In two minds, feeling conflicted.

[FaceLikeAMoodyTeenager]

I am planning to buy a pedigree puppy from an experienced show breeder who I've visited, as she has a litter who will be ready to leave when they're 12 weeks old (they are currently 5 weeks old). I am due to return to select the pup who I'll put a deposit on in the next week or so. I have said I want one of her dogs as a pet, not to show.
However, I'm due to move house which has just had a bit of a spanner put in the works today as it's a new build and the potential completion has been adjusted to potentially September. This means I will need to go into temp accommodation of some sort for a few weeks as my house is sold to a FTB who are keen to move in and have to give notice on their own rented accommodation - so mid July is probably what I'm looking at for a move.
Pup would be ready around mid July to collect.

I've made breeder aware today that things have changed and we've had a long discussion and I felt a bit stressed about the whole thing. She offered to keep my pup until I have either moved in to the new house OR if I want to find suitable temp accommodation where I can take pup at 12 weeks. If she keeps puppy I can visit whenever I like and once pup has had second vaccinations she'll teach me how to handle, train, play with, bathe etc puppy and she'll start lead training her if necessary. Breeder lives about a 1.5 hours away so not too bad.

I like this breeder she knows a huge amount about her breed, I have no doubts about her practice and she was very keen to 'interview' me when we first talked. Met the Mum and Dad of the litter, saw them feeding from her all looked good. She's suggested I think about it and let her know what I want to do, one of the options being to just not proceed and phone her when I've moved on the off chance she still has a puppy from this litter.

What are your thoughts? I told breeder a bit of me worries that if I leave it too long the pup won't bond to me but she didn't think that likely.

I got a puppy a couple of weeks before moving and it was absolutely fine. It was terrible timing but I have a rare breed and was on the list for almost 3 years so wasn’t going to miss out.
I had a very very chilled out puppy but he honestly couldn’t have given a stuff! We had builders etc in and out and he didn’t bat an eyelid.

I also wouldn’t be adverse to leaving a puppy with the breeder either, providing that I was happy the socialisation was as much as they would get at home.

I'd wait til you got your new house. It will be hard to find someplace to rent that will allow dogs, let alone a puppy!
I've adopted adult dogs before and had no problems bonding with them.

I’ve had many dogs, only ever one tiny puppy... honestly, you bond the same no matter how old they are.

I would move , sort the house and then get a puppy . I wouldn’t worry about bonding , we got our dog as a slightly older rescue puppy and had no issues . Why is the breeder keeping them until 12 weeks anyway ?

@Floralnomad the breeder believes 8 weeks is too young for the puppies to be taken from their mum and she wants them to have had all their jabs. It the first thing she told me about her dogs which I found reassuring tbh as i agree with her.

She has been in this situation before and has kept a pup whilst new owner sorts their move out (and looked after dogs shes previously sold if their owners have needed it for similar reasons ) and also keeps in touch with some of her pups owners . I guess that's why I'm torn about it, she is very accommodating and gets my dilemma.

Yet I'm also thinking perhaps it's just better to wait as PP suggests.

I wouldn't be worried about bonding, but I would potentially be a little cautious about whether the breeder would have the time to properly socialise the puppy with (I imagine) a number of other dogs to also care for.

I'm sure she's a great breeder but does she have the time to be taking it to puppy classes, sitting outside supermarkets, popping into the vets, doing basic training, getting used to car trips, being exposed to different types of people and animals, getting used to being handled all over....

I'd certainly wait until you are settled. Then you can socialise the puppy properly and not have the stress of looking after the puppy mid

I’d be very concerned about how a breeder is getting an entire litter properly socialised keeping them to 12 weeks unless they are a tiny breed with only 1 or 2 pups .

I'd wait for another litter. Getting temp accommodation in the current climate may be difficult enough without trying to find a place with a young pup who is liable to still be in the chewing / accidents phase.

I certainly wouldn't want to leave a pup with the breeder for an unspecified period of time with no clear idea of when I would take possession of the dog. I'd want to do all the basics myself, not have someone else do it - at that point you might as well rehome a rescue dog.

I think wait OP. I’d also query waiting until 12 weeks, 8 weeks is very standard. Im
not sure what she’ll be doing with the puppies during this time you wouldn’t do (or wouldn’t want to do!) yourself. If you wait to have this one you’ll miss out on a lot of puppy time, it is precious as they grow so fast!

Gosh! I'm going to go against the majority here.
We have an 18 week old pup that we've had since 8 weeks. The first few weeks were incredibly tough (on us not the puppy) so the idea someone could have taken over the first few weeks would have been my dream.
OP you obviously have a great relationship with the breeder and trust that they know what they're talking about.
If you're able to maintain that relationship with the breeder and the puppy I'd imagine that is the best of both worlds.
As for the pup missing out on socialisation, I'm sure the breeder knows more about this than we ever did.
Take advantage of having an experienced person on hand to help make the first weeks of puppy ownership as easy as possible.

And those saying 8 weeks is more usual are absolutely right, doesn't make it the best practice.
It's a relatively new idea that puppies leave their mothers and litter mates so early, 12 weeks used to be standard, and in my humble opinion better practice.

I got my rare breed dog at 10 months from a very reputable breeder he’s not quite good enough to win showing classes at the highest level. I’d only ever had puppies before and was slightly worried. He’s an absolute joy for a start because the breeder is very well regarded he’s been well socialised and handled, including travelling in the car to go to dog shows etc he was house trained walked beautifully on a lead (because he’d been shown) and is very easy going and chilled. He settled really quickly and now leads a very different life and loves it. He’s not overly bright so not very needy/stressy and because nothing bad has ever happened to him his ethos is everything is and will be great. He’s bonded really well with everyone.
I would definitely do it again in the future when my other old dog dies. rather than get a puppy assuming I could the same breed and of similar age.

We took on a 5 month old puppy from a breeder who intended to show him, but he didn't make the grade. We got a well socialized and basically house trained puppy who was used to sleeping through the night. He was still a proper puppy though!

If someone who knows what they're doing is offering to take over the house training/ puppy biting/can't turn your back for 30 seconds period, while still offering the opportunity for you to visit as much as you can and be part of the puppy's life, I'd be biting their hand off.

If you've never had a puppy, or if you've forgotten the reality of it, maybe have a look at some of the puppy threads on here before you make a decision. God made puppies irresistible for a reason, no-one would have them otherwise.

@Corgiowner @MontyDonsBlueScarf @drivinmecrazy

This makes me think I am being sensible and this is a workable situation. Breeder has an acre of safe land where she trains all her dogs for showing, and toilet/lead/exercise outdoors. I now even know about how she can assess the dogs for their show quality by looking at their teeth.
I think she knows what I want and how to do it for me whilst I am focussing on the move. I appreciate you reminding me how much work a very young pup is and that my pup will still be very young when she comes home with me.
The breed of dog I want (toy poodle) is quite hard to find as cross breeding seems to have taken over.
I'm due to visit tomorrow and choose my girl.