Hi, I'm after some advice please. We have just bought a Labrador puppy and it's been many years since we have a puppy, last couple have done from rescue homes. Our new puppy is coming from a line of working labs. We have met the mother and seen her with the rest of the litter and all look healthy and well cared for and clearly the owners know the breed very well but they are used more of a hunting dog. The puppies were born on 10 October so we were expecting to take home around 6/7th December, however we have been told she can home next weekend, is that too early as most people do say 8 weeks but does a week that much different. Many thanks
Hello and welcome to the forum. I would strongly advise that you wait until the puppy is eight weeks old before bringing her home. Puppies that are taken away from their mothers and litter mates too soon are more prone to issues, not least of which is they've missed out on valuable bite inhibition training. You may think that you can deal with this, but let me tell you now that it's a miserable enough time even with a puppy who has been taught by the other dogs, let alone one who hasn't! Mum is far more effective at teaching these lessons than you will ever be. I would be questioning what the motives are for letting you take the puppy home early, as it's not very responsible to do. Of course, as far as the breeder is concerned, it saves a week of trouble and expense. You get a week extra of puppydom. There is no benefit to the puppy. You will often here irresponsible breeders telling you that it doesn't matter, because the puppy is fully weaned and Mum doesn't have much to do with them now, but that's not relevant; there are still many lessons for the puppy to learn from remaining with its litter mates until the appropriate age. Good luck, and I hope you share some photos with us when you bring her home. Do you have a name yet?
Hi and welcome to the forum. Like Snowbunny I would question the breeder's motives in suggesting that your puppy leaves early. Where are you located as the age to leave mum and litter mates does vary. In the UK it is 8 weeks, in France it is usually 10 weeks, some parts of the US are 8 weeks others are 7. Are the pups being health checked before leaving the breeder? Have you seen Mum and Dad's hip and elbow scores and the other health test results? Have you seen or met dad at all or other relations of the pups?
Hi and welcome to you from Fred and me. I agree with Snowbunny and MaccieD you should leave your puppy with its Mother and litter mates, its the best for the puppy.
Thank you for your comments and feedback. I have to be honest I was slightly surprised we could take her home a week earlier than expected. We have met mother who is used as a gun dog and had a very good temperament, we spent well over an hour with them yesterday and the rest of 8 puppy litter. All look very healthy and well and are all of a similar size and build, they are still suckling but are being weened off. They are KC registered. At the moment they live outside in a converted garage in a large pen and my concern is from next weekend all the puppies are going to their new homes so by a week on Monday, 7 weeks 1 day ours will be the only one left at home so didn't want to leave her on her own, so maybe a little bit of peer pressure....all puppies have been checked, microchipped but no injections to date, after speaking with a VET friend he only likes doing the injections at 10 and 12 weeks so not concerned about that. I think the real difference is around going home early is around how the breeder sees them in terms of a working dog and not a pet and how they are independent. Her name my daughter wants to call her Daisy and we live in the UK.
Hello, and a warm welcome to the forum Working dog breeders do often have a different outlook - it's not always better though. Working dog breeders, in particular, have been slower to adopt the full range of health testing for the parents (hip and elbow scores, eye tests, tests for genetic diseases etc) assuming that because the dogs work this isn't necessary. This isn't true though, not at all. And I think some (but definitely not all) do not do early socialisation that will prepare a dog well for a pet environment - pets are expected to cope with a lot more than some working dogs. It sounds like Daisy is already a member of your family and she is 'yours'. So it's quite too late to start wishing the breeder had done anything differently. So, if I were you, I'd take Daisy early rather than leave her once all her littermates have gone. But I'd also be really careful about assessing what kind of dog she is, sensitive or bold, and read up very carefully about appropriate socialisation. Particularly if she has lived outside in a garage rather than inside in a busy family home. Best of luck with it, I hope you take a post lots of lovely photos for us to see!
I have to say that personally I would be very concerned about your breeder. That the pups are KC registered only means that both patents are registered and nothing else. Have you seen the results of the hip and elbow X-rays of both parents together with the eye test results as these are minimum requirements of breeders in the UK. It sounds as if the pups have had very little socialisation with the normal day to day noises such as the hoover, the washing machine, the tv etc if they have been raised in a pen in a converted garage. Not many people are aware but it is actually a criminal offence underThe Breediing and Sale of Dogs Act (Welfare) 1999 to sell a dog under the age of 8 weeks, and everybody who raises a litter of pups is a breeder under the law. I'm sorry if I sound very harsh but my main concern I the health and well being of puppies produced. Can I ask where you daw the puppies advertised?
Lots of working Labrador puppies are reared outside, are from parents with solid temperaments, go to family pet homes, do just fine, and turn out to be delightful, well adjusted pets. For me, it's not ideal, particularly the 7 week thing. But on the flip side, I have a totally over socialised, over bold, over everything, dog with zero impulse control. And he pretty much had what the books would say is an ideal start. So there are pros and cons, I reckon. I'd just be super careful about the pup's ongoing socialisation, and be careful about how her personality seems to be developing.
Welcome to the forum, I think you've been given excellent advice already so I don't have anything extra to add. Personally speaking I wouldn't take a puppy early, and would also question the motives of the breeder. It's really tough as she is already part of your family. I wish you the best of luck and some photos would be lovely.
Welcome to the forum Guide Dog pups remain with their litter mates (but not Mum) from six weeks old then come to their puppy walkers at seven weeks old. I am not sure why it's not eight weeks, but I can honestly say I see no difference in bite inhibition or any other behaviour with them and I have met a lot now and raised two. Tatze, my pet dog, was 10 weeks when she arrived, having been with her littermates 'till then and very well socialised indeed in the breeder's home with children, other dogs - you name it - but she was the worst crocapup of the three!
Some excellent advice given already, having had a few pups over the years and had them at 7, 8 and 10 weeks never noticed any difference in the bite inhibition, they all bite LOL. I would prefer to bring her home rather than being left without her siblings. Good luck with Daisy she will be fine. Sue.
Hi and welcome from me and Harley We ended picking Harley up at just over 7 weeks old for the same situation. Harley had never been inside a house as they were in kennels outside. I now know it wasn't ideal, but on the other hand I have a well socialised girl who was housetrained within 3 weeks, Learned bit inhibition very quickly and is a delight. She loves to please, is very affectionate and is fab on walks - never strays far away, will say hi to other dogs but doesn't run over to them, and loves training in any way. It will be important to socialise her once you get her and start basic training like housetraining and bit inhibition. Good luck and please let us know how you get on.
Hi there, Welcome to the Forum...we have Dexter who is 3 now,He's working line and came from a large gundog kennel.Because we live in the Middle East we couldn't import him until he was 4 months old....a mix up in his DOB meant that he was actually 5 months when he came to us.Our boy lives life as a pet.....it was very obvious now when I look back that he had been treated and handled more as a working dog than as a pet as we had requested.I wouldn't do it again if I had my time over....But then I didn't know then what I know now.I tend to agree with Julie,it's not ideal taking her at 7 weeks but if she is going to be alone then I would bring her home to you. Good luck with settling her in.....there's loads of advice and experience on the Forum,so come on by and let us know how,you are doing and if you need any help x
Molly came home at 7 weeks. She was much more bitey than my previous pups, brought home at 10 and 8 weeks respectively - but maybe that was just luck. Anyway it hasn't caused any long term problems - she's a sociable, calm 2 year old now - so I'd say bring your pup home.
