Is 6 weeks old too young to bring a puppy home, and will it affect her?

[1wish]

Hello all
I have just become the proud parent of a (only just) 6 week old female chocolate lab puppy, she is really gorgeous,very independant and quite well behaved in respect of house training and whining etc.

The thing is I realised she was very young but lots of people are telling me she is far too young to be away from her mother and siblings and that i shouldn't have got her untill at least nine weeks, and that she may end up emotionally and socially damaged due to the seperation during this vital development stage.

I love her so much and I only want the best for her but I am worried now that her seperation from her mother so young might have lasting concequences for her.

I am home with her all day and she recieves lots of attention, she appears happy in herself but should I be worried and what can i do to help her social and emotional development? If anything?

She hasn't had her jabs yet so obviously she can't socialise with other dogs yet.

Any advise would be much appreciated, did anyone else get a puppy so young and did they grow up to be well rounded and happy?

Thanks very much

[hercules1]

I'm sure she'll be fine but I would personally have her mixing with vaccinated dogs. They learn alot about being a dog when they are with their mother and siblings and this has been cut short by a few important weeks. I have to say shame on the breeders . I socialised all ours before all vaccines by carrying them or putting in a push chair and not letting them touch the ground in areas where other dogs went. The risk of harm through not being vaccinated has to be weighed against the risk of not being socialised imo.

[hercules1]

Is it kennel club registered? Very bad form to let a dog go so young.

[WorzselMummage]

It is very young but plenty of people get dogs before 8 or 9 weeks.

www.labradorforums.co.uk was invaluble to me when we got our pup.

[Jux]

I was talking to a friend about this yesterday as we had just got a 6 wk old kitten (which is too young, but circumstances made it impossible to do otherwise). He said that with dogs you have to take them from their mums between 6 and 8 weeks otherwise they don't 'imprint' on humans. If you leave it until 8 weeks they've 'imprinted' on dog and won't be good pets. (With kittens their digestive systems aren't really ready to do without mother's milk until 8 weeks.)

I'm sure though that there are other people here who know more about this.

[WorzselMummage]

Most people dont get pups till 8 or 9 weeks we didnt get ours till 9 weeks and i swear he thinks he's actually human !

Any pup who's been bread by a decent breeder will be well used to humans, dogs don't imprint.

[Jux]

x posts. Sounds like my friend was talking out of the wrong orifice!

[belgo]

We were given a six week old kitten, she had awfulm constipation, she was clearly too young.

[1wish]

Thanks Hercules, She does go out and about alot(being carried) and she touches noses and barks at next doors dog which has been vacinated.

I also try and act dog like with her if that makes sense

I just can't believe the all consuming love i feel for her and it breaks my heart to think that she would be unhappy in any way

Your right about the breeder though i was abit when she rang to say she was ready if i wanted her, but i was so desperate to get her home i kind of put myself first.

She was from a litter of 13 though and to be honest the mother was having very little to do with, so i thought i'd look after her instead. The more i think about it though the more i think maybe i should have found a better breeder, my pup was infact 5 weeks and 4 days when i brought her home

[1wish]

Thanks for all your advise i feel a little bit better about it now

Yes she is KC regisistered, from champion stock apparently, but it wasn't a proper puppy breeder, just a normal house if that makes sense

[hercules1]

I think that KC would frown on her as I think they have rules about when puppies can be allowed to leave. It's not just the mother they learn from but also the other siblings. SOme vets hold puppy parties for socialising young dogs I would look into that personally. I would also report her to the kennel club.

[1wish]

Do you think so, I wouldn't want to cause any trouble for the breeder, I mean appart from the age issue the pups were very well cared for.

I'm going to look into puppy classes as soon as she's had her jabs plus my friend has a new puppy of similar age so thay will be able to play together soon

Also my mum has two vacinated dogs, but her 7 month old boxer growled at my little one so i'm abit cautious about letting them play together

[hercules1]

But that's the point. The dog growled at your puppy and that's what puppies need to learn. My dogs often growl at each other and it's normal. Dogs learn from each other and puppies will often be told off by older dogs as well as each other.
Tbh someone selling puppies at this age are not good breeders and shouldnt be breeding.

[WorzselMummage]

maybe wait a few weeks and try again with your mums dogs.

My parents dog put hugo in his place severa times when he was a baby. They get on famously now.

[1wish]

I'll try again with the boxer then, she just looked so tiny next to her, i maybe was a little over protective, my mums other a dog a 5 year old lab cross was just mothering her so i think they'll get along fine

My pup is very confident and independant as i say, so i imagine she'll be fine. To be honest i've seen some pups abit older than her and they're scared of their own shadow and very needy so i suppose i'm lucky really that she seems to be coping so well at her age.
Thanks again for all your advise, she's just woken up now and is acting like a little madam as usual and as soon as she woke up she whined and went to the door, as soon as I let her out she had a poo, i'm very proud of her, she's not quite as good with her wee's though!!

[fairywing]

I work with dogs for a living. Your not being over protective, she'd far to young and vulnerable to be socialised with older dogs like that. She shouldn't have left mum until at least 8 weeks either. Socialising is important but right now she is a tiny litte fragile thing that needs protecting. I wouldn't let her with any other dogs until at least 8 weeks incase she catches anything at all at such a young age. Then she can be socialised with vaccinated puppies and small/calmer dogs so she can learn the rules of being a dog without getting injured. Don't feel bad about it now, you have given her a good home but the breeder is completely irresponsible

[tink123]

we got our puppy at 7 weeks and 1 day and he is fine.

[hatwoman]

there's no point in reporting the breeder unless she/he was KC accredited - most aren't. The fact the dog is KC registered has no bearing on the breeder at all - all it tells you is the dog has a traceable family tree of the breed in question.

[LazyLinePainterJane]

Well I checked with the Kennel Club before we got our puppy and they said that 7 weeks was fine.

[bethoo]

i took my pups home at 5 weeks.

[MarmadukeScarlet]

Guide dogs for the blind remove pups at 6 weeks to go to their foster families.

I think you'll find the KC is a toothless tiger when it comes to anyting of this sort, or folk wouldn't just be allowed to breed their dogs willy nilly.

fairywing is correct, she does not need to socialise with other dogs yet - I would say until she has had both lots of her injections.

I have had dogs all my life and my father (and I) bred, trained and showed cc winning dogs and he was a well respected trainer (of other people's dogs not just his own) your puppy will not suffer from lack of social skills if you keep her in for another 5 weeks or so.

Contact your vet and see what their advice is, ask if they have a puppy club/party type event for socialisng young dogs and what age this is from.

More important is to start collar training her with a soft nylon collar for a while each day, then putting a lead on her (in the house or your own garden) and getting her used to walking next to you with it in a very informal way using toys etc to distract her and motivate her along not the lead to pull her iyswim.