just put deposit down for the baby boy...when should I bring him home?
 

I just put the deposit down for the boy. So excited!

The little guy is 5 weeks old now. The seller said he will be ready to go home by Xmas. (which will be around 7 weeks)

I did some research online and it seems a bit early to bring it home. The seller said 7 weeks is critical to start bonding, but it seems a lot of places suggested at least 8-10 weeks.

Any person has brought their baby home before 8 -10 weeks? Did you think you made a right choice? Any tips?

We were thinking to take the baby home beginning of Jan, so he will be at least 8 weeks old then. Should we wait a little bit longer? (It's so hard to resist not taking him home)

Not sure if this information is useful but one of us will be home most of the day so someone will be watching over him for the most part.

The seller has a few newborn around so we thought it might be a good idea for our puppy to socialize with the rest of the dogs for a little while first...

This is going to be our first dog so we want to make sure we do it right with the dog.

I know there is a yorkie puppy care guide here....but if anyone have suggestions on a particular brand/product that we should get before the pup comes home, I would appreciate it. :)

Thanks!

for yorkies i think 12 weeks is best but certainly no earlier than 10 weeks :)

Hi and congrats on getting your new baby boy :)

The YTCA recommends that they stay with their mom thru 12 weeks. At 8 weeks, the small dogs like yorkies can get hypoglycemia when they are young. Staying with mom is important. In addition, during that 4 week span the puppies learn behaviors from mom and siblings.

If she says 7 weeks due to bonding, she's blowing smoke up your *ss. Sorry, but that is ludicrous. I don't even think it's legal to take a pup from it's mom before 8 weeks (no matter the breed).

If you want what's best for your new baby, ask your breeder if the pup can stay thru 12 weeks (even if that means paying in full at the 8 week mark...)

Good luck and it's great that you are asking and researching!

I would leave this baby with mommie and siblings as long as possible up to 12 - 16 weeks so he can learn from her - his mommie and littermates, how to navigate the world. A good breeder will be socializing the puppies all the way along so be sure yours is doing that, but, if not, you can do it when you do finally bring your baby home. The mother dog will teach your little one so many things and he will be with his birth mother during the time his brain starts to learn fear, biting, playing, interacting with other dogs, people and exploration. And the breeder checks on the puppies often so you won't have to fear him getting hypoglycemic and going down while you are grocery shopping or something for those earliest weeks. I would not bring that baby home at Christmas! That's just next week. He needs his mommie and any siblings for a good while yet.

First, congrats on the new pup you will be getting soon!

But....

Has anyone else noticed the rash of cases on here..where people are getting their new Yorkie pups at 7-8 weeks? I almost posted something to that effect a few weeks ago, but decided to wait till I saw another post with someone getting a pup too early.

As a breeder, IMO this is not in the pups best interest for all the reasons others are listing (so I won't go into that). It seems that these breeders who sell their pups so young either don't want the extra work that it takes to keep them another 4 weeks or???? maybe the pups are smaller and easier to sell, or they just want them out of the house so they can breed the dam again sooner. Whatever their reason, again, I don't believe it's in the pups best interest.

Debbie
(Tea', Katie and Paige)

I think that 12 weeks would be the soonest I would bring one home for the health of the puppy

It is beneficial for the pup to remain with it's mother til at least 12 weeks. They learn so much from their moms from 7 to 12 weeks. Not to mention that the pups should have at least 2 sets of shots before they go to their new homes. A dog will bond with you at any age, as long as you love and nurture it. The period from 12 weeks to 16 weeks is when they should be learning what you as it's owner expect from it. Pups go through their first fear period around 7 to 8 weeks and this is the one that sticks with them.
Developmental Stages

Granted alot of sites like this say 7 weeks is the best time to bring a new pup home with toy dogs it's not because they are just getting started eating real food and all they learn regarding socialization and potty training and such is what the breeder should be teaching the pups. That way when you bring your pup home you continue it's training.

The longer they stay with mom the more she will teach them and help them learn to cope. I'm a bit advocate of no less than 12 weeks and think 16 weeks is best. The bonding this at 7 weeks is not accurate - I got my Cali at 36 weeks/ 9months and we are truly a bonded match - she is total attached to me and with her maturity potty training was not such a nightmare that I hear about.

I should add her breeder had spent a lot of time with her during those weeks - not just put her in a crate for hours at a time and she socialized with other puppies a lot.

Zachary was about 14 weeks when we got him and he has bonded VERY VERY well with my DH and the other dogs. I agree, something weird about all these pups being sent to their forever homes so young. I wonder if it is because it is the Christmas season???

Louise and Zachary

I think the reason a lot of sites talk about 7 weeks is because they are speaking of pups in general, not the toy breed. Toy breeds have different needs all through their lives.

To the OP, you might want to read this; http://www.foxstonemaltese.com/12weekrule.htm, it tells why it's important for the toy breeds to stay with mama a minimum of 12 weeks. Frankly, I would not buy from someone who knew so little about the Yorkshire terrier breed, does she do health testing? Does she know which diseases and conditions the Yorkshire Terrier breed is plagued with? Hopefully, you’ll have your baby at least 12 -16 years; you want to pick a breeder who is breeding healthy dogs. I agree with MandiesMom, "she's blowing smoke up your *ss."

Hello and welcome to YT. I think everyone has basically covered no less then 12 weeks. The link that Nancy gave you basically covers all toy breeds. I know it is hard not to bring him home but maybe you can go visit himif you live close. Have her send you pictures. Those couple of weeks will go by quick and he will be better for it. You will be glad he did. Good luck. Post a pic

Congrats to you. Seems the rule of thumb here is 12 weeks. I'd certainly ask them to let the pup be with it's mom at least that long.

If you go into this with the goal to "be a breeder and make tons of money selling puppies", this is what you do! You breed two dogs, and then you sell the babies before they cost you a bunch of money. You do no vaccinations, no worming, no micro chipping, you do no well baby checks....you off load those pups, hoping you can get rid of them while they are still small, regardless of parasite infestation, prior to starting vaccinations at recommended age, before you have to spoend time and care weaning from mom to eating kibble on their own, and certainly before all these conditions catch up with you and those babies start getting sick. If you bought a baby before that age of 12-14 weeks, and you got it home and it was sick suddenly within a couple of days or weeks, HELLO!!! You operate on a "SLAM! BAM! THANK YOU, MA'AM!" mentality, with as little expenditure as possible...that is the only way you can clear a significant clear profit margin....and since you have very little invested in the creation of those babies and the care of them up to the date they are sold, you can entice tons of buyers with CHEAP PRICES!!! Get 'em in, get 'em out!!! THAT is how you do, when you are unethical, irresponsible, and are doing this strictly for the money....to hell with the puppies, to hell with the dams, and most of all, TO HELL WITH THE BUYERS!!! So, if YOU are a buyer out there, getting a baby younger than 12 weeks, you need to be made to understand exactly what that "breeder" thinks of YOU and the babies she panders.

Oh wow, I love your post, it so good to see a breeder who sees it this way, so many breeders make execuses for doing this, but not you, you tell it like it is, I love it!

We really need a "like" button on here!! Very well said!

My two cents
 

Let the breeder keep the pup until 12wks or so and at least two pounds.

Do you know how small 2lbs is? The puppy fits in the palm of a female hand!

The greater weight should help protect against hypoglycemia. And that is a real risk with a 7-8wk old puppy!

Please have your breeder do a BATS on the puppy prior to you accepting the puppy. That is a blood test. NOt too expensive to do, but at least you will get some idea of the health of that pup's liver.

In terms of bonding, what the breeder said is nonsense. There is no problem with bonding of a 12wk or older pup.

I truly hope you have done your homework because the fact that this breeder will let the pups go so early is a pretty big warning sign to me.

Please read the Guide to Finding a Responsible Breeder - it is located in our library here.

what happened to the poster? Hopefully they got the message.... I know how difficult it would be to leave your puppy with the breeder if they say it can go with you.... but it IS very true.... that extra time is very important & may make a difference in the social behavior of the dog...... should we do a Private message with a shortcut to this thread in case the poster can't find their thread back?

As you can see there are various reasons for having a pup stay with the mom until at least 12 weeks. Personally, as a breeder of purebred Himalayan cats, we also kept our kittens until at least the age of 12 weeks, not because they were not able to survive at a younger age, but because they were mentally and socially stronger and able to make the transition to a new home without a lot of trauma. At the age of 12 weeks pups and kittens start to break off from the litter and investigate on their own. They don't need the litter mates as much for comfort in sleeping and playing. Since they are more independent the new owner is not dealing with a needy infant as much as someone who gets a pup or kitten at a much younger age. A young puppy in particular spends the night crying for the comfort of the littler when taken away so young.

Small breed pups do mature slower many times. Their teeth don't come in as early as some larger breeds do so they may not eat as well as they should. Hypoglycemia can be a real danger to a small breed puppy. At 12 weeks they are usually solidly weaned and do not have eating issues.

As mentioned, breeders who are breeding to bring in the dollars want the puppies gone as soon as they are weaned because that is when the mom stops cleaning up after the puppies. It takes a dedicated breeder to keep a litter of puppies for the additional weeks they need to mature because it is a lot more work for the breeder, but it is so important for the pup and the new owner.

You will find that house breaking will be less of a problem with an older puppy as well. Puppies do not start to have the ability to hold back their urine until they are about 16 weeks old. Until then you have a leaking faucet. You have to teach the pup it cannot pee inside but the owner pretty much has to control the situation because the young pup cannot do much about it. Small breed pups have tiny little bladders. The more they mature the less they pee. At 12 weeks of age you have missed at least a month of seemingly constant peeing.

Every pup is an individual. As a cat breeder we evaluated each kitten according to how it was progressing. Sometimes one does not progress as fast as another. I have found that to be true of puppies as well. A good breeder should be able to tell you the personality characteristics of each pup and how it is progressing.

I realize that many countries do not go along with what many professional breeders in the US have found to be helpful. Certainly a puppy can usually survive at 8 weeks but studies have revealed valid reasons to wait. I was truly concerned for my kittens and wanted them to have the best possible start in life and did not want them leaving before they were ready. For me it was more about what was best for them and their getting a good start in their new homes.

With all that said, if you are buying from someone that wants the pups gone and is not prepared to care for the puppy as it should be for the remaining weeks then it may be better to get the puppy sooner. If the puppy will not be with the mom and litter mates and is left caged and un-socialized it is not going to be getting the benefits it needed anyway. But do not for one second believe that a puppy "bonds" better at such an early age.

My feelings exactly, i have a litter of silkies right now, they are 11 weeks, and they are already Up to date with vaccines, did two fecals on them, and yesterday they got their microchip, I just need to put the puppy packs together, one is leaving tomorrow, the family lives in my town and is been waiting on this pup for a year, we are friends, the other one is going to my cousin, on saturday, and the other one is staying here until after new years , because she is going out of state to Maryland and I don't know the family that well, we had spoken on the phone and they are driving to get her, so afer new years is it, and my little one she is staying here until i find the right family for her because she is very small.. is the BREEders responsability to make sure your puppy is a healthy, happy and loving dog, bonding occurs even with adult dogs so that is BULL..
hugs,