My Friendly Pets

Puppies, like any other “child” needs certain things from their Moms to start a life that provides emotional and physical security. To remove a puppy from its mother and litter mates early is really inviting problems for the dog and the potential owners of that dog.

According to a survey, many people felt it was all right to take puppies from their moms and littermates between the ages of 6-8 weeks. However, vet supported information suggests that it is completely unhealthy for the puppies to be removed from the litter prior to 8 weeks. It is said that if breeders are pushing the puppies onto prospective owners when the pups are less than eight weeks old, they probably are not reputable breeders. The main interests of these individuals are not in the puppies, but rather in the cash they’ll make from the sales of current and future litters.

The veterinarian information regarding removal of the pups from the litter states that there are 4 critical stages that puppies should go through prior to their separation from their Moms and those five stages occur from birth through the eighth week of the puppies’ lives.

From birth through the third week, puppies have literally no mental capacity and all of their needs are taken care of by the Mom. There need not be any human handling at this time, unless the Mom or pups are ill. At the fourth week, the puppies start becoming aware of other living things around them. They can be with humans minimally, but are learning more from the Mom and should not be removed from the litter at this point. At 5-7 weeks, the pups are much more easily socialized and begin playing with the other pups and have an increased amount of trainability. At this stage they are also beginning to understand the difference between human and canine socialization.

It is anywhere from the 8th to the 12th week that puppies can be removed from the litter and their littermates. They still require a lot of love, time and attention, which they should now get from their human “pack”. They are able to be taught easy commands and are looking for true acceptance by their new family.

Any puppies leaving their litters before the 8th week is in jeaopardy of having separation anxiety and difficulty with either canine or human socialization. So as excited as you and your family are to have that new puppy, make sure that it is the right time for everyone, puppy included!!!!

Animal lovers come in all colors, shapes and sizes. Check out who is the most recent spokesperson for PETA, according to fellow blogger, Sally Andersen! You’ll be surprised and perhaps entertained….lol!!!