How long before seperate puppy from mother dog

I have heard someone who just adopted a puppy too early, that puppy wouldn't stop crying for the first a few days after he was removed from the mother dog. I figured there must be a minimal "ok" time before separate the puppies from the mother. How long is it considered ok? Wouldn't the mother dog also give some trouble when you try to take her puppies away?

From an experience that I had I'd say 7 - 9 weeks is a good time.

My friend bought a puppy from a private person (ie: not a professional breeder) and from the 7th week each new owner could arrange to visit their puppy. She spent time getting to know her puppy as it played with it's siblings and learned how each pup had a disticnt personality. She also spent time alone with her puppy and the mother. This allowed the pup to switch attention from it's mother to her.

Over 2 weeks she visited 4 times and one afternoon she took the puppy with the mother dog and the owner of the mother dog to her home - ie: the pup's new home. The visit lasted about an hour and the puppy was introduced to it's new bed and bowl and had a bit of food in the bowl.

Two days later, my friend took the puppy to her house again - on it's own, for about 2 hours this time. In which she fed it and played with it.

Two days after that she took the puppy home for good - and the pup went straught to its new bed, bowl and toys and didn't cry that evening. The next morning he happily greeted his new family when they came downstairs.

I suppose that is an ideal - but it does give a good indication of a suitable age to separate puppies from their mother and the fun and boiterous activity of their siblings.

(09-25-2012 06:22 PM)Julie Wrote:  From an experience that I had I'd say 7 - 9 weeks is a good time.

My friend bought a puppy from a private person (ie: not a professional breeder) and from the 7th week each new owner could arrange to visit their puppy. She spent time getting to know her puppy as it played with it's siblings and learned how each pup had a disticnt personality. She also spent time alone with her puppy and the mother. This allowed the pup to switch attention from it's mother to her.

Over 2 weeks she visited 4 times and one afternoon she took the puppy with the mother dog and the owner of the mother dog to her home - ie: the pup's new home. The visit lasted about an hour and the puppy was introduced to it's new bed and bowl and had a bit of food in the bowl.

Two days later, my friend took the puppy to her house again - on it's own, for about 2 hours this time. In which she fed it and played with it.

Two days after that she took the puppy home for good - and the pup went straught to its new bed, bowl and toys and didn't cry that evening. The next morning he happily greeted his new family when they came downstairs.

I suppose that is an ideal - but it does give a good indication of a suitable age to separate puppies from their mother and the fun and boiterous activity of their siblings.

Your friend is quite smart.

I would agree with this. A rule of thumb I always stick to when someone asks me this question is 8 weeks. That's when they're done being weaned and have had enough time to learn doggy ethics with their mother and siblings.

Since they no longer rely on their mother's milk, this is also the best time to start having them vaccinated before you get them out for puppy socializing.

I've heard 8 weeks is the usual time that pet store places are allowed to sell a new puppy even.

When I bred Aussies and Heelers, I found that separating as early as possible was best for the puppies and moms. All 5 litters I did the same way.

If you allow a dog to continue to breast feed after their mother has tried to start winging, you are prone to more serious worms. Not to mention, like with my dog, bleeding and severe pain to her nipples from the incoming/full sets of teeth. My puppies were always completely winged somewhere between 4-5 weeks of age, starting in as little as 2 1/2, just depended on individual teeth growth. As soon as they reached the point that the breast milk was not needed at all, and of course, lots of daily time spent working/training on solid dog food (starting with watered dog food not canned) and water bowls, the pups were good to go within 5 weeks. This also kept the puppies from getting too attached to their mom, which can cause more serious anxiety and depression for pups, who stay with their mom 2-3 months after birth and are then re-homed.

But you cannot de-worm or give shots to puppies at this early age. Therefore, puppies were claimed for small re-homing fees ($10), and I investigated to ensure proper homes. All new owners were completely happy about the process, and could not agree more on why I was releasing earlier than most (many were farmers too, looking for heard dogs). My breeding was never done as a means to make money, I simply wanted my babies to enjoy parent hood (the dad was so silly, protective, and even helped clean the babies) and all puppies had healthy stable transitions into their new homes. Also, all the owners wanted to be responsible for shots and worms, simply because of preference in medication/shots etc. None of the pups were reported with worms upon re-home either, and the owners would usually de-worm anyways as a prevention.

The new owners often reported that they were easier to train. Not as much crying either; maybe for like the first 2-3 nights at most, but this is normal when separating any puppy from it's mom. Also, potty training is easiest accomplished when you train for this during the food and water process. Taking all of the dogs out at the same time, with the parents teaching them what to do really helps in the long run.

But, separation really reflects on the owners. Depending on how the pups have been raised/trained/allowed to roam, will determine how easy the separation and new owner ship will go. I only say this because it is too often that negligent dog owners end up with puppies, re home/sell the pups, with no type of structure for the pups before the new ownership.

I am not implying that my method is preferred, just sharing the experience that I had. Hope this helps!

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I think I went around your questions sorry.

No, the sooner the better. The pups cry more when you allow them to come to know they will be in your home with its mother always. It's most crucial training period is in the first few months after birth, meaning the sooner it can be separated, the sooner it can understand its life in the new home.

Yes- if it is too early, the mother will usually snap at you or whine and let you know. If she does not, very good chance that everything is fine. Just gotta let the pup adjust.

8 weeks is the appropriate time to take the puppy away from the mother. If the puppy gets taken too early, they will most likely have some social issues. During that time they learn a lot of things from their mother. "Ethics" pretty much. If a puppy leaves too early they will most likely whine in search of their mommy, and not want to engage with the new family as much. It is best to wait until they are 8 weeks old as they get their shots at 6 weeks. If it is not possible to keep the mother with the puppies till they are 8 weeks, then there may be some issues. I would definitely take them to the vet to get them examined by a professional.

I think that it really depends on the development of the puppy. When the mother starts weaning the puppies, then it is time to start supplementing them with soft food, and gradually they are eaned from just nursing, and more into eating puppy food. Once the mother has weaned the pups completely and they are able to eat as much food as they need to grow and be healthy, then they are ready to be taken away from the mother and re-homed.
It is good to handle the pups from the time they are born, so that they are used to being around people, although it needs to be done very gently since they are so young. This helps them to make the adjustment when they are given away or sold, if they are used to being held and petted,and look forward to human attention.
Since puppies are pack animals, taking them away from the rest of the litter is going to cause the puppy to be lonely and cry. Giving them a small stuffed animal (about the same size as they are) will give them "another puppy" to cuddle up to when they are sleeping. Chipper had a little Squirrel when he was a puppy, and he loved that squirrel, and always slept next to it when he was in his baby bed.