# Taking a puppy home too early



## Ohohraptor (Feb 7, 2012)

First off I have been lurking this forum for quite a bit now, and I have to say I have gotten TONS of great information and book recommendations! We will be taking our puppy home mid summer. I have spent about two weeks obsessively researching the breed and breeders, and I found one that I was very comfortable with. All of his procedures seemed to coincide with the "rules". I can tell he loves and cares about his dogs as well, with weekly updates on the pups from the time they are born etc... We put down a deposit, and then I realized he let's his pups go at six weeks! There is obviously no law in his state that doesn't allow this.

What should I do? I'm obviously worried about socialization with other dogs. I read that dogs that are taken away from their litter mates and mother tend to relate poorly to other dogs and don't know how to socialize properly. Has anyone else gotten a puppy too early? What do I do?! I really like this breeder and I can tell he loves the dogs and he obviously wouldn't let them go early if he believed it would effect them negatively.


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2011/07/dont-support-backyard-breed.html

Welcome to the forum. 6 weeks was the "old school' normal for when puppies left for their new homes. This time has stretched now to 7 or 8 weeks over the last couple decades as reseach showed the benefits to puppy socialization.

You may have a old school breeder or someone who has to "turn his inventory" quickly. I'm hoping for the first.

Did you go out to the kennel and visit? That is mandatory with the hobby breeder that Bailey (our male) sired with. Full questionare asked of you? 

You are going to have this dog for 14+ years and it is great you are doing the research. Maybe ask for and talk to previous Vizsla puppy purchasers from this breeder and how the dogs are getting on.

If you haven't gone to kennel and seen the female and hopefully male of this litter than I would suggest you do that.

My $0.02

RBD


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## Ohohraptor (Feb 7, 2012)

They live too far to visit. We will most likely make driving out there a weekend trip. I've seen both mom and dad via videos and pictures. How would I get in touch with people who have purchased a pup with the, before? They havea review section but no contact info is there. I wasn't asked a formal questionnaire or anything but we emailed back and forward a good bit so I could ask my questions and he could ask his. 

I thought about asking him to keep the pup for another week but if all his litter mates are gone I ant see it being much of a benefit.


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/comparison.html

Read this comparison chart above and ask yourself "Am I getting a pup from the hobby breeder on the left of the column or a commercial breeder on the right side? I don't know the full situation so it is up to you to make your decision. 

It is very good you are reaching out. What part of the world do you live?

References of previous puppy buyers should be available to you. You have made a deposit. You are past "lookie lou" status.

RBD


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## kellygh (Oct 25, 2010)

There are breeders who let their pups go at 7 wks, but I have honestly never heard of a pup leaving at 6 wks. 7 wks is too young. 8 wks is bare minimum, IMO. 6 wks would be a no-go for me. There is a lot of information available to breeders/public, and even out-dated info, that does not support a pup leaving at 6wks. Too many benefits of hanging around mom & litter mates to overlook. Good Luck with your decision.


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## Ohohraptor (Feb 7, 2012)

I'm just going to contact him and see what's up. Thanks for the advice.


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## Looney (Sep 28, 2011)

For a 14+ year commitment...we FLEW to Pennsylvania from Florida to visit the litter. It's too important not too!

i did the math wrong so we are getting Laszlo tomorrow night and he will be 9wks and 1day....

He's going to have super socialization, she has 5 adult V's and a black water spaniel of sorts...and 3 cats, a son and a daughter. He has been going to her parents house with her and his daddy flash to visit.
They all want to keep him now because he is soooo cool!!!!!

i'd take 9 weeks compared to 6 weeks.....
you can't take him/her like anywhere safe until his/her shots are done so that's all those weeks you will lose also to socialize them........


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## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

I, personally, would never purchase a pup from parents I hadn't met. Pictures are nice, but you can't really tell the personality and temperament unless you meet them yourself. We made a total of three 9-hour trips for our pup. One to meet the parents and the breeder, one to pick her out at 6 weeks, and the last to pick her up and bring her home at 9 weeks. A pick-up date at 6 weeks raises a huge red flag in my mind. 8 weeks or longer is the new recommended standard.


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## Aimless1 (Sep 25, 2011)

In the old days puppies went to their new homes as soon as they were weaned. This eventually fell out of favor and 6 weeks was generally agreed to be ideal. Research in the 1950s inicated the ideal age to bring a pup home was at the 49th day (read 7 weeks) and is the generally applied standard of many breeders. Recent research (last 2 decades) shows that additional time with the Dam and litter mates is valuable. Unfortunately, the evidence is not clear as to whether 8 weeks, 9, 10, 11 or 12 would the ideal age to bring them home. Leader dogs for the blind are still adopted at 6 weeks of age.

All that history aside, most of us would consider 7 weeks the earliest age that would give the puppy the best opportunity to thrive, with 8 or more weeks better. If you don't want to bring a puppy home at 6 weeks, then don't. A reputable breeder is allowed to disagree with you, but they will generally hang on to the pup longer if requested. The point is to bring the pup home when you want. If you can't, then chalk this up to experience and find another breeder.

I saw the parents of the first two dogs I owned, and the pups failed miserably. I have purchased my last three dogs without seeing the parents. Actually, a nice article with pics was written in a sporting magazine about the sire of my first Gordon setter. I called the man who originated the Springset line of Gordons when I purchased Quest. My best hunting dog/companion so far. Nitro may be the best of the bunch. He certainly has the potential. But I never met the breeder or saw the parents first. 

Do alot of research about the breeders BEFORE you put down the deposit. I'm a firm believer in this pecking order:
1. Choose the breeder
2. Choose the litter
3. Either allow the breeder to choose your pup (my preference) or pick your puppy.

My second dog, an English setter, was a direct descendent of Tomaka out of a steady string of field championship bloodlines. Saw sire and dam. Breath taking! All his litter mates were exceptional. Unfortunately, he was not gifted with either a nose nor hunting instinct. Any time you choose or buy a puppy, it is a roll of the dice. By buying a "pure bred" from a reputable breeder with a proven line of performers, you're only hoping to put the odds in your favor. As they say in finance, past performance is not a guarantee of future success.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Six weeks is too young. Eight weeks would be the minimum. Another week or two after that would be better still.


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## jld640 (Sep 29, 2010)

You might try asking the breeder for some names of satisfied homes. They may not be able to give phone numbers, but you could ask to have someone call you. 

You can certainly ask if they will keep the puppy for another week. They might say no, they might ask for a boarding fee, or they might say no problem. I don't know if staying with Mom but no littermates benefits sociliazation, but you might ask if all the other puppies will be picked up on the same day. At the very least I know some airlines won't fly puppies under 8 weeks, so if your litter has some puppies flying to their new home, yours would have siblings around for the extra time.


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

the pup is now yours, there is no point argueing the where's and why fors of when a pup should leave a litter and talking to other owners etc.,,

At the end of the day, I have had pups from both ends of hte spectrum. ones at 5 weeks and other at 12. My ideal time is 8-9 weeks. But, I wouldn't get all hung up on ruining your pup just because he was weened early.

I would certainly ask the breeder if the pup could stay till 8 weeks if possible. Sure, it misses out on sibling interaction if the other pups are all gone, but it also gains an additional two weeks of mum teaching it things. And let me tell you, mums are way better at teaching pups than we are. After all, would you follow your pup around and lick it's bits till it weed or pood? Then mop up any spills on the floor? 

However it turns out, I wish you all the best with your pup and hope he/she is healthy and turns out to be the best family member you could hope for. Oh...and one last thing.....don't let me hear of you telling me that pup sleeps outside. I'm likely to hop on a plane and come over and give you a right good spanking!! They are family members OK!!!!


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## ringo (Jan 22, 2012)

I took my willow home at 7 weeks, she's now 10 weeks and perfect in everyway. ;D shes changed so much in 3 weeks its amazing


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## Aimless1 (Sep 25, 2011)

Ozkar said:


> the pup is now yours,



Ohohraptor put down a deposit but the pup is not his until he accepts it. He can change his mind and decline the pup at any time until he brings it home. Depending on the guarantee, he may have further rights to decline the pup. He may or may not lose the deposit (typically $100 US).

Although I personally agree that waiting until they are about 10 weeks is best, I relented and brought Nitro home at 8 weeks. This did not prove to be a deal breaker with the breeder who still disagrees with me. She is a member of the 49 day club. She gladly kept Nitro an extra week Alls well that ends well

The real problem is there is not good science behind any of this. Different studies have shown different things. Probably no financial incentive for any one to do a well run study to help settle this discussion of the right age to bring a pup home.


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

A1, I was more refering to the emotional attachements more than the lagalities of the situation


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## Aimless1 (Sep 25, 2011)

I must be wired differently. Until I actually see the puppy and he/she passes muster, I really don't have any attachment. Excited? sure. Attached? Not on your life. If Nitro had been "defective" I would have passed in a heart beat.

Kind of like visiting other dogs. Love to see them, hang with them, play with them. But I don't have any emotional attachment. Once they become part of my life they are FAMILY .


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## Mischa (Feb 17, 2010)

Aimless1 said:


> The real problem is there is not good science behind any of this. Different studies have shown different things. Probably no financial incentive for any one to do a well run study to help settle this discussion of the right age to bring a pup home.


That's a very good point.

I personally believe in the 8-12 week socialization period, and think it's best to bring the pup home right at the beginning of that period to maximize the time you have to introduce them to important people, places, and things.

That being said, my opinion is based on articles I've read on the internet that may or not be based on scientific fact.


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## anne_wilcrest (Oct 20, 2011)

I too feel that 6 weeks is just too early. If you do go forward with the arrangement I'd be concerned that the breeder wouldn't be going through the trouble of socializing the pup to new stimuli since it would just be your one lone pup and the mother...

Even then, I'd want to know:
Will the pup be with his/her mother the entire time?
Will he/she be familiarized with a/your crate?
Will the puppy be socialized and exposed to new experiences/people during this time?

with regards to pick up timing, I found this thread helpful:
http://www.vizslaforums.com/index.php/topic,2899.msg19399.html#msg19399

There are a lot of good reasons to wait til a pup is a little older, however, because of the special circumstances - your pup being the exception to this breeders' practice, I would advise you to look into exactly how your pup will be cared for during this crucial socialization period.

I think if the breeder isn't doing all the socialization leg work and you're committed to getting this pup, from this litter, pick him/her up and do extensive socialization yourself. 
Make sure you look into puppy socials in your area too.

...I'd still prefer my pup to learn this in the liter, personally.


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

http://www.vizsladogs.com/ARTICLES/whatage.htm

taken from here http://www.vizsladogs.com/

my take:
6 weeks is too soon. 10 weeks or even 14 weeks better but pup may be too dogie and not best for inexperienced owners.


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