My friend's dog just had some lab puppies.I am getting one.I will be getting her in mid January.She will be about 5 weeks old when I get her.If anybody has a 5 week old puppy then PLEASE give me some tips.
2006-12-21 01:17:19 · 27 answers · asked by Ashley 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
What about getting a puppy at 7 weeks is that too young.
2006-12-21 01:36:57 · update #1
To young to leave mommy at five weeks the earliest I would even consider is 6 weeks to someone skilled in puppies.
First I would suggest leaving it with mom at least one more week and making sure you take her to the vet straight from your friends house.
I would also be sure to prepare by baby proofing your house and getting appropriate toys. I have found when teething they like the knot in the chew ropes. Other toys and they type of play to benefit training is dependent on the breed. You have time to prepare so make some of your purchases each week. Go ahead and get a crate and food dishes and food. Do your research on the health benefit of spaying and neutering.
2006-12-21 01:31:00 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Do NOT take the puppy before 8 weeks old! At 5 weeks old, he still is not properly weaned and he will still be on moist puppy kibble.
Why are you getting one from your friend? Obviously he/she doesn't know what he/she is doing if he/she is letting the puppies out before 8 weeks old!
Have the parents been checked for PRA, hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia? If NOT, do NOT get the puppy from him/her! Dysplasia and PRA are VERY common in Labs and are very serious. Getting one from a REPUTABLE, REGISTERED BREEDER is the only good option.
If SO, what are the scores and are the eyes clear? The hips should (ideally) be even (eg; 3/3) or atleast BELOW 5 or 6. If they are above 5, that's not too good but not too bad either. You should get one around 0/0, 0/1, 0/2, 0/3, 1/0, 1/1, 1/2 etc. Elbows use different scoring. The elbows should be 0/0, 0/1, 1/0 or 1/1. They really should be over 2/1, 2/0, 0/2, 2/2 etc. 3 is the worst score and therefore should not be bred (elbow wise - not hips). Now, I'm not too good with eye information but they should be CLEAR.
Does he/she show show quality Labradors from EXCELLENT bloodlines? If not, why does he/she breed? They should be breeding to IMPROVE and BETTER the Labrador breed.
EDIT: 7 WEEKS IS STILL TOO YOUNG! THEY NEED TO BE 8 WEEKS OLD!!!! What's the big deal, wait a few more weeks!?
2006-12-21 01:30:29 · answer #2 · answered by Elena 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Stick to your guns. You are right- you shouldn't take a five week old puppy from the litter. Your aunt needs to keep hold of all the puppies for at least another 3 weeks. Is you aunt close to you? If she is, then why not go round to help out with the puppies if she is struggling. But don't worry about it, you have another 3 weeks to do you research before getting the puppy. In short, either get the puppy now nad have a dog with behavioural issues when older, or wait 3 weeks and have a well balanced dog which, is ready for you to start with the rest of socialising.
2016-05-23 04:55:34 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
5 weeks is way too young for puppy to be away from mom and litter! At 6 weeks a puppy can usually manage moistened puppy food and is mostly weaned, but a pup should not leave mom and litter until at least 8 weeks and I prefer 10 weeks. Puppies learn so much from mom and interacting with the litter between 6 and 8 weeks and it's really important that they get this time.
Hold out 3 more weeks and be sure your pup stays on with mom so that puppy will learn things like manners.
On another note, did your friend have mom's hips xrayed before breeding and make sure that the sire had it done too? If not, I would be wary about taking a puppy. Hip Dysplasia is VERY common in labs and this can be very painful and expensive to fix later down the line if your puppy ends up with this genetic issue (if mom or dad have the potential to have it, it will pass on to the litter).
2006-12-21 01:26:52 · answer #4 · answered by Shadow's Melon 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Keep the puppy with mom until it is at least 10-12 weeks old. Puppies learn so much socialization skills durning this time. I made the mistake of getting a cocker puppy at 5 weeks, he has so many issues with socialization as well as basic manors him mom should have taught him. Make sure you introduce him to everyone and everything from day one. Take him to the pet store, dog park, walks, play dates with other dogs. Puppy classes are a great way to bound with the pup as well as teach him commands. Crate training is heaven on earth, I had both my cockers potty trained in about a month and my golden done in about a month and a half. There are so many good books on the subject. Make sure you take him to the vet asap for a fecal exam and deworming. Worms could be transmitted to humans. Vaccines should be started at 6 weeks until about 14-16 weeks. Make sure you get him neutered at 5-6 months. Also, don't forget a good large breed puppy food. I love Royal Canin Maxi Puppy. Please also do a ton of thinking before getting a puppy, they cost a ton of money, time, and love in the long run.
2006-12-21 01:26:14 · answer #5 · answered by Sydney R 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The puppy needs to be at least 8 weeks old before you get it. Otherwise, the puppy misses out on important social, developmental, and behavior lessons from it's mom and litter mates. This can lead to a lot of difficult to correct and expensive to work with problems later down the road. For example, your dog will not know how to bite gently, and will cause severe damage to a person or another animal, whether it means to or not, because it will not have learned about bite inhibition.
Because of people like your friend, thousands of dogs and puppies are being gassed, drowned, shot...not all are humanely euthanized, in shelters all over. Your friend is ignorant, and should not have bred her dogs if she is willing to get the puppies new homes at just 5 weeks old. This is very sad, and can be dangerous. I hope your friend will take the time to get educated about breeding, and actually get her dogs health tested (hips, eyes, etc) and titled as only the dogs that meet bred standared should be bred.
http://www.libertydogtraining.com
2006-12-21 02:11:16 · answer #6 · answered by libertydogtraining 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
5 and 7 weeks are WAY too young. Don't pick the puppy up until it is 12 weeks or at least 8 weeks. The person who owns the puppies is not very responsible and I would strongly rethink getting a puppy from them.
2006-12-21 01:56:00 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
They should stay with there mother until at least 8 weeks. I did get my beagle puppy at 5 weeks because the mother refused to feed them any longer she had 10 puppies. My pup wouldn't eat the food. My vet had me boil chicken. remove the skin cut it up and put it in some plain white rice. She ate that for about 3 weeks. then i started her out on a little canned food with puppy feed mixed in to soften it. Don't get the cheap stuff, buy a good brand they need all the nutrients they can get. And she might have a hard time sleeping by herself. I put a wind up clock under her pillow. good luck.
2006-12-21 01:49:39 · answer #8 · answered by dee g 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Puppies shouldn't be taken from their mother's before 8-10 weeks of age. They are still nursing and getting important nutrients from her. Mom also teaches the pup survival skills that humans wouldnt know to teach. Also it is illegal in many states to sell pups before a certain age and you as the buyer can be held just as liable as the seller. Unless you can find special formula made for young pups and are willing to bottle feed it all hours of the day and night, I'd wait until 8-10 weeks. I wish you the best with your new four legged friend. Happy Holidays.
2006-12-21 01:39:17 · answer #9 · answered by Princess Me 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
5 weeks is way to young for a puppy to be seperated from the mother. DO NOT take the puppy for a MINIMUM of EIGHT weeks or there can be some chargages filed against you and your friend. If you bring home a puppy and it dies don't say about 5 or 6 of us didn't warn you
2006-12-21 01:27:46 · answer #10 · answered by Chris 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋