How old can a puppy leave it's mother
 

I know it varies from breed to breed, my Golden was weaned and able to leave her mother at 7 weeks. How old can a yorkie be when it can leave it's mother?

I brought KaCee home at 9 weeks but the longer they can stay with the mother the better. Most people on here recommend 12 weeks.

The Yorkshire Terrier Club of America, (YTCA) the parent club of the AKC, for yorkies, recommends that yorkies leave no sooner than 12 weeks, and smaller puppies might need to stay longer. Some breeders don't follow the guidelines set forth by the YTCA and just use their own state's minimum guideline. In certain parts of the country this can be young as 6 weeks, and it doesn't differentiate between the larger breeds and the smaller breeds. I would never recommend anybody buying from a breeder that doesn't follow this very basic guideline.

Thank you for your responses I asked my vet (whom has done so much for me and my pets in the past, so I completely trust and value his opinion and has never ever steered me in the wrong direction) how old and he said 6 weeks would be fine but I am totally uncomfortable with doing so that early. I just wanted yorkie experts to give me what they felt was right. The person that is giving me the dog has no objections as to when I take the baby as long as they know I give it the proper care etc. so thanks again!

Most reputable breeders don't allow the pup to leave the mother and littermates until around 12 weeks of age (or longer). Of course, there are exceptions, but that is the general rule of thumb.:thumbup:

It's hard for a vet to be up on the requirements of each breed. I'm sure your vet is very capable, but I think that an expert breeder's opinion on this matter is the one that should count; after all, it's the really good breeders that train the vets. Here's a link that explains the 12 week rule, it's about Maltese dogs, another small breed, but applies to yorkies as well. Why do Maltese puppies need to be 12 weeks old before going to a new home??

I would never take any puppy before 9 weeks but 12 is best.

Our breeder gave us Nugget at 6 weeks...but she said the only reason is because he was the most independent...he was eating, sleeping and playing by himself...his brothers and sisters stayed a couple more weeks...we still went back and visited though!!!!!

Your question has a few answers... because it is more than one question
 

The puppies are usually started to "wean" around 6 weeks of age, we can start to feed them baby soft food at 5 weeks , but that is when we introduce the food.... at 6 weeks they have some baby teeth pointing up on the back and they can handle more of the baby food, we separate them fom the mommy during the day so they get hungry and feed more and more of the puppy soft food... at night mommy comes back to the nest.... if all goes well, by seven weeks old mommy can spend the nights on her own place and just "visit" with the puppies 2 or 3 times a day after they feed so they are full but she will still allow them to nurse a bit.... at 8 weeks no more nursing, mom sees the puppies just a few shorter visits and is more detached ... good for her as well.... very important bonding time for the puppies and littermates at this age.... they may go home at 9 to 10 weeks if they really are showing the signs of being very independent and craving human attention.... some need to stay with the breeder longer, by 12 weeks most of them are eating dry food only , but a tiny may still be in need of satying for a while ....
You have to think that this is a whole process of weaning the puppies, training them to potty outside the bed and socializing besides the boundaries that each other set on the litter for bitting too strong and things like that ...
Of course if you are a diligent owner and you attend to the needs , the 6 week old puppy will make it.... even a 1 week old puppy will if bottle fed properlly.... but the real good question is:"WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO TAKE A PUPPY HOME?" because there a few very important things that are set for life and they happen with the mother and the litter mates as i explained on the top.... i hope i helped you make the best decision for you and for your puppy as well.

15 - 20 Weeks
 

IMO I have come across alot of Breeder's that will Sell a puppy that is too young and lie about their age, so the puppy will seem very small.
My Sister purchased a Yorkie from a well known Pet Store that garaunteed it would only be 4 lbs. and he is now 12 lbs. She purchased her 2nd one from a so-called reputable Breeder, she promised her it would be only 3 1/2 lbs. and she is 11 months @ 10 lbs. in both cases she did not find out their real age until she finally received their Registration Papers.
I personally keep my Puppies for at least 15 weeks but I prefer 20 weeks.
Another reason they let them go so early is so they won't have to keep paying for the Vet. bills since they have to go to the Vets. every 3 weeks for shots etc.
At 20 weeks they are Socialized with People and other Dogs, House Trained and Crate Trained as well as familiar with their Grooming routine.
Sad to say my Sister is very disappointed since she paid top dollar for both!
I keep telling her that their size does'nt matter, she should love them any way!