When to bring a puppy home?

[1bassoon]

I think our kids are ready - after a looong wait - for the responsibility of raising a puppy. Our friend's dog has a litter, with a sweet female goldie mix puppy that we'd love to bring home. What does the hive say is the best time to bring puppy home? Here are some facts for you:

 

Friend says they're ready for puppy to go home this weekend. She'll be 6 weeks old on Saturday. Most of the articles I read say to wait until pup is 8 weeks old. Is that true?

 

We could bring her home when she's 8 weeks old. The downside to that is that my 4 oldest kids will be out of the house from M-F on a missions summer camp. I can certainly handle a puppy and a 4.5 year-old, but would rather the whole crew be here from the first.

 

We're going out of town for a week (an 8-hr. drive to Indiana) from July 3-10. She'll be 12 weeks old at that point. If we do bring her home before then, what do we do? Take her with us?

 

Finally - and I think this is the best answer - should we just pick her up once we're back from vacation? She'll be 13 weeks old, and will have lived outside her whole little life. Once here, she'll be an inside/outside dog, and we'd need to housetrain her. Is that impossible, or at least much more difficult?

 

I'd appreciate any advice you have. If 6 weeks isn't too young to bring her home, we'd go with that - but the vacation throws a wrench in things.

 

Thanks!

[dalynnrmc]

We had assumed 8 weeks when my dh's cousin's dog had a litter, but the puppies were ready before that. They were weaned, and the mother really had nothing more to do with them. (Dh's cousin called and said to come get it NOW - at about 6 1/2 weeks. Luckily, cousin lives next door to m-i-l who took in the puppy for a week and a half until we'd budgeted to come get him.)

 

So, it might depend on the breed, but our puppy was okay away from its mom at that age. Dh does a "test" where he picks it up by the nape of the neck. He says that if it hollers, it's not ready. :lol: I've no idea how accurate his little redneck test is, though. ;)

[jg_puppy]

I would wait until the puppy is 8 weeks. The dog trainer on It's Me or the Dog recommends waiting until the puppy is at least 8 weeks. Her reasoning is that from 6-8 weeks the puppies learn important social skills from either other. If the puppy doesn't learn these skills from her littermates then you will have to teach her.

 

Jan

[Jann in TX]

Especially with larger breeds.

After weaning the puppies still have a LOT to learn from their momma--about how to be a dog!

 

My vote is to wait until you get back from vacation--this way you can concentrate on the training--which will take a few months (and may seem like years but it is worth it!). Once they are housetrained please hire a dog trainer or go to a puppy school --YOU will be the ones trained! And you will end up with a well behaved forever friend!

 

We've taken ownership of our german shepherds when they were 10 and 12 weeks old. No problems house training them either time. We did not crate (not recommended for this breed) but we did confine to a SMALL bathroom (using a baby gate). We also 'tomato staked' them until we could trust them (this means usually having them on a leash in the house and being WATCHED like a hawk anytime they are out of their room). Both were kept in their room at night until they were around 6 months old.

[vettechmomof2]

8 weeks.

Either take puppy with you on vacation or board puppy somewhere safe.

Letting the puppy settle in before everyone is home should be fine as well.

Have fun.

check your state laws as most should not leave parents until 7-8 weeks by law.

socializing is very important for a well balanced pups mentality.

[1bassoon]

check your state laws as most should not leave parents until 7-8 weeks by law.

 

I just did a google search of Alabama laws - can't find anything about age of pups leaving parents. . . .

 

But I did find out that hog/dog fights are illegal in this here great state of mine.

 

Nice to know. :tongue_smilie:

[Kathy in MD]

I'll second waiting til the pup is 8 weeks.

 

I'd also check about finding a kennel that will take a 12 week old pup before I planned on going on vacation. I'm not sure that the pup will have all his shots and boosters (we got ours around 12 weeks so the shot schedule was a bit off). The alternative, to take the pup with you may be difficult because the pup may get car sick. Ours was never violently sick, but he didn't like riding in the car til he was older. We also never hauled him for long trips til he was older.

[Soph the vet]

The best time to adopt a puppy is at 7 weeks, NOT 8 weeks. Or wait until they are 9 weeks. During a pup's 8th week they should not be exposed to anything radically different, including a trip to the vet or being adopted, as there is a fear kind of thing imprinted on them. This is according to scientific studies and vets are all taught this in school by behaviorists.

So get the puppy at 7 weeks, that is ideal. The breeder should have had the first vax given at 6 weeks so you do not need to bring the puppy in to the vet until 10, 14, and 18 weeks for boosters.

[Lolly]

I would wait until you are back from vacation. The puppy won't be harder to housebreak at 12 weeks; it will most likely be easier. I would NEVER take pup from its mother before it was 8 weeks old. I actually prefer 12 weeks, especially for larger breeds.

[JFSinIL]

If you can, I would wait and get puppy after vacation. Otherwise you have it for a short time then have to kennel it while you are gone. Better for puppy to stay where he/she is until you can devote yourself to him/her.

 

We got our Lab at 11 weeks and it was fine. True,. he was already 25 lbs so we missed the tiny puppy stage....but he is a GREAT dog!!!

[Mrs. Readsalot]

My first choice would be 8 weeks and NOT before. You can end us with serious temperment issues seperating a pup from its mom and liter mates before 8 weeks. Pups thrive on a schedule when they enter a new home. Also waiting until the pup is 12 weeks would be fine and it sounds like you would have more time then to establish a routine. Generally mine goes like this.

feed about 6 am

take outside

playtime for about 45-minutes to an hour

take outside

sleep in confined space (I use a crate) for an hour

repeat from step 2 throughout day.

Feed three times a day until 6 months old and then twice a day for life

Raising a pup is ALOT of work. My current pup, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi and now 5 months old and is only crated at night and if we go out somewhere, she is completely housetrained and a real joy. I walk her 3-4 times a day and pups need this physical and mental stimulation of being out and about. At first my days were wrapped around her and trust me this pays off in the long run.

I have been raising, showing, training, loving dogs since I was a kid. If you have a questions feel free to e-mail me. As I type this my girl is asleep at my feet. I am a huge believer in clicker training and suggest you look into how it works before your pup comes home. Best wishes for many joyful years with your new family member.

Karen

[1bassoon]

You know, this is the funny thing -

 

my friend has never, ever read a thing about dogs. They have a couple, they're outside in a farm-like setting, sweet dogs.

 

I feel like I"m over-thinking this, but then y'all give me such encouragement!

 

They've agreed to keep the pup until vacation's over - it will be 13 weeks at that point, and will have been only an outside dog. Will we be shooting ourselves in the foot to try to make it a more inside pet?

 

My friend didn't think it was a big deal to bring the pup to Indiana with us. . . but it just doesn't sit well with me, for the puppy's sake, not ours. An 8-9 hour car ride, with 7 people in a mini-van? Not so sure. . . . .

[vettechmomof2]

You know, this is the funny thing -

 

my friend has never, ever read a thing about dogs. They have a couple, they're outside in a farm-like setting, sweet dogs.

 

I feel like I"m over-thinking this, but then y'all give me such encouragement!

 

They've agreed to keep the pup until vacation's over - it will be 13 weeks at that point, and will have been only an outside dog. Will we be shooting ourselves in the foot to try to make it a more inside pet?

 

My friend didn't think it was a big deal to bring the pup to Indiana with us. . . but it just doesn't sit well with me, for the puppy's sake, not ours. An 8-9 hour car ride, with 7 people in a mini-van? Not so sure. . . . .

 

 

Well, we drove cross country from Montana to PA in a minivan a few years ago. You have a 4 year old so every potty break everyone could ge tout and stretch their legs and keep pup kenneled while driving.

However, I think that waiting would be fine, especially if YOU feel better about it.

You thought this through and be happy with your well thought out choice. :)

Have fun.

It will also be fine to make her an inside pet once you learn how to communicate with her. Frequent potty breaks BEFORE accidents and at certain times of the day to get her to realize what you want from her. NO unsupervised moments in the house so accidents are harder to occur. You will do fine.

Good luck.