Collect puppy couple days early

[AlmostD]

I know puppies shouldn’t be collected before 8 weeks old - but how much difference does a couple of days make? Would it be ok to collect at weekend if they turn 8 weeks on tue?

What breed is the mum? Has she at least had her hips and elbows scored?

They're not a very responsible breeder if they're pushing for early collection. I bred my girl last year and I didnt let anyone collect the pups early. The longer spent with their mum the better socialisation skills they have. I even had one lady who couldnt collect a pup till two weeks later and I was more than happy to keep him with me till she was ready.

A lot of what has been said above is totally in agreement with my own thoughts, thank you for confirming them!

Although I’m not sure why mixed breed rings alarm bells. We are specifically looking for a mixed breed. Know for being generally healthier / live longer than pedigrees.Happy to be educated if you could explain though!

Lucy's law applies to every puppy regardless of what it's start in life. It is to ensure that pups have the best start in life regarding both health and welfare.
The requirement for no pup to go to it's new home till is 8 weeks old also ties in with every dog over 8 weeks old being microchipped.

@almostd I’m not an expert, but I’ll explain where my comments on mixed breeds come from - the increase in unscrupulous breeders and puppy farmers breeding popular mixed breeds such as cockapoo, cavapoo, labradoodle, cavachon etc. because they have become popular. With mixed breeds there’s no breeding to “improve/maintain” the breed etc. and showing is not possible, which often attracts people less interested in the breed and more on the money side of pups breeding mixed-breeds. Additionally, if someone wants a mixed breed there are many lovely mixed breeds available for rehoming. Many reputable breeders will not allow their pedigree pups to be bred out of breed through endorsements etc.(although logistically I’m not sure how this works) So there is a risk that there is a line of unscrupulous breeding built in to a mixed breed pup. I hope this helps explain my comment 😊

Oh, if only there were plenty of lovely mixed breeds (or otherwise!) available for rehoming!! That’s just not true - unless you want a dog with issues. Whilst I’d love to be that person who can truly rescue a dog in need, that’s not a suitable or appropriation for my family.

Looking for over a year and there’s been nothing suitable for rehoming with children / without a “resident dog” - on the very rare times anything that maybe suitable turns up there are goodness knows how many other people competing to rehome it.

Hanging on til 12 weeks would be even better for puppy. The breeder dropped ours off and she was a few days over 12 weeks old. Well socialised already by this point.

And whole set of vaccinations covered.

No way on earth would I want to collect a puppy at 12 weeks of age. I want to have control of the socialisation period asap. It is way easier to socialise one puppy than a litter which is what the breeder would have to do and they would not be able to do it successfully in most instances.

“Know for being generally healthier / live longer than pedigrees.”

That’s not really how mixing 2 breeds works tbh... it’ll eliminate anything that’s only one gene and you need two copies of it if it’s not present in the other breed - but as far as multi gene stuff like hips or elbows, anything caused by shape like breathing problems or just general health... it’s pretty much pot luck, with the odds decided by how healthy the parents and their ancestors are.

It’s not like wild animals where it’s all completely mixed lots of DNA and you get any sort of benefit from a different gene pool.

It’s two pedigree dogs, if they’re badly bred their offspring just get that... and a lot of breeds actually have the same ancestors if you go back to their creation anyway. Victorian’s invented about half of them.

Your best bet for health is full health testing, 2 pedigrees full of healthy dogs and a breeder who is doing everything they can to produce healthy dogs... that’s all pretty rare in crosses.

Glad you said that Polly! Matches my understanding. Definitely going to have to make extra effort with the socialisation in the current conditions. At least lockdown easing will mean people can visit our garden / meet for walks etc. No chance of socialising a whole litter during lockdown!

@blowinahoolie

Hanging on til 12 weeks would be even better for puppy. The breeder dropped ours off and she was a few days over 12 weeks old. Well socialised already by this point.

12 weeks tends to be tiny breeds or giant... I know not why tbh, but you’re missing a huge part of their socialisation period at 12 weeks.

@AlmostD

Yes re health tested. Dad has the relevant tests for the breed. Mums breed doesn’t have any recommended tests re known genetic issues.

And what were the results of those tests eg if hip scored did the dog actually score well? The breeder should have given you all relevant test results. It's unusual for a pedigree to have no recommended health's tests - what breed is the mum? Have the puppies been microchipped? This is also a legal requirement prior to 8 weeks of age.

Yes, have seen the test results.
Yes the puppies will be microchipped, first vaccine and checked over by vet.
Have spoken to their vet & confirmed what I’ve been told to be true. Also (& this surprised me!) the vet said they would have no concern re collecting the pup a couple days off 8 weeks.

"12 weeks tends to be tiny breeds or giant... I know not why tbh, but you’re missing a huge part of their socialisation period at 12 weeks."

Fair enough, I have a giant breed. Can understand if earlier for other breeds.

I was personally pleased the vaccinations were all done by the breeder when she was dropped off at 12 weeks of age. Depends on how you look at it. Longer with litter mates and their mum for some breeds is beneficial.

@PollyRoulson

No way on earth would I want to collect a puppy at 12 weeks of age. I want to have control of the socialisation period asap. It is way easier to socialise one puppy than a litter which is what the breeder would have to do and they would not be able to do it successfully in most instances.

She was already well socialised when she was dropped off with us, so the breeder must have done something right. Others in the local community have complimented how great she is with others (dogs and people). She's five months old now🤷

Even more impressive considering she was from a litter of 13.

I collected my puppy a few days before 8 weeks due to impending lockdown restrictions. It’s not what I would have chosen but neither I nor the breeder broke any laws. We have experienced no issues and my puppy is thriving.

As for the original question, no I wouldn't collect a puppy a few days early.

@Colourmylife1

I collected my puppy a few days before 8 weeks due to impending lockdown restrictions. It’s not what I would have chosen but neither I nor the breeder broke any laws. We have experienced no issues and my puppy is thriving.

Puppies must not be sold before 8 weeks of age in England.

Unless you're in another country, then I'm afraid your breeder did break the law.

@sunflowersandbuttercups
I’m not in England

@AlmostD

Yes, have seen the test results. Yes the puppies will be microchipped, first vaccine and checked over by vet. Have spoken to their vet & confirmed what I’ve been told to be true. Also (& this surprised me!) the vet said they would have no concern re collecting the pup a couple days off 8 weeks.

The vet being ignorant of the law doesn't make you breaking it less of a problem

Why is the breeder so desperate to shift the puppies?

What were the test results? What breed is the mother?

@Colourmylife1

I collected my puppy a few days before 8 weeks due to impending lockdown restrictions. It’s not what I would have chosen but neither I nor the breeder broke any laws. We have experienced no issues and my puppy is thriving.

Well if we're sharing random personal anecdotes, my granny smoked 40 fags a day and lived to 96

I have never bought a puppy and am not uk based. A couple of thought of mine are the papers you have seen genuine and do they actually belong to the parent dogs. To be it sounds like a puppy farm.