[Yorkiemom1]

I loved your Enrichment Video Gail! I managed to find this ONE article in my one computer....my business computer is in hospice, and will be needing replacement very soon....I can not get to any of my business articles, breeding articles, etc.....I have an entire file folder validating and backing up the theory justifying via evidenced based trial outcomes, the benefits of Yorkies staying with mother and siblings until at least 12 weeks of age.....hopefully one of my experts can retrieve those files from that dying business computer....you know what a stickler I am for evidenced based outcomes and scientifically tested trials....!! So I offer the article below, presented by several well known behavorists,vets, breeders, and AKC judges with many, many years experience....


"Although a puppy is born with essentially all the brain cells he will ever have, his brain grows in two ways: It gets bigger, and it changes shape. How much the brain grows and the way it changes shape depend on the kind of environmental stimulation the pup receives during the first 16 weeks of life, writes Raymond Coppinger, professor of biology at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, in Dogs: A Startling New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior & Evolution (Scribner, 2001; coauthored with Lorna Coppinger).

Growth comes in the connections between the cells. Dendrites are brain nerve-cell structures that form contacts with other nerve cells. The more connections the dendrites make, the more the brain grows. By 6 weeks of age, a puppy's brain mass is approximately 70 percent developed, and by 16 weeks of age, almost all the connections have been made. Once brain growth stops, it's difficult to change the wiring, Coppinger writes.

The critical period for influencing puppies is between 3 weeks and 14 weeks of age, says Lore Haug, D.V.M., a board-certified behaviorist with South Texas Veterinary Behavior Services in Sugar Land, Texas.

Before 3 weeks of age, a puppy's activities consist primarily of eating and sleeping. This is the neonatal, or newborn, period. It might seem as if not much is going on in the brain during this period, but early neurological stimulating exercises, such as holding them, turning them over and exposing them to minor temperature changes, can benefit puppies.

"There's a window in the life of every puppy that opens on the third day of life and closes on the 16th day," says Carmen L. Battaglia, Ph.D., who has bred and finished (earned a championship on) a number of dogs, and who is an American Kennel Club judge of more than 40 breeds. "If you stimulate their neurological system during that open window, for the rest of that puppy's life, he will have a better heartbeat, a better heart rate, more resistance to disease, greater tolerance of stress and a more active adrenal system, so his adrenaline will run faster when he needs it." (This is the "Super Dog Neurological Stimulation Program that is used on all Rosehill Yorkie puppies.)

The transitional period begins at 2 weeks of age, when the puppy's eyes open. During this time, puppies show significant improvement in their ability to learn and can even be trained to perform a response for a food reward as early as 15 days of age, writes veterinary behaviorist Ian Dunbar in Dog Behavior: Why Dogs Do What They Do (Ingram Book Co., 1989).

The transitional period ends when the ears open and the canine teeth emerge, toward the end of the third week. At this point, puppies are suddenly active and busy. They learn that they can sit, and they start trying to walk, although they're pretty wobbly and still need lots of practice. Puppies during this stage begin playful biting and pawing behavior.

Now the puppies have entered what's known as the socialization period, the critical time for brain development.

"Three weeks of age is about the time that they're a little bit mobile, their ears are open, their eyes are open, so they have the ability to taste, smell, obviously touch and hear, so all their senses are functioning," Haug says. "They can start being exposed to different sounds, visual stimuli, tactile stimuli and things as part of their socialization process." Because the socialization period begins at such an early age, a good breeder is essential for success.

Going Home
The age at which a puppy goes to his new home can also affect his development. Traditionally, puppies have gone to new homes at 6 to 8 weeks of age, but more and more breeders— especially breeders of toy breeds, such as Yorkshire Terriers —prefer to keep their pups until they're at least 10 to 12 weeks old. The additional time with mother and littermates helps them develop more fully, they believe.

Yorkies mature slowly, and reputable breeders won't let them go before they're 12 to 14 weeks old, saysYorkshire Terrier breeder Doreen Hubbard of Marysville, Washington. There's a physical bonus as well, she says. Yorkies go through a trouble-filled teething stage during which they lack appetite and often have diarrhea. "I hate seeing somebody buy a dog who is going to worry them the first month they have him, wondering why he isn't eating, why he's got diarrhea," she says, advising to let the breeder take care of that.

Haug agrees that there are psychological and behavioral lessons a puppy can learn through a longer stay with his mother and littermates.

Those behaviors include bite inhibition— learning how not to inflict injury with the teeth — as well as other perceptual, motor and social skills. A 6-week-old puppy who's weaned and rehomed at that age misses those lessons, but whether a longer stay at the breeder's home is beneficial depends a lot on the quality of the breeder.

"We've made observations that puppies who are weaned and sent away early often do have more behavior issues, more difficulty adapting to new homes than puppies who are sent out a little bit later," Haug says. "

Of course, this is where the term "reputable breeder" comes into play....these are lessons the momma teaches her pups, and has absolutely NOTHING to do with the experience or enthusiasm of any new owner. I love to watch my mommas "teach" the pups.....it is an amazing thing to observe. "Kreuer" posted above that the only person that benefits from letting a puppy leave early, is the breeder.....how true!! It is a WHOLE lot cheaper and you dont have all the pooping, peeing, crying, weaning issues they develop as they cut more teeth....profit margin is considerably better too with no or fewer vaccinations, well baby checks, etc. I just think I want my babies to be the absolute best they can be, before they leave me to face the world and all it has to offer. I want every single second momma can spend with her pup, teaching, prodding, loving, correcting, molding, and perfecting her baby. I just think that is MY responsibility to assure this critical time is established and guaranteed with babies and mommas.