Taking a Puppy from it's Mother

By

A. Crilly

Hi Nick,
The ideal age to take a puppy from it's mother is 8 weeks no matter what the breed. Any earlier and you can risk health problems, too much later and you risk behaviour problems.

By

A. Crilly

Hi Laura,
I have to agree with Jackie. V. 8 weeks old is the ideal time to take a puppy from it's mother, no matter what the breed.

By Laura (Guest Post)

The longer the puppy is with the mother and its' litter mates the better pet it will be. Puppies should learn their social skills from their mother not from humans. I was told that 10-12 weeks was ideal. We have owned dogs for over thirty years and all our puppies were at that age and we never had any problems teaching them.

By Julie (Guest Post)

Also the longer it stays with the mother the better. It learns skills from playing with it's siblings etc.. What's appropriate play and what's not appropriate. What's playing and what's not playing and what is acceptable in the "pack" Those can become issues. My dog was removed at 4to5 weeks and she never learned how to play with other dogs and tends to be on the timid side because she was the runt of the litter and she didn't get the time with mom and siblings she should have.

By sherri (Guest Post)

Hi..
Well a puppy should stay with his mom for about 6-8 weeks. The puppy needs to nurse from his mother to get the antibodies he needs for strong growth. You must be sure that he/she is eating solid food on their own before taking them away. At 6 weeks, your puppy should have his first Veterinary appointment. The Pitbull breed needs to have extra (at least 2) extra parvo vaccinations as they are prone to this virus. Enjoy your new fur baby..

By Robin (Guest Post)

Most vets will tell you 6-8 weeks of age. The closer to 8 weeks you can get, the better. Sometimes, though, if the puppy is in danger from either a bad mama or one that does not have enough milk to nurse the puppy, you have to take them earlier, but I would be scared to try it before 4-5 weeks at the earliest! Good luck!

By Jackie V. (Guest Post)

I think it is much better to keep the puppy with its mother until about 8 weeks old, because there are things that the mother teaches him about how to act with other dogs that he will not learn anywhere else. Those extra 2 weeks really help him in his development.

By (Guest Post)

When the puppy can eat on his or her own. Usually about 4-6 weeks old. If you take it to early you risk losing it or having to nurse it yourself.