When to get new puppy

[Heidin]

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Getting a puppy from next door neighbour but got holiday booked. Puppy would be 10 weeks old when get back from holiday. Should we get then or get at 7-8 weeks and then let neighbour have him back for a week while we are away?

 

[Raven oaktree]

No . The best age to get a pup is around 10 weeks anyway . the longer pup is left with mum the better for the pup. Of course if they are neighbours there is nothing to stop you popping around and spending lots of time with the pup so they know you , but i would defy leave it where it is till you are home

 

[gypsysmum2]

The puppy needs to be doing lots of socialisation before it is 12 weeks old. This means seeing lots of strange dogs, strange people and strange sights/sounds. If you can trust your neighbour to do this properly then leave the puppy there. More dogs die because they are not properly socialised (poor behaviour around other dogs and people). Guide dogs are the biggest breeders of puppies in the country (if not the world) and they place their puppies into foster homes at seven weeks of age and arrange puppy socialisation classes for them.

 

[Raven oaktree]

Working dogs do seem to be removed earlier, i know police dogs are removed very young too , but there is more and more evidence showing a pup is best left till at least 8 weeks , but they are going away , so personally for me i wouldn't have the pup home for a week , only to take it back for two weeks

 

[gypsysmum2]

One of the reasons that Guide Dogs do it is that a puppy's brain needs to be challenged by new environments. if it is not to be phased by novel situations when it is older. I knew of a GSD puppy that had, through no fault of its own, four homes before it was four months old. He was not phased on little bit and seemed to gain from the experience. They were all good kind homes that exposed him to different challenges. I think that no harm will come to the puppy either way, as long as the breeder does not let the puppy stagnate.

 

[theanchorage]

I would leave the puppy with the breeder but if you can spend as much time with him as possible then that would be great, you could bring him round to your house and introduce him to his new home if the breeder is ok with that, as you are neighbours hopefully you are friends as well.