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Ask the Trainer
Gotcha Day – Puppies
T
oday is the day! It’s the day you and your family have
been waiting for! You finally get to bring your new
puppy home! Puppies are oh so cute, and oh so little!
They trip and fall over their feet which they still aren’t sure
how to control. Don’t forget about the puppy breath that
is always accompanied by those razor sharp teeth. Often
times we have wanted our new puppy’s “gotcha day”
to come sooner than it has, sooner than it really should
be. Many people don’t know that you can actually find
puppies at local humane societies and rescue groups as
well as older dogs. Whether you have decided to adopt
your puppy from a local rescue or purchase from a
breeder, there is often a date set as to when you can take
your new puppy home. Unfortunately, that date doesn’t
necessarily always reflect the RIGHT time to take your
puppy home. While we absolutely love puppies, we should
stop and think – How young is too young to take our new
puppy home?
is crucial for puppies – not only dog socialization but
also human socialization. It is very important for a puppy
to experience everything the world has to offer while
they are young and take in experiences like a sponge.
We find the crucial age for puppies to be socialized is
between the age of 5 to 16 weeks. Because of this, we
don’t want a puppy to leave its littermates and mother
too young and lack confidence while going through new
experiences. But, we also don’t want a puppy to only be
with its littermates and mother up to 12 weeks old and not
be exposed to the different sights, sounds and smells of
the world. Often times breeders and rescues will expose
puppies to different floor textures, sounds and even
kiddie pools filled with different objects for the puppies
to play with. This allows them to become acclimated to
the different sounds the objects make banging up against
each other.
For a puppy the world can
be an overwhelming place,
but if socialized properly
to many different people,
places and things can be
great experiences that make
for a well balanced adult
dog. There are many public
stores that are dog friendly
that make for the perfect
puppy socialization place
such as Home Depot, Lowe’s, Tractor Supply, Rural King
and pet stores. We always like to call ahead to make sure
the individual store we are going to is dog friendly, but
once there, who can’t resist to pet and play with a puppy?
I’m sure we all have friends or family members who have
accepted new puppies into their home anywhere from 6
weeks to 12 weeks old. We’re often conflicted with two
very different questions concerning puppies leaving their
mother and littermates – when CAN my puppy leave its
mother and, when SHOULD my puppy leave its mother?
Let’s get legality out of the way. In the United States,
approximately 25 states have laws in place that prohibit
the sale of puppies under a specific age. The majority
of these states stipulate the law at 8 weeks. There are
many reasons as to why the majority of these states have
a stipulation with a few being; weaning, behavior and
socialization. Many people will tell you that a puppy is
completely weaned from its mother at 6 weeks of age.
While this statement is not necessarily wrong, let’s think
about how immature the immune system is for that
puppy. Just like humans, the immune system continues
to get stronger the older one becomes – so why not wait
a few more short weeks for your new puppy to have a
mature immune system ideal for getting your puppy out in
public to work on socialization?
While we don’t always want to wait this long, the ideal
age for a puppy to leave its littermates and mother would
be 8 to 10 weeks. By this time, the puppy has a stronger
immune system, has developed some puppy manners
to better read dog body language when socializing with
K9 companions and should have the confidence to go
through new situations crucial for socialization. It is worth
the wait! When bringing a new puppy home, consider
the long term benefits of leaving your puppy with its
littermates and mother until it’s 8-10 weeks old.
Not only is the immune system and overall health
something to consider when getting your puppy, but
learned behavior is too! Puppies learn so much when
they are with their littermates and mother as they develop
and grow. When puppies play, they nip and jump. As
they continue to grow, this play can become very rough.
Staying with their littermates and mother longer can help
puppies learn how rough is too rough while playing, and
can also help with overall dog socialization. Socialization
Visit www.suburban-k9.com or call
(847) 232-1269
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