flying or traveling during the imprinting stage. I know several pups that fly and arrive clean in the crate, and ready to rock their new world at 8 or 9 weeks old. 
I'd still look at what the breeder has bred previously and how they raise the pups.


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