# Picking up between 7 and 8 weeks. WWYD?



## Jacksonlucy (Jan 19, 2013)

Hi Everyone,
We're very excited to bring home our new puppy the first week of April. Even though my husband and I grew up with dogs, this will be our very first puppy. We also have 2 kids, 7 and 11 years old. We've all been reading books (even our 7 year old brings home a new puppy care book from the school every week... and takes notes!), checked parents' clearances on offa.org, rounded up a dog walker to come twice a day when we're working, looked into puppy K and bought tons of stuff. Can you tell we're really excited? 

We've learned so much already from reading through this forum. Now our question. The breeder sends her puppies home after 7 weeks which falls on the Monday of our kids' spring break. We'll be taking off that week. I've been reading posts here that say it's best to pick up closer to 8 weeks. We're trying to figure out whether to bring home our puppy at 7 weeks (or soon after) so we can have lots of bonding time before we have to go back to work the following Monday, or leave her with her mom and litter 'til close to 8 weeks. The down side is we'd have less days off to spend with her when she first gets home. Even though we're very excited to bring our puppy home, we want to try to figure out what's best for her. What would you do?


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## goldhaven (Sep 3, 2009)

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new pup. Do you know if it will be a girl or a boy? Do you have any names picked out yet?

This is just me but I would pick up at 7 weeks and have more time to spend with the pup. I wouldn't want to pick it up and then have to go right back to school/work. 

If it were the difference between 6 and 7 weeks, there would be no question. I would not pick up a pup younger than 7 weeks unless it was absolutely necessary.


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## princess heidi (Jan 10, 2013)

grreat question... i look forward to those answers!!


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## Leslie B (Mar 17, 2011)

I would go for the 7 weeks myself. Most pups have a bit of a learning spurt about 7 weeks old and they are ready for that socialization. Between 8 andi 8 1/5 many pups (not all) hit a "fearful" stage. Kind of like the toddler that suddenly realizes that the umbilical cord has been cut and they are not just an extension of mom.


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## CRS250 (Dec 31, 2012)

I would pick him up at 7 weeks if it is a time when you are able to spend extra time easing him into life in your home. For our pup the most difficult part of the process was learning to be alone. We crate him at night in our bedroom and after the first night/15 minutes of heart breaking crying, he settled down and has never whined at bedtime since. 

However for our pup learning to be truly alone, versus crated in the same room with us was far, far harder. Our pup will still often cry for a few minutes when we leave him alone/isolated in his day crate. I would suggest that after his first day or two in your home, when he's over the shock of losing his litter, he should have multiple 3 hour alone breaks each day leading up to the first day alone at home.

Best of luck with your puppy and dont forget to share some pictures when you have them!


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## mlbdenver (Jun 26, 2012)

I definitely agree with the other posters - bring him home at the beginning of spring break! You are going to need lots of time to bond with him, and that is perfect timing. I brought my boy home one day shy of 7 weeks old and he didn't have any issues with separation anxiety or sadness. He was a bold, confident little boy and we spent the first three weeks unseparated. These guys take a LOT of attention, and waiting till the end of spring break would be costly in terms of time. Not to mention that you will be too excited to wait


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

Having bred several litters, there is a a lot of inter pup behavior that goes on after 7 weeks...


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## rhondas (Sep 10, 2010)

I have to agree with Sally's Mom.

My almost 7 month old puppy came home at 8.5 weeks old and her transition was seamless. Many field/performance breeders will not send home puppies earlier than 8 weeks.

Here is information about the importance of 8 weeks by a very well respected performance breeder: Gayle Watkins | Where it's all about dogs!

Read the article titled: The Power of Fifty-Six Days: A Puppy’s Critical First 8 Weeks

Also read how the other information about how the puppies are raised


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## Seagodess (Dec 6, 2012)

Personally I would do the 7 week mark so you and the puppy have time to get adjusted to each other and the new situation. Or maybe wait a couple extra days until wed/thur to make you a little more comfortable, but still have a few days left before school starts. My pup only took about 2-3 days to adjust to her new home. I picked her up a couple of days before she was 8 weeks, just because both the person I got her from and myself had to travel a few hours just to meet in the middle and that was the only time we could schedule it. Everything worked out great.


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## Rubyftw (Jan 27, 2013)

We brought home Ruby at 7.5 weeks... she was great. Didn't cry in the car at all, and never missed a beat. She fit in right away, and never had a problem transitioning. Not even the first night! 

That said, everyone here has a lot more knowledge than me. Just my single experience, worth very little!


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## smithfamily (Dec 17, 2012)

We also spent some time trying to decide if 7 or 8 weeks was better. We did some research and finally decided on 7 weeks. We've now had our puppy home for 2 weeks and I have to say that I regret not just taking time off that first week from work. I work from home, but it was tough to get anything done. When she was awake I was taking her outside every 20 mins or so. If she's not in the crate she has to be watched very closely. I also felt like we really needed to hit housebreaking hard that first week. She was pretty much housebroken when we got her, but we did have a couple of puddles due to confusion (I guess she decided that our seagrass rugs smelled like grass). I would definitely say that bringing the puppy home at 7 weeks with you all there that first week is ideal. If you wait until 8 weeks I would worry that she might have a hard time transitioning if she's alone for most of the day.

Here is one of the articles that I had read: 
When Should Puppy Training & Housebreaking Begin?

Congrats on the new puppy and don't forget to post pics!


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## Jacksonlucy (Jan 19, 2013)

Thanks everyone! It's so nice to have a lot of different people weigh in.

@goldhaven - we'll be getting a girl. As for a name, getting 4 people to agree on a name has not been easy.

@smithfamily - congratulations on your new puppy. We saw pictures of your Remmie and Clementine and they are sooo cute! We'll also get to visit around 5 weeks and we're so excited. We definitely have puppy fever!

Thanks for the article recommendation, rhondas. We'll take a look at it. I think we're leaning towards a midweek pick-up to give the puppy a couple extra days with her mom and still have a few days to get her settled in before we go back to work. We'll definitely post pics!


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## Chaya (Aug 18, 2012)

W also debated 7 vs 8 weeks, but our breeder insisted on 8 weeks because that extra week is an intense socialization period for the puppy with its mom an littermates, and learns critical doggy manners and language. We listened, waited until 8 weeks, and our little girl is the responsive dog I've ever met. She nipped us for about 3 days, and then figured out that we didn't like it. Whenever she gets into stuff, all we have to do is give her the "look" and she knows that it's wrong. Our first dog, we got at 7 weeks, and oh my gosh it's like she didn't give a hoot about us. I really think the difference is that our second one got trained by the mom and littermates to "care".


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