# Is it OK to take home a six week old puppy



## bequia

I found a great male GSD who is now 5 weeks old. I gave a deposit. The breeder said I may take him home next week at 6 weeks of age. Is this to young? should I perhaps ask if the breeder will keep him another two weeks. It seems the youngest pups taken home when I check this forum are about 7 to 8 weeks. I am excited to bring him home but do not want to make him sick from leaving mom to early and do not want to bottle feed the pup.


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## george1990

Six weeks is way too early to take home a puppy! He needs to spend time with his littermates and mother to learn some puppy manners, bite inhibition, communication skills before he goes home. Personally, if a breeder is selling a puppy under 8 weeks, I wouldn't buy from them... don't take this the wrong way, but no good breeder would let their pups go at 6 weeks. But there isn't a point in the breeder keeping the pup an extra couple weeks if the other puppies leave the "breeder's" place. Is there anyway to get a refund on the deposit? There are so much other great breeders out there.


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## HeidiW

No not ok, I bet he is adorable and it is so tempting, but he needs more time with his mom, and litter mates to be a good puppy for you. Maybe you can visit every weekend.


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## sgtmom52

In some states it is illegal to sell, transfer or adopt a puppy under 8 weeks of age. Here is a link that lists the laws for some states. Puppy age to sell table

This table is a little out of date as the age Pennsylvania has been changed from 7 weeks to 8 weeks.


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## weber1b

This is NOT a good breeder.


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## katieliz

ditto what everybody else says, nope, not okay at 6 weeks.


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## bequia

Thankyou for all the good advice. I will call the breeder and see if he will keep the puppies until they are 8 weeks old. I'm not sure what I can do about the ones I have not put a deposit on. there are 6 puppies in the litter 2 males and 4 females. Both males are taken, one by myself and the other by someone else. The good part is the parents are on site and are very healthy looking animals this is the female's first litter. she is 4 and the male is 3 years old.


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## pupresq

To me this problem may go beyond just the age at which the puppy is being allowed to go home.

What else do you know about the breeder and the parents of the puppy you're buying?


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## WiscTiger

It is best to leave the pups with littermates until 8 weeks old. I would only be in favor with 6 weeks old <u>IF</u> you were a very experienced GSD person. So rarely is it a good idea at 6 weeks. BUT if the breeder sells the rest of the litter and your pup is left all alone then maybe, maybe it would be ok. BUT be prepared for MORE work. The pups develop a lot in two weeks, so it will be more potty breaks, you are going to have to teach bite inhabition, so experience would be a must.

Val


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## larrydee33

Listen to the people who told you don't take the puppy before he is 8 weeks old.

Two years ago got an 8 week old GSD puppy last year got an 9 week old GSD puppy. Believe me from experience these puppies need to spend the first 8 weeks of their life with their litter mates.


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## big_dog7777

I have gotten a puppy from a borderline back yard breeder that I took home at five weeks of age. I have also gotten a puppy from a breeder that I had to wait a year on a waiting list for that turns down more people than they sell puppies to - who was 11 weeks old. The difference was literally night and day. The older pup spent time with her litter learning manners. She was exposed to virtually everything under the sun. She was 100% easier to raise and live with than the other puppy - and I raised her as a Schutzhund prospect! 

I encourage you to explore your decision to buy from this breeder further. Good luck.


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## mandelyn

I've never taken a 6 week old puppy unless I had an adult female dog on hand to "participate" in the puppy raising. In a single dog household though, over 8 weeks old is much better.

12 weeks is amazing, potty training quick, longer time between potty breaks, less crying, more play, can handle longer training/interaction.

Ricca is AWESOME at mothering little ones. She tells them when stuff is not ok, she cuddles them when they're being good, teaches sharing, all that momma dog stuff even though she's never been a momma dog herself. Stuff that humans just can't do with pups that young.

I wonder if the breeder has had previous litters before or if it's just the dogs first litter? She may not know about the 8 week rule. I know BYBs want them gone asap. Show breeders made us wait, sometimes until 12 weeks. Best thing for all though, at that time we didn't have a "surrogate" female dog to teach those manners.

Visiting other dogs doesn't count, and it can be unsafe for new puppies as well until after their 2nd set of shots, and by then it's past the age where momma dog discipline takes hold. That age between 5-9 weeks is really important for mental development. Socializing is different, that's how they're to act with strange dogs. Those couple of last weeks with mom is where they learn pack behavior.


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## Branca's Mom

Sounds like a breeder I would stay far far away from. I would strongly suggest taking the hit of losing your deposit and spending some time learning about GSD's. This board could be a wonderful resource for you. You may loss a couple hundred dollars but getting a dog will affect you for 10-13+ years. Do it right....


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## JerzeyGSD

I obviously support everyone's opinions here. However, to add another side to the debate: John and I took Jerzey when she was 6 weeks old. We had planned for her to stay there until 8 weeks but when we found out they and their mother were eating kibbles and bits and when we saw the algae ridden bowl of water that was left out for them to drink we just did not feel right leaving her. We now realize that we probably should have just left _without_ the puppy rather than fund her backyard breeding program, but we did not know any better at the time. 

That said, God it's a lot of work! Bite inhibition is a pain in the butt to teach and can be very trying. If there is any way to keep this puppy with it's litter for the additional two weeks _do it!_ If not, I can understand you wanting to take the puppy early. Jerzey has turned out to be a great dog, but there were definitely times we felt we bit off more than we could chew!


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## rockhead

Ditto what EVERYONE has said.


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## BlackPuppy

I worry what that puppy is going to be doing during those last 2 weeks. Is it going to be locked up alone or living with its mother?

Balto's breeder kept his litter until they were 12 weeks old! Boy was he a great puppy when I got him, he was housebroken! No doubt learned from his mother and grandmother.


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## bequia

Thankyou to every one for their kind advice.
I have spoken to the breeder who is "backyard" and he has agreed to keep the puppy until he is 8 weeks. Only one of the other 6 litter mates has been sold so he will be spending these important formative weeks with mom and the other litter mates. The forum members have given me strength and fortitude to go on with this plan.
The interesting thing is my vet told me six weeks would be OK as long as the dog was weaned but then his specialty is poodles and small dogs. I will take the pup to the vet as soon as I get him.
Manfred


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## pupresq

Again, to me it's not so much about the breeder's willingness to sell a young pup as it raises concerns about other practices that might be even more important. 

In rescue we get dogs from all sorts of less than optimum situations often as young as 6 weeks, sometimes as young as 3-4 weeks. We do a few special things to aid in social skills development but by and large these dogs do fine. 

To me the bigger issue is that a lot of breeders who are sending pups out at 6 weeks are also doing other things in a not so ideal manner. Do you know if this breeder screened the parents for genetic health problems like hip and elbow dysplasia? Blood disorders? Do you know who the parents are and how they were selected for breed-worthiness? Because if the breeder is cutting corners in any of these areas you could end up with much larger problems than a pup who missed two weeks or early socialization.


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## Branca's Mom

Yes, it is fine for a pup to be seperated from its litter at 6 weeks. From a medical standpoint at least. But ideal for the pup and you?? NO WAY! 

Those 2 weeks can be very important in what the pup can learn from playing and interacting with littermates. And, at 8 weeks your breeder will have a much better idea of which pup is the right one for you. Do not try to select the pup yourself, that should be left up to the breeder who spends hours a day interacting with the litter.

A piece of advice? Except for medical stuff, I wouldn't suggest you ask "most" vets qeustions about dogs. Seriously. Most vets know very little about nutrition, breeding, training etc etc


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## lauramichelle

I wont dispute that it is better to wait until 8 weeks, but we brought Ranger home at 6.5 weeks. His breeder had a heart attack the week before....and her friend and daughter were trying their best to care of her dogs and puppies and it was just an unusual situation.

That being said, we havent had any problems. He is social, well behaved, learned bite inhibition, and potty trained in a week. And adjusted to his crate in just a few days. But I take him often to play with a friend's mature female who has mothered 2 litters herself. She was awesome to help teach him bite inhibition and how to play.


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## BlackPuppy

Glad it worked out for you.


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## Ryder&SophieSue

i have had all kinds of dogs when i was a kid at different ages. I got ryder at 6 weeks, although at the time i was still breeding doxies and had some here so he went from one litter to another. He did have worms. I was not very happy about that, but oh well. Now snoopy is 8 weeks, and i think he is really rambunctious. Ryder wasn't he was lazy. So i don't know. I really don't know what to think. when i was breeding, my pups were weaned and away from mom by the time they were 5 weeks old. After mom dried up they were allowed to play with each other. But mom really didn't have anything to do with them once they were weaned. I actually had one mom that is she got back around her babies she would throw up.. Have no idea why. 
I have a friend from work that jsut purchased a shihtzu/bichon at 6 weeks old. I tried to talk her out of it, cause she said the breeder did this as her fulltime JOB and has 8 litters now of various designer breeds, plus her boxer just had pups...and they all had papers. She is 17 so i couldn't get it thru her head. I hope the puppy is alright. She is so tiny. Anyway i jsut dont' know, i guess i have mixed feelings. I personally never let one of my pups go early. well i let one go when she was 7 weeks and 5 days old.


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## ILGHAUS

> Quote: I actually had one mom that is she got back around her babies she would throw up.. Have no idea why.


Possibly trying to feed her pups regurgitated food (pre-chewed and digestion already started) since they were past the nursing stage. This is very common with wolves and wild dogs.


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## Liesje

> Originally Posted By: amd1i
> I have a friend from work that jsut purchased a shihtzu/bichon at 6 weeks old. I tried to talk her out of it, cause she said the breeder did this as her fulltime JOB and has 8 litters now of various designer breeds, plus her boxer just had pups...and they all had papers.


Breeding several litters at a time of designer mutts for money....sounds like a breeder to avoid regardless of when the pups go home! I would have more than "mixed" feelings about this breeder and the buyer's decision.


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