# Please do not bring home a puppy that is too young....



## Grace'sMom (Feb 22, 2012)

I've seen a lot of posts here and on other sites from people who are bringing home toy/small breed puppies at 6 or 7 weeks, some even at 4 weeks!

I'm not sure where to post this and don't mean it to offend anyone, but this is an important topic for me and I think it needs discussed and shared.

Getting a puppy is SO EXCITING and who doesn't love a little sweet tiny puppy? But it is so important to wait for that puppy to be 10 (at least)-12 weeks old before they are separated from their siblings and mama.

Toy and small breeds develop differently then larger ones. They need more time with their litter mates (if they have them) and with their mothers. A 4 week old toy breed puppy is very different from a 4 week old large breed puppy. And even with large breeds, a puppy should never be separated with their litter until 8 weeks of age.

If it is a rescue situation where the puppy was abandoned or needs hand raised, that is totally different. There is no choice then and you do the best you can do, usually those pups stay with the same person all their lives.

But to buy a toy/small breed puppy who is only 4, 6, 7, or even 8 weeks old is not a good idea. And to my knowledge - a good breeder will never for any reason allow a puppy who is too young to go home. If a "breeder" does offer to give you your pup "a few weeks early" don't take the puppy. I'd much rather wait and get the puppy at an older age because of scheduling conflicts then to remove them at an early age.

I have personal experience with this. I didn't always know everything I do about puppies and their development or why a puppy needed to stay with their mothers until a certain age. I had only read about puppies from 10 weeks on (the time they go home) and thought that was enough. But I was wrong. And now due to my personal experience, I have tried to educate myself as much as possible about all stages of puppyhood from birth onward.

For toy and small breeds - Puppies are sometimes (not always) weaned later around 8 weeks instead of 6, they don't get their teeth until later (Grace is 13 weeks and just cut her back baby molars), they don't regulate their blood sugar until later, and they do not regulate their own body temperature until later. That is why the smaller the dog the longer it needs to be with it's mother.

But those last 4-5 weeks with their litter and mother - they are learning important life skills. Things that can not be "made up" later. It is their "imprint" age and once that period passes - it is gone. That is when puppies learn how to be dogs, how to socialize, how to be "pack" animals, how to interact with humans (by watching their mothers), how to play, bite inhibition, etc. All very important life skills for dogs that if missed - can be dangerous for them later on in life. And sometimes a puppy seems "normal" and "fine" until they are adults.

My own story with a puppy that was too young:

We adopted Gus from a shelter. We were told his litter and mother were relinquished because it was an unplanned litter. We were also told Gus would be 10 weeks old when we brought him home (we had met him the week before). I actually purposely asked to wait a week because I didn't want to bring him home or separate him early from his litter.

We had to deal with the shelter's vet for the first month, because the shelter was paying for his neuter - Gus hadn't been neutered when we picked him up because they said they were waiting for him to be a proper weight. But I think they were really waiting for him to be old enough. 

We ended up having complications with his neuter







Big ones, scary ones. And I got so fed up with the shelter vet that in the middle of an appointment I told them to step away from my puppy and we were leaving and I took him right to my own vet. The moment she saw him she said there was no way he was a 16 week (by that time) puppy. He was still getting his back puppy teeth in (I knew nothing about puppies back then). She said he was probably only between 10-12 weeks. 

I'm not sure who messed up - if it was the people relinquishing the puppies who said they were older, or if it was the shelter (a very small shelter) "guessing" on their age. Or if the shelter knew he was younger and were trying to adopt him out as a "toy breed" (people are crazy sometimes). I do know the shelter and their vet were very closed and stopped talking to me after I started asking questions. Either way - Gus had been given to us way too early (guessing he was 5-6 weeks) and his entire litter had been separated way too early. 

I did everything right with Gus. I took him to training classes, puppy classes, I took him everywhere with me. He met all kinds of different people of all races and sizes and ages, he was around all kinds of different dogs. And I thought everything was going great. 

We are new to this forum. At around 6 months Gus became very intune with my health issues and so for his first year and a half he was a SDiT. He was doing great, and was a highly trained well socialized dog. But sadly he isn't working outside the home anymore. 

At a year and a half everything unraveled. Gus suddenly became anxious about things he was previously okay with. He is unsure about certain dogs and new people. This was a dog who was highly socialized as a puppy. Very friendly with everyone. But he hasn't been the same since last Spring. 

Now he is a nervous dog. We still expose him to things and take him places (dog friendly), but he is nervous. And sadly, the vet says -* it has nothing to do what I did or didn't do. He didn't get that crucial time with his siblings when dogs learn how to BE DOGS.* And it doesn't matter how much socialization he had as a young puppy with other dogs - during the time when his brain was in its "imprint" stage (4-8 weeks for large breeds, 6-10 weeks for toy/small ones) he was not getting what dogs need during that time. He missed out on that. His *brain* missed out on it.

I love my Gus, and will do anything for him. But I think it is important that it gets said, again as it has been before, and maybe a story or two shared about those puppies who are separated too soon.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Excellent post! It's good for people to read personal experiences with Maltese sold too early.

Many people also don't realize that the AMA requires breeders to keep their puppies until they are at least 12 weeks old. Any breeder who doesn't follow the recommendations of the breed club is either ignorant about the breed or doesn't care. Either way it's a huge red flag.

This is a great article from Foxstone Maltese on the 12 week rule.

Why do Maltese puppies need to be 12 weeks old before going to a new home??


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## babycake7 (Jan 30, 2012)

Thank you for posting - very good food for thought and good to know other peoples personal experiences. I have read varying schools of thought on this issue including information in this forum, from vets, professional dog trainers, etc. All of this info makes for a better opportunity to contemplate and make a good decision.


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## Matilda's mommy (Jun 1, 2005)

:ThankYou::goodpost:


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## LexiMom (Feb 7, 2012)

That is an excellent post. Thank you for taking the time to write all that and share your personal experience. Perhaps SM can place a bold message someplace stating this. I know personally, when I google something regarding a maltese 9 out of 10 times a post from SM will pop up in the google search with the answer.

I know I never knew the difference between bringing home a toy breed vs. a large breed in the age development. And yes I am one of those that LOVES to watch the dog whisperer and he has been on several calls where he states just what you stated.

The pup may come home all cuddly and cute but the actual consequences will not show up until much later. You are 100% a caring breeder will never release the pup until he/she is ready and I would certainly question any that do let them leave earlier.


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

:good post - perfectthank you, it means so much more coming from a person with experience.


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## Summergirl73 (Sep 18, 2011)

Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this ♥


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## Grace'sMom (Feb 22, 2012)

Thanks for the support, all 

It really does break my heart. Because even though I didn't intentionally adopt Gus as a "too early pup", I was uneducated and didn't know what a 5, 6, or even 8 week old toy breed/small breed puppy looked like.

I was raised around a woman who bred rotties, so that was my "puppy experience", and big dogs are much different then small ones. If I had known what I know now I probably would not have adopted Gus, as terrible and as sad as that is to say , it is true. I would have asked them to hold him another 4-5 weeks and just visited.

The difference between him as a puppy and Grace are night and day.


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## Madison's Mom (Dec 26, 2007)

Excellent post. Thank you for sharing.


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## SammieMom (Nov 13, 2010)

Thank you for this thread. My experience was that I brought home 2 male puppies at 8 weeks old. I lost one at 5 months to liver shunts. Like Marj said there were a ton of red flags, but I was one of those people who did not know anything about the breeders. And that is what keeps the byb's and mills going. I hope somehow we can stem the tide of BYB'S and MILLS.


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

:goodpost::thumbsup:


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