Selling Pups What Age

[heart of wales 19]

Just wondering what was everyone opinion,I have reared many a litter of the years and come to the opinion that when selling pups 10-12 weeks is best the pups I have reared and sold when at this age turned out to be less shy when going to thier new owners and easier to train.Always ask new owners for feedback and it is always positive when pups are left till this age what do you think.

[tote 856]

If I was buying a pup i'd want to get it at 6-7 weeks.I would have to know the

breeder/rearer well to be prepared to wait untill they were 12 weeks.

A lot can be achieved with a pup in those 6 weeks.

[samba 534]

EARLIER THE BETTER THATS JUST MY OPPINION

[Simoman 110]

Must admit I prefer to get them about 7-8 weeks...

[martin 332]

I've just picked up my JRT pup at 6wks,and I picked up my last one at the same age.I think they can learn a lot in those early days,or be held back by a breeder that is not quite on your wave length(I was careful what I said there-but you know what I mean).

[snoopdog 1,256]

6 weeks for me to ... :thumbs-up:

[Chaz 6]

6-8 weeks for me

[Rabbithunter 456]

around the 6 weeks old mark...

 

a large litter will soon become a real handful for the breeder. so once there off the mother's tit

[midnight walker 8]

6 to 8 weks for me too

[tod 3]

6 to 8 weeks

[madhunter 16]

6 to 8 weeks for me

[skycat 6,173]

From 6 weeks old: they have not then got to the spooky stage around new things and situations, they just settle straight into their new home then. I have bought a pup at 13 weeks, but she had been VERY well socialised by the breeder, and not many breeders spend that much time with their pups.

I have also kept back pups for people myself if they have not been able to take them earlier, but I've always made sure that they went out and about with the pup I was keeping for myself, lead trained, traffic, stock, obedience training started etc etc.

Like the others have said: they learn so much between 5 and 8 weeks: the basis for everything that follows. Being shut in a kennel until 12 weeks is not good at all.

The other thing is that taking a 12 weeks old pup that has not been vaccinated into a new environment leaves it dangerously open to viruses etc, as its maternal immunity will have worn off by then. Couple the lack of immunity with the stress of moving home and the likelihood of the pup going down with some nasty is greatly increased. Of course, if the pups have been jabbed, that does not apply!

However, I can uinderstand someone wanting to keep a litter until that age as they have a better chance of knowing what they are getting as the pups will have developed that much more and their true temperament etc has had time to develop.

To sum up: not a problem if the pups have been really well socialised and introduced to everything they will need to be confident with in later life: travelling in vehicles, different people and situations, little walks round fields: you know what I mean!

[scottish lurcher 185]

i had mine weened by 6 weeks by the time there 12 mother sick of them cos they got sharp theeth and bite so depends how much work you do to ween them i prefer 6- 7 weeks

Edited February 16, 2007 by scottish lurcher