I grew up with family members that raised show dogs for many years. They always kept their pups until they were 12 weeks old. The weren't small breed dogs either. Once in a while they would let one go at 10 weeks if it appeared ready to go and it was going to a pet home.
Animal behaviorists have found that the puppy is more ready emotionally and physically to leave the littler at 12 weeks of age. At 12 weeks they start to become more independent of the other litter members. They may start to sleep in an area away from the pack if it is warm enough. They do become more adventurous at that age and so the trauma of leaving their only known surroundings has less of an impact on them.
Certainly most pups are physically able to survive away from the mom at 6 weeks but it is not the best for the mom or the babies. When the mom is ready to start weaning the pups she will start spending less time with them and will show them when they are misbehaving. The pups also teach each other when one bites too hard but to me the most important thing is the well being of the pup. When it leaves the pack too soon it is very difficult on the little one and that is why new owners have a crying puppy for several weeks after they bring a young one home. They tend to regress as far as social development and potty training is far, far from being accomplished.
Physically a puppy is unable to control the bladder and bowel habits until it is 16 weeks old and that is just the start. Of course you have to train your pup despite the fact that they can't really hold it but you really have to keep them very close to the potty until the muscles mature that control those things.
Over 20 years ago I bred and showed purebred Himalayan cats. It was standard practice even back then to keep kittens until they were 12 weeks old. For one thing you can't really evaluate the quality of the baby until at least that age or older and we also wanted our kittens to go to their new home at a time when they were at a point where they were ready to explore their new world without being traumatized.
I have always known of people who sold or gave away pups much younger than that. I feel for the pups but the owners are also in for many weeks of dealing with a puppy that needs extra TLC. Some people are willing to do that while others don't have the time to sit and cuddle a pup that misses it's litter mates and needs the extra warmth of a warm body in order to sleep soundly.
If you are planning on getting a young pup please be prepared to give that puppy the care it would hopefully get with it's litter. Keep it extra warm and cuddled, make sure the food is soft enough for the pup to easily chew and make sure it is actually eating as much as it should. With small breed pups you have the possibility of hypoglycemia that can actually kill a puppy. Have a great deal of patience with the pup because it cannot help having accidents on your floor.
Don't let your puppy chew on your hands or any part of your body. it is a normal desire for a young pup but unless you want that bad habit throughout their lifetime now is the time to put a stop to it. Most people like to wave their hands in front of a puppy and play wrestle but you have to teach that pup that you are not another puppy that it can roughhouse with.
This isn't meant to put any new owner down. It's just some of what I have learned over the years from some very fine professionals and I hope it will help others to see why some consider it important to keep a puppy with the litter until around 12 weeks.
I will add this: one of the reasons that some breeders want to sell a pup at 6 weeks is because that is when the pup starts eating food and that is also when the mom stops cleaning up after the puppies. It is a lot of work to clean up after a litter of puppies several times a day, as any new owner can testify with even one! It takes some true dedication to do that and to spend the time socializing the pups from the day they are born.
I am sure you will find more breeders selling the younger pups than the ones that keep them and work with them. It's everyone's right to choose but these are just some of the facts. |