Parents of a puppy…when to let go?!
All the pups...still too little to leave the nest!
For anyone who is a parent, you know from the time your child gets on the bus for the first time, to the time that they get behind the steering wheel for their first independent drive, they will soon be leaving the nest and you are filled with a sense of sadness, pride and dread. Have you prepared them enough? Will they be safe? How will they function without you?
These same questions have to be answered when you are separating pups from their moms. The question is, when should puppies be able to be separated from their moms? According to many of the sources I have read, eight weeks is the minimum age when a pup should leave his mom. I didn’t realize that it is actually illegal in some states for breeders to sell a dog under the age of eight weeks. While eight weeks is a minimum, much of my reading said that it is best for the pups to be with their moms for between eight to twelve weeks. Most vets won’t vaccinate a dog until they are at least eight weeks old. Many of the articles I read said that there are extremely valuable skills that dogs learn from their mom and littermates well after the dog has been weaned. Socialization skills and acceptable behaviors like bite inhibition are also learned lessons that occur well after the eighth week. A well adjusted dog will make a wonderful family forever pet, so having the puppy stay with the mom and other littermates just a couple of weeks longer could make the difference in the wonderful pet you want your puppy to be.
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