# Is adopting at 6 weeks too soon for a pup?



## Chritty (Aug 17, 2014)

I think you'll find most here will suggest 8 weeks is there earliest a pup can go home. There's still a lot for them to learn from each other before they enter a human's world.


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## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

8 weeks is pretty standard.
Does the breeder do health clearances on his dogs? Heart by a cardiologist, eyes by an ophthalmologist, and hips/elbows x-rays submitted to OFFA for a score? That is the big priority when looking for a breeder.


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## Rundlemtn (Jan 16, 2015)

AKC, animal behaviourists, vets etc. all recommend not before 7 weeks... 8 is even better. This is a critical time for the pup to learn proper interaction with other animals, particularly with regards to bite inhibition. There have been plenty of posts about this as of late, of people bringing their puppy home around 6 weeks and then having difficulty with them biting them, their children or other animals in the home. It's questionable that a reputable breeder would let there pups go to their respective homes that early... and makes me wonder if things are quite as "in order" as you claimed them to be.


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## Anon-2130948gsoni (Apr 12, 2014)

Too early. Those additional weeks with mama and littermates are really useful in teaching social skills, bite inhibition, how to deal with frustration, etc.

It would be one thing if this were an emergency situation but if this is their policy in general, I would pass. Just my opinion, of course. But when you see how many threads there are about pups with mouthing problems, those extra weeks are even more important in a mouth-oriented breed like a golden.

Besides, it makes me wonder what other corners they're cutting.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

Six weeks is far far too early. Are you sure everything is in order? Have you verified all 4 clearances-hips and elbows, eyes and heart-on offa.org? And that both parents are over 2 years of age, and hips and elbows were certified after the parents were 2 years of age?

This does not sound like a breeder I would recommend, based on age of release of the puppy alone.


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## pb2b (Nov 8, 2013)

What Tahnee said. 

I'd keep looking. The consequences of taking a pup just two weeks early can last a LONG time.


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## MommyMe (Jan 20, 2014)

The day we brought our first golden home, the breeder told us she was 7 weeks, which I thought was a little young. Turns out, when we got the paperwork from the AKC, she was only 6 weeks. While she was a loving, sweet and smart dog, she was incredibly clingy and afraid of everything (which could have just been her personality). I don't remember ever having issues with her ever biting, but she was just so needy and pushy to the point of being obnoxious. When people came over, we had to gate her away because she was just such a pest. We took training class after training class after training class but it was still several years before we could take the gates down and let her mingle when we had people over. She was still a great dog. We obviously loved her enough that she the first of 5 goldens we've had (so far). I'm sure there are puppies who go home at 6 weeks who are just fine, but I think with her personality, she could have used a bit more time with her mom and littermates.


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## PatJ (Aug 6, 2014)

Thank you for your quick comments. I've decided to pass up this breeder even though everything else is in order - OFA's CERF's, member of GRCA, active in shows etc. But he sends pups home early which seemed like a red flag.


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

6 weeks far to early. I may have rescued all my dogs as adults but do know reputable breeders. They would never let a pup go at 6 weeks.


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## kwhit (Apr 7, 2008)

There's a law in CA that you are not allowed to sell a puppy under 8 weeks old.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

kwhit said:


> There's a law in CA that you are not allowed to sell a puppy under 8 weeks old.


I saw that but it looked like it applied only to pet dealers, not private parties (depending of course on the definition of dealer).


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## PatJ (Aug 6, 2014)

OOOh didn't know that. I love my state. Wish it applied to breeders.


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## kwhit (Apr 7, 2008)

Well, it might not apply to breeders but you can certainly honor it on your own when buying a puppy from any source.


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## West1134 (Nov 3, 2014)

For what its worth, we brought our pup home at about 6.5 weeks old. Now I too wasn't happy about this, and the family we bought him from seemed nice and all, but they certainly aren't breeders, and instead are just a family that bred their two Goldens. Originally they said he was 7wks old when we went to pick him up, but looking at paperwork, we found he was 6.5wks. At that point, leaving him there for another few days didn't seem worth it, especially since I had taken some days off work to be around during the crucial first few days, and two, they had lots of fleas on the pups due to being outdoor dogs on property. So we brought our little guy home, and bonded etc.

Overall, he's 7 months old now, and he's been great! He definitely was a little shy around other dogs at first (he would lay down and show his belly when they approached) however, I think that had more to do with him being bitten in the face my our neighbors little rat dog they can't control within the first few weeks of him being home with us (their dog came out of nowhere, and just latched onto his face, which I think scarred him emotionally for awhile) however, we have been taking him to doggy daycare, and he loves it, and plays well with other dogs great now, and now isn't nearly as timid around other pups.

I'm sure a little longer with his litter mates and mother would've been nice, but in the end, he's a great dog and I don't think its necessarily a deal breaker, especially if they have all their other ends covered professionally. 

Another thing I read/heard was that for hunting dogs (and I may be wrong on this, its just something I read/heard somewhere) that they want to take them away from the litter mates/mother around 6-7wks as that is when the imprinting period is most intense, and that by having them for training for going after ducks, being around loud noises, etc. its the best. Again, I don't know the validity of this, just another perspective.


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## Chritty (Aug 17, 2014)

I just feel the need to say Millie was brought home one day shy of 8 weeks and she is still very mouthy. Her biting exploits have been well documented on this forum


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## Rundlemtn (Jan 16, 2015)

I think people sharing their individual experiences is awesome. And it highlights the variability in puppy/dog behavior. You could very well bring home a 6-week old puppy and they might be an angel. Just the same, you could bring home a puppy at 8 weeks and they could be a terror. There are no guarantees in life. But, this is a well-studied area, and there seems to be a fair amount of consensus among experts around the time-frame of 8 weeks being best for socially adjusted dogs. Therefore, it would seem your best chances of getting a well-ish behaved puppy that thrives as an adult would be to wait to bring them home at 8 weeks. I know you posted earlier that based on what was presented here, you have already decided to go with another breeder. I think you are making a wise decision. I also did not get a puppy from the first golden breeder I drove 10 hrs to see, based on red flags. I feel much more confident now with the puppy I will be bringing home in ~2 weeks.


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## Susan: w/ Summit we climb (Jun 12, 2014)

We brought our first Golden home when she was 6 weeks old (in the 1980's). She wasn't too mouthy. She was from a BYB, and we spayed her early. She did have low thyroid and epilepsy, but I don't think those are related to being separated too soon.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

We've brought puppies home at various ages.... youngest had just turned 6 weeks and the oldest was going on 13 weeks. 

The oldest boy was the worst socialized. He spent a few hours that first day cowering in a dark corner under a chair. In his case, he had never been away from his littermates and mom before. And we didn't have any other dogs to help him. 

The youngest boy was basically a cocky and outgoing puppy. First glimpse we had of him was him running around the breeder's front room, very well-socialized and very busy. Took everything in stride coming home with us, hit the ground running. Was our first puppy who actually devoured his food and showed no signs of being overwhelmed at all. We still laugh about those early memories because he was basically constant movement and curious and interested in everything. 

Our instructor back then was a golden breeder/handler/obedience person and she frequently tested litters back then for conformation and also temperament and trainability. So we brought him to classes at 10 weeks and she came out to check him out for us. She really loved what she saw with his conformation (he was a show pick - we had first pick of the litter), but she tentatively warned us that he was going to be a handful for obedience. Basically really super outgoing and focused on playing and exploring as opposed to having a good attention span among else. That puppy through his life never put his teeth on anyone. He never went through a mouthing period. Never growled in his life. 

At 7-8 months he had a combination of pano and elbow dysplasia and suspected issues with his shoulders - basically every vet we saw had a different theory about why this dog was so severely lame. A lot of the painful tests and repeated shuffling from one vet to another while he also had to be pulled out of classes. The rule at the time was the dogs had to be sound in order to be allowed in class. After it was clear our dog was never going to be completely sound but desperately needed socialization, the instructor made an exception and allowed us to bring him to classes. But by that time he was very uncomfortable about people reaching in and touching him or approaching him too directly. Keep in mind he had a lot of vets grabbing his legs and pinching and flexing him all this through a fear stage.

Fear stages aren't just a young puppy thing. There's later stages with young dogs, particularly between around 6 and 15 months or so. Our dog was right in the middle of all that when the poop hit the fan as far as him becoming a frequent visitor at all kinds of vets. 

I'm explaining all of this, because you have a lot of people who put a ton of emphasis on the early weeks making or breaking a dog. And I've had people tell me that it was because my dog came home at 6 weeks that he became fearful and shy for life. This is a jump to conclusions and people forgetting how complex and important that whole early stage in life (different stages all through 24 months, not just stuff that happens before 12 weeks!) is for these young dogs.

**** Big issue by the way with bringing a puppy home too young is the complication it causes for vaccinations and worming. And the fragile health of a very young puppy. With experienced breeders they tend to know what to look for as far as worms or coccidia with a litter and will generally worm the litter right off while they still have them. At 6 weeks, a puppy is landing in a new home right at that period of time when they'd normally be getting a first round of shots and also you might be dealing with coccidia or other stuff. 

With our guy who came home at 6 weeks, we nearly lost him about a week later because of a very bad case of coccidia (basically our vet was reluctant to worm him without finding anything in the fecal tests, and the emergency vets were convinced he had parvo from the severity of his symptoms). Once we actually had a different vet see him and regardless of fecal tests put him on dewormer, we had him turning around completely. But at that time, it was essentially right at that point where we were going day to day and knew if he couldn't keep very small amounts of liquid down, we were probably going to lose him. 

That is how serious really minor illnesses can be when they are that young. And about why it isn't advisable to bring one home that young. It's not always about socialization or dog-exposure. 

Other thing btw is not all breeders are the same. If a puppy is in a house where it is chaos with dogs running around pooping and peeing everywhere. The puppies have very little socialization with people outside the home, etc... and or those situations where the dogs aren't even in the house. It doesn't matter how long the puppies stay with the litter. You are going to have some socialization problems and especially only dogs will have a rough transition into their new homes.


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## Susan: w/ Summit we climb (Jun 12, 2014)

Also, we brought Summit home at 8 weeks, and he was very mouthy. We brought Jet home at 10.5 weeks, and he's not mouthy. He's relaxed and seems OK with everything that's happened so far. He was clearly surprised by Summit's drive to play. Summit likes nearly constant activity. We've never thought of him as hyperactive, though. He doesn't get into trouble.


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