"......It´s simple.
1:You dont take the puppy outside until i has all of its shots
2:You make sure it eats regularly"..........
~~~ The complexities and intricacies of responsible breeding/raising puppies, condensed into 2 sentences...??? Silly me! All those years and hours and money I have invested into not only improving the genetic probabilities of having healthy puppies, but also all the neurological and psychological studies and research and volumes of papers written by professionals, backed and supported with years and years of research and education, that break down and explain the development of puppies, emotionally, physically, and psychologically, almost day by day, during the first 3-4 months of life......all simplified and presented in 2 little sentences....OMG!!! All the time and MONEY I have apparently wasted over the last 35 years, trying to get this silly little crap shoot known as "breeding and development of puppies" as good as I possibly could get it.....and all it boils down to is 2 little sentences??????? BOY, DONT I FEEL STUPID!!! I have a migraine headache....I have to go lay down! (excuse the run on sentences, but I am stupified and in shock!)

I think many people miss the point of why the YTCA prefers to have the puppies left with the mom until they are older. For one thing many of the Yorkies bred by show breeders are smaller than other Yorkies. Since the breed standard goes to 7lbs tops many puppies are smaller. The smaller the puppy the easier for them to become hypoglycemic. There are other back yard breeders and puppy mills that breed various pet quality Yorkies. Many of those dogs are much bigger. However, the real reason that most breeders want to sell their puppies at 6 weeks of age is that at that age the mom stops cleaning up after the puppy. It gets very messy to have to care for a litter of puppies that is messing all over the place. Most of these breeders are in this for the "fun" of it and or the money and have no desire to clean up after a litter of puppies for 6 more weeks. But beyond that one of the other reasons that experts agree that any breed of dog should stay with the mother for those additional weeks is that the puppy learns important socialization skills from both the mom and the litter mates. These are skills that make a dog much easier to potty train and teach good behavior to if it stays with the mom and litter for those extra weeks.

Yes, with a lot of extra care a puppy at age 6 weeks can survive. It is like stunting the natural growth of the animal. Your taking it out of it's natural learning environment and stunting it's regular development. The owner ends up with 24 hour duty taking care of an infant that should be with it's mom. The puppy cries and is unhappy if it is away from warmth and comfort and it never learns the doggy socialization it should have. The owner is then confronted with a puppy that wants to bite their hands and wrestle whenever they are near. That is real cute until they start to grow a bit and it starts to hurt and the puppy is wanting to bite and wrestle even more. The mom would have taught it proper behavior and it's litter mates would have helped with that behavior. A 12 to 13 week old puppy is more mentally and emotionally mature and ready to venture out on it's own. It is also more able to deal with the separation from it's mom and litter mates. It is stronger physically and does not require the type of care that a 6 week old baby does. I guess you could compare taking a 6 week old puppy home to putting a 6 month old human baby on the bus to kindergarten. He's just not ready though he may survive it is going to cause some great repercussions.

Humans always have their own needs in the fore front of circumstances. The breeder wants their money and does not want the work involved in giving those puppies the early foundation they need and the new owner wants that cute little baby to cuddle.....when they feel like it. Who loses out? Well, the puppy and the mother dog do of course. Neither are ready to be taken from each other. Later when the owner is upset because they get tired of all the care this puppy is needing the puppy suffers again because it does not have the ability to cope and to learn that it should have.

This post is a great example of what drives people away.Sacracsm,judging and calling people idiots (in a very educated way of course).

I didnt mean that´s ALL there is to it,I meant that caring for a 6 week old puppy is not much different than caring for a 12 week old one.I have raised 6 week old pups all the way to adulthood,so Im telling you through experience that you dont need to be Einstein.
Are you implying that people have to go to college,spend thousands of dollars,read papers and do years of research to own and care for a puppy? I am simply saying that you dont have to use much else than COMMON SENSE to care for one.

Im not a breeder,I will never breed,there for,I trust that aspect of the subject to the breeder (whom I trust completly) and limit myself to CARING for my puppy as it should be cared for.
Im not peeing on your experience,but why are you angry that I am doing just as good of a job of caring for my puppies as you are,but without having to pick up some books?

THAT is what I was saying.

Oops..forgot to add.You (gracielove) are talking about the experience required to be a good,reputable breeder.I am talking about what one needs to know to RAISE a puppy once they have it.
One doesnt need to know about lineage,neurological tests,improving the breed,or have 45 years of experience on ones back to OWN a puppy,because If that were the case,we´d all be 60 before we owned our first dog.You cant throw your experience in the face of someone who just bought a puppy,because as breeder,its your job to know those things..its our job to do some reasearch on what you do to make sure we are getting a healthy puppy from a safe enviroment,but why do I have to know all that you know to care for my dog once I have it..kwim?

No, I am talking about what has become common knowledge about the how to raise a puppy. It does not take years of experience to educate yourself about what others have learned through years of experience and study about the physical, emotional and social needs of a puppy as it matures. Not many people take the time to study these things because they know a puppy can survive at 6 weeks and that is all they care about. Those who care enough to actually study any subject find that perhaps there are things they did not know about the topic. Those who think they know everything never learn anything. I'm not a breeder. I am someone who does like to learn all I can possibly study on any particular subject that concerns me or the welfare of my family, which includes my pets! I am also very concerned about people who breed dogs for profit and "fun" without regard for the animals best interests or the best interest of those they are selling the poor creatures to.

I was pretty excited for the puppy and it just seems like everyone is just going in on how it's not right to have it. I'm doing the best I can with the puppy and know the responsibility I'm taking in. However, regardless of wether or not it's right or "good" to have the puppy at 6 weeks is besides the point. I have him now and I thought creating the post was to support a new owner and help with any questions. Not bring them down for being "uneducated" on the manner. I understand everyone has opinions but I didn't think that's what YT was about, sorry I started this debate guys.

My firsts post was to help you know in the future 12 weeks is best and some things that are important about having a very young pup but then some one decided to developed it into an argument and I'm sorry that hijacked your thread. You have educated your self on hypoglycemia though right? That is pretty important to know about with a young small breed pup.

Yes I understand. And I did do all my research before getting the puppy. We're with him at all times and we haven't had a problem yet.

If you did all your research before getting the pup then didn't you learn 12 weeks is when a yorkie should leave there mom and not before?

We had to get him this young. And Ive had friends who had raised pups just fine before.

You didn't have to get him that young you could have walked away and found another it may have been hard but you did have a choice everyone does. The Yorkshire Terrier Club of America is one of the first places you should have went to, to do research about yorkies. Just because your friends have done it doesn't mean that's whats best for the pup. Most of us on this board want what is best for the yorkies and sometimes that comes off bad but it really is all about the yorkies to us!

Well ~ what's done is done and the puppy is home now. The OP knows what to look for in a tiny and how to handle hypoglycemia IF it happens . . . hopefully, all will be well. The puppy should be getting plenty of rest too.

I do understand that things can be done differently in other countries.

OP, good luck with your new puppy and I hope you post pictures because we love to see puppy pictures.

I got my Westie at 8 weeks (he's a lot bigger than Lucy of course) - the main problem I see in him is that he is aggressive around other dogs. We tried to do everything right - take him to puppy classes, agility training. . . etc. I can't help but wonder if maybe he should have stayed with his Mom and littermates a little longer.

All that just to say - you might have to make more of an effort to make sure your little one is properly socialized.

very well said xx

we got poppy at 6 weeks :) and she is perfectly fine , they just need some tlc ;) xx

just curious, why did you get this puppy at only 6 weeks ?