# Breeder releases puppies at 7 weeks



## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

Hello folks. My breeder releases her puppies at 7 weeks. I did not realize this until a week ago. She explained to me that she wants the puppies to go home not too close to 8 weeks due to their entering a fear period during that time. What are your thoughts on this?


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## goldhaven (Sep 3, 2009)

A long time ago, when my brother first started training dogs for field trial, he read that he should get his pup at 7 weeks and start training. (I don't even remember the reason why) He has been getting his pups at 7 weeks ever since then and has never had a problem. 
I prefer 8, 7 is OK. I have a real problem with anything younger.


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## bioteach (Nov 13, 2010)

Too early! We made that mistake with Buckskin and he was never a social dog. He really would have benefited from another week or two with his dam and litter mates.

Nugget's breeder let us visit, cuddle, and play with him after six weeks; but she insisted on keeping the litter together for a full nine weeks. It was worth the extra three weeks of waiting. Nugget loves everyone - humans and canines alike. 

I think that the breeder is making excuses for just wanting the money in her hands and the puppies out of the house.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

My guy was 7.5 weeks old. It worked out to be ideal for us. 

6 weeks is too early. But even there we brought a 6 week old home. 

It depends on how the breeder has been handling the puppies. The 6 week old and 7.5 week old were both better socialized and transitioned easier than the 9 and 10 week olds that we brought home.

The standard time is usually 8 weeks.


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## Selli-Belle (Jan 28, 2009)

Many reputable breeders have the pups go home at 7 weeks, other reputable breeders think that is too young. Selli, her 3/4 sister and her cousin all came home at 7 weeks and they are all perfectly well-adjusted Goldens.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

Seven weeks is fine-it is the youngest I would send a puppy home, but developmentally, it should not be an issue.


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## Jige (Mar 17, 2011)

I perfer 8wks but I got my boy at 7 wks 4day. He is very socially sound as I took him out right away. I got him his second set of shots at 8wks and we have been going every since. 

I hate to see pups going at 6wks but whats worse is 4wks I have been seeing alot of that lately.


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## Shalva (Jul 16, 2008)

I keep mine until ten weeks but that is just me alot of reputable breeders send theirs home at seven it used to be believed that the ideal time to start training is at 49 days... I think alot has been learned since that time but I wouldn't worry you will be fine 
s


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

General V said:


> I hate to see pups going at 6wks but whats worse is 4wks I have been seeing alot of that:curtain: lately.


 Oh man!


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

I got Lucky at 6 weeks and he was a very well adjusted puppy. He got tons of socialization with other dogs, kids, people, etc. We also had another dog at home that would put him in his place.


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## Ninde'Gold (Oct 21, 2006)

Tucker's breeder wanted me to get him at 6 weeks, I picked him up at 7 weeks.

There's nothing wrong with him but I would have preferred 8 weeks.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Letting pups go at seven weeks has been the normal departure time for retriever puppies in north america for the last 50 to 75 years. I have let litters disperse at 7 weeks, 8 weeks and 9 weeks of age. The litters that transitioned the easiest left at 7 weeks. The litters that had the most difficult time adapting to a new home were 9 weeks old.


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

I just spoke with my breeder again. Thankfully, she has agreed to let me bring my puppy home on March 30th, which is only 2 days shy of 8 weeks. 
She is checking her calendar for an exact time and will e-mail me with the details. 
Then we will be all set!


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

My hardest to house train dog, I got at 7.5 weeks. My easiest to house train and easiest to train dog came to me at 10 weeks. She flew from South Carolina to Boston and never looked back, she was so well adjusted. That was my Cookie...


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## desi.n.nutro (Mar 18, 2011)

*Fyi*

Overview of Puppy Age Sale Laws 

*“How old must a puppy be prior to being offered for sale?”*
Rebecca F.Wisch 

Animal Legal & Historical Center 
Publish Date: 2006 (updated 2010) 
Place of Publication: Michigan State University College of Law 

The answer to this question, like just about any question in law, depends on where you live. Approximately eighteen states have laws or administrative regulations that dictate how old a puppy must be before it is offered for sale or adopted out to an owner. Of those states with laws, all but one require that a puppy be at least eight weeks old before being offered for sale (See Pennsylvania and Nebraska, for example). Virginia mandates that a puppy be at least seven weeks old. Other states focus on the separation of the puppy or kitten from its mother in addition to specifying a minimum age. Nevada's recently amended law provides that a retailer, dealer, or operator shall not separate a dog or cat from its mother until it is 8 weeks of age "or accustomed to taking food or nourishment other than by nursing., whichever is later." [emphasis added]. Likewise, Illinois also phrases its law with the idea that a puppy or kitten shall not be "separated from its mother" until the puppy or kitten has attained the age of 8 weeks. 

One thing that is crucial to understand with these puppy sale laws is that they may not apply to everyone. In other words, the laws may be limited to a particular class of people, such as dog breeders, kennel operators, or other animal facilities. About twelve of the eighteen states make it unlawful for any person to sell an underage puppy. The remaining states limit the provisions to pet shops, animal dealers, or breeders. Like many of the pet sale laws (generally known as “puppy lemon laws”), the focus of these laws is on curbing the distribution of puppies from unregulated sources like puppy mills rather than preventing sales by those not in the breeding business (i.e., individuals who are simply giving away an unwanted litter).


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## SeaMonster (Jul 4, 2011)

I got gracie at 7 weeks and she's the most social and loving creature I ever met


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## Lucky Penny (Nov 13, 2011)

I believe there is a law in some states that puppies are not allowed to be sold until they are 8 weeks old.


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## Deb_Bayne (Mar 18, 2011)

By the sounds of this thread it's all about the personality of the dog/puppy and not really the age at all.


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## Ninde'Gold (Oct 21, 2006)

Sally's Mom said:


> My hardest to house train dog, I got at 7.5 weeks. My easiest to house train and easiest to train dog came to me at 10 weeks. She flew from South Carolina to Boston and never looked back, she was so well adjusted. That was my Cookie...


It took Tucker nearly 3 months to understand going outside to pee and poop.

I don't have another puppy to compare it too but thought I'd mention it since you did. 

Other than that he was a very social puppy.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

deb_bayne said:


> by the sounds of this thread it's all about the personality of the dog/puppy and not really the age at all.


exactly!!!!!


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## ozzy'smom (Jun 18, 2011)

Deb_Bayne said:


> By the sounds of this thread it's all about the personality of the dog/puppy and not really the age at all.


I agree. We did a LOT of research on this before we got Ozzy and honestly found the "experts" all disagreed on this. We've gotten 2 dogs at about 7 weeks. Ozzy was easy to house train and is very social. Our last Golden also came to us at 7 weeks and was hard to house train and was very submissive with people and dogs. Ozzy also handled the adjustment to our house and the crate MUCH easier. He literally never fussed for more than 1 minute when we put him in the crate at night. Maybe we are "older and wiser" now and that impacted how things went with Ozzy but mostly I think it's just his personality.


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## vjm1639 (Feb 20, 2012)

Virginia law says no earlier than 7 weeks and that seems to be what most do here. We live in Virginia but got our new baby in Maryland and he was 8 1/2 weeks old. Just let that little angel join you in as much as you can. Expose her to all sorts of new people, animals, and things (vacuums, loud vehicles, etc....) and she should be just fine.


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## momof2boys and one dog (Jan 20, 2012)

We got our puppy at 7 weeks...there are ALOT of differing opinions on whether it is too early, but they are just that..opinions. Our Fred was wonderful when we brought him home. No issues at all.


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

Toby was 7 1/2 weeks old when I got him. No problems. The breeder said she wanted the pups to be in new homes at that point. If somebody was running late picking up the pup, she would not release him at 8 weeks and wait another week instead.
Actually it never made real sense to me back then. 
I also think it has more to do with the personaltiy of the pup. I would never want to pick up a 6 week old pup or younger though, way too early.


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## bioteach (Nov 13, 2010)

I totally agree that a pup's personality is an important factor. Our breeder has her pups evaluated by a professional behaviorist, and the behaviorist won't even look at the pups before 8 weeks. She claims that her tests are far more reliable at 8 weeks than they are prior to that date.

It is only after the puppies are tested that the breeder makes any adjustments in the puppy/new home match. It sure worked for us!


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

It is illegal in Maine to sell pups before 8 weeks of age.


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## Tucker's mommy (Nov 9, 2011)

We brought our Tucker home at 7 weeks, and it was a good thing, because we were able to provide far more socialization and experiences than the breeder could have (we have three small children, two cats, and a trail nearby that we started socialization on as soon as he was shot-ready.) Tuck is 10 months old now and is doing fantastic. Other than the fact that he's a teenage brat at times!


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Our first golden came home at 10 weeks. 
Second at 9 weeks. 
Third at 6 weeks. 
Fourth at 7.5 weeks. 

The first and third goldens were never mouthy. Ever. Very likely their personalities. 

First and second goldens had grumbling and food guarding issues. Second golden had two bites before he was 2. The first guy actually bit anyone (not counting the bite when he was dying and in a LOT of pain), but he would snap. That was our fault as new owners. We cleaned that up with appropriate training and adjusting how we handled these dogs. 

Second and fourth goldens were both very mouthy as puppies. This again, had more to do with their personalities vs them not having learned bite inhibition from litter mates. 

Second and third goldens both were very difficult to housebreak. Again, our fault as owners not having a set schedule and keeping to it. 

First and fourth goldens were very easy to housebreak. Charmy had a couple accidents his first week (always in the kitchen, and near the newspaper area we'd left for him - my mom's idea. She'd grown up living in apartments with her mom, and they always used paper-training for the first couple weeks). Jacks never had any accidents until he was almost a year old and he had a UTI issue (I'll never forget him standing in a chair near the Christmas tree, and suddenly making like a waterfall INTO the chair!). 

The third and fourth goldens were the easiest to adapt to our home. They started eating and playing and running around investigating their new home right away. Very confident and well-adjusted puppies. 

The first and second guys had minor issues. First one hid under a chair his first day and only came out of his shell when we (the three youngest kids) took him outside to play. He had never been inside a house before and it was really scary for him. Eating was also a challenge. Thought that may very well have been a health issue he already had. Second golden also had issues when he first came home. Refused to eat. Was awake all night. Had a bout with colitis. Was afraid of the dark... 

As far as the problems with 6 week old puppies - the only issue we had was ours had coccidia pop up a week after he came home. It was bad enough that he was repeatedly tested for parvo because he was that ill and weak. It could have been caused by stress. I know I am not to eager to go through something like that again, so no more 6 week old puppies. 

As far as training goes - I think my hesitation about bringing home an older puppy (older than 8 weeks), is probably because the one time I had a 7.5 week old puppy and got to start training that early, it REALLY made things a lot easier than starting training later. That may have been the one puppy and his personality.


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