Bringing "baby" home at 8 weeks as opposed to 12?
 

Ive been talking to LOTS of breeders... most are 12 weeks (one even 20 weeks). Obviously I want my puppy to the healthiest (even my info books recommends 12 weeks). Im going to go see a puppy this weekend that im about 99% sure i want get... She had this as a one time litter (from family dogs) and akc.. etc... So I dont think she knows much on keeping them 12 weeks?? Right now they are 5 weeks... so she will keep them til 8.... but 8??

WWYD?

You will get a lot of different answers, lol. I have a little Shorkie that I got at 9 weeks and she was shipped too. The breeder gave her nutrical before the trip. I took a jar of pure chicken baby food with me to the airport as well. Plus the breeder sent a little bottle of nutircal with a eye dropper in case it was needd or I needed it after we got home. She explained about the hypoglycemia and all. She lapped it right up and has been happy since. :) And so am I. Guess a lot might have to do with weight. Some with Socialization as well. Guess it's a matter of what people believe. If the breeder told me 12 weeks, that would have been ok too. She was what I wanted and I would have waited. It's a shot either way. Some might do well, others really must wait.

You must be excited!!

Carol and Jemma

If they don't know enough to keep the pup for 12 weeks, they probably don't know enough to do the right pre breed testing. If tehy just don't agree with keeping them til 12 weeks, there should be a very good reason because the YTCA should not be ignored...

So WWID?
I'd keep looking.

:goodpost:

I couldn't have said it any better myself. Ellie May pretty much nailed it.

If you are aware that 12 weeks is the recommended release age and that is what you believe, then there should be no reason why you'd accept anything else. I have to agree w/ EM, if the breeder thinks that releasing them at that age is acceptable, then she clearly is not on the up and up and I would question what else she may be uninformed about. Releasing them that age is a common red flag that people are warned to look for.

I would keep looking too.

I'd listen more to the ladies above. I've never had Yorkies, they know best. I'm just lucky I guess.

You gave advice based on your experience. There is certainly NOTHING wrong with that. :) Many people bring pups home earlier and never have a problem. On the other hand, however, many people do. Why chance it when certain issues could easily be avoided by waiting until the appropriate age to bring a little one home, ya know?

Thank you for the response. I appreciate that. :)

:goodpost:

This article by a Maltese show breeder explains why it is so important for toy breed puppies to stay with their mom and littermates until they are 12 weeks old:

Why do Maltese puppies need to be 12 weeks old before going to a new home??

The breeder I got my Pixie off of did not want to keep her past 6 weeks. It was way too soon for her to leave her mom but the breeder insisted I take her at 6 weeks. If I didnt want her she said that she was gonna give her to another lady. So, I took her and she is now 10 weeks old and healthy. It was a lot of work and still continues to be. My advice is to try and insist that the breeder keep the pup for as long as she can. Even until the pup is 10 weeks. The breeder may end up being irresponsible like mine but it is worth a try.
When u get the pup just make sure that u take it to the vet a.s.a.p!!

thank you so much for all your responses! You guys are SOOO Incredibly helpful and i feel so blessed to have found this site with you guys ;)

How do you think i should go about saying to keep them till 12?? Im gonna go this sat anyways to see her... but wether i take her or not... i really feel I should mention for her to keep them til 12 weeks... (i mean even the NON akc lady knew 12 weeks, her puppy was 14 now)...

Thank you for letting me know its a red flag... after so many problems with our last dog I cant go through that again and want a healthy pup! (although i know ANY dog is a chance)

Twelve weeks is the right time to bring them home. I brought mine home before then and it worked out but they missed out on socialization time with the mother dog

As Ellie May wisely said, I'd keep looking.

You can be sure that a breeder who lets her puppies go that young is not doing the proper health testing and genetic screening.

With Yorkies being 36 times more likely to be born with a liver shunt than all other breeds combined, it's just too risky to get a puppy from a breeder who doesn't bile acid test the parents and know her lines generations back.

she said she has the generations on paper... she had bought the parents from a breeder in Arkansa (traveling to get them)... would seeing papers help when looking? ROFL gosh im so new at this. HAHA

What is the YTCA?

I got my Answer sorry I googled it :)

The "generations on paper" is called a pedigree. All purebred dogs have a pedigree. It's their family tree. The pedigree won't tell you anything about their health.

You want to get a puppy from a breeder who knows all the dogs in the parents' background nine or ten generations back. By "knowing" them, I mean she has worked on her breeding program for years, seen what the dogs she's bred have produced, culled any dogs who produced any health issues, etc.

Yorkies should all have bile acids tests prior to breeding to make sure they are free of liver disease. Unfortunately, healthy dogs can still be carriers which is why it is so important to know your lines generations back.

Good breeders have the knees of the parents cleared for luxating patellas. Yorkies are ranked #4 in cases of LP's by the Orthopedic Foundation of America.

Both liver shunts and LP's costs thousands of dollars to diagnose and surgically repair.

Reputable breeder also have eyes CERF'ed, thyroid panels, heart clearances, etc. They should be able to produce proof that all these clearances were done prior to breeding.

I can guarantee that a breeder who does not follow the YTCA's rule about keeping Yorkie puppies until they are 12 weeks old also does not get the required health clearances done.

Thank you LadyMom!! Thats very good to know and to ask... very informative...

I will put my 2 cents in too!

Getting a pup at 12 weeks is still sooooo young that I couldn't imagine having that extra worry and stress for a younger one. (don't miss those puppy times :rolleyes:)

TJ was 13 wks and Roxy was 6 months old when I got them. TJ was sick with horrible tummy issues from the start....

What is truly important is what was mentioned by the others, knowing the lines and being certain about not having any health issues (genetic defects).

TJ cost $700 and Roxy $800 and to date we are at $10,000 in vet care. Between the IBD issues TJ had, then Roxy having luxating patella surgeries, then going thru the liver issues with both, and blah, blah, blah, blah blah....

I've gotta be honest, the heart ache and stress, not to mention the $ spent on dogs with genetic defects can be a lot to handle at times....Oh I just love the weeks when everything seems to be normal :cool:

Of course I wouldn't change a thing, I love them to death, but if you have a fresh start, be wise about it is all I am saying....

Me, my next will be rescues, I've got too much experience with these two and all their defects not to be able to help others ;)

I did not know any better, or all this good stuff that is being told to you BEFORE bringing home a yorkie pup. It is wise to take note, and make careful choices. One never knows what the future holds, and it is a gamble when the tests are not done, and a pup is brought home too early then reccomended.
I brought Suzi home going on 9 weeks old . The breeder did not try to convince me otherwise or anything, I just simply did not know any better. Suzi is over a yr old , and SO far so good, but I feel like i am hold my breath for the AX to fall. I am scared to death that she is to become ill. Trust me, it is not worth the extra stress not knowing if your baby is going to become seriously ill in the next few years.
Right now, Suzi is a healthy, active, little Yorkie. I hope she will stay that way, however, I wish I had that extra testing and reassurance that comes with knowing she came from a good background .

Suzi has also has some behavior issues being taken away too early. She suckles on my clothes, which makes holes in them. And she sometimes bites too rough. She seems more like a little baby too. And requires a lot of attention.

thank you!! this is all really great to know and i love your stories and how your pups turned out. I agree on knowing everything ahead of time. you have no idea how great it is to have all your support and knowledge...

If i ask her to hold the puppy till 12 weeks with the mother... whats your thoughts on that if she said yes?? im also going to check on all the past "family members" and see if she in fact does have that. Will they have papers on the testing?? How do you confirm that other then them saying by WORD.... "yes theres no diseases in the breed line they have"??

Lola was 7 weeks old but the girl that gave her to me didn't want her anymore. My other 2 were 6 and 7 months old. I would rather get them when they are older.

If they know their lines back 10generations, have done the right testing and are willing to wait til 12 weeks (10 weeks bare minimum and not optiminal), then it may be fine. They should be able to show you vet records for the testing and the pedigrees for parents, grandparents, etc.

:thumbup::thumbup:

Unfortunately, I doubt this breeder meets those standards.