Kennel Club recommendations for puppy relocation The Kennel Club (UK) and the American Kennel Club (AKC) recommend puppies have more than 8 weeks before being rehoused. Veterinarians and animal lovers do not recommend letting puppies leave their mother at 6 weeks. It's too early to bring a puppy home. Some toy breed breeders may choose to keep puppies beyond 8 weeks because these puppies are very small and fragile.
The first few weeks of a puppy's life are an important period of physical and emotional development. A puppy's mother provides vital nutrition, warmth, personal care and attention. Weaning a puppy from its mother is a gradual process that should begin around 4 weeks of age and end between 7 and 8 weeks of age. Therefore, it is not recommended to remove a dog from its mother before 6 weeks of age.
Research has shown that puppies that withdraw from their litters very early are more likely to show behavior and temperament problems when they grow up, such as being fearful, aggressive, or anxious; taking care of their food and toys; and being very reactive and more difficult to train. Socialization with humans should begin once puppies are weaned from their mother, around 7 to 8 weeks of age. She will teach the individual puppies and the litter as a group that excited behavior and excessive noise are unacceptable. Regardless of the causes, the repercussions of taking puppies out too soon can be detrimental.
According to Sue St Gelais, puppies that withdraw from the litter too early are prone to getting nervous with a tendency to bark and bite. New pet owners are often tricked by these breeders into buying young puppies at a young age when they need the company of their litter mates. If you're new to having a dog and are thinking about having a puppy, it's important to know if puppies can leave their mother at 6 weeks of age. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior says that's when puppies should be exposed to as many new people, animals, stimuli and environments as can be achieved safely and without causing overstimulation.
The breeder of working Shetland Sheepdogs Claire Apple prefers to keep her puppies at home during the socialization period. It starts by separating the mother from her litter for a few hours at a time and offering high-quality soft food to the puppies while they are away from their mother. To maximize the mental and psychological development of puppies, they must remain in the nest with their mother and litter mates until seven weeks of age. Some puppy owners claim that their puppies bite too hard or that their dogs are asocial and suffer aggression between dogs.
While I understand the importance of not removing puppies from their mother until a certain age, it also worries me because my mother is biting the puppies, in one instance she caused one of them to bleed on the gums and I think it has caused some bloated blows to her head. Sally Foote, the socialization period in puppies usually lasts between 6 and 12 and 14 weeks of age. When puppies go to their new homes, breeders can train their puppy owners how to socialize properly and safely, without overwhelming or traumatizing them.
