Why do "breeders" give puppies to their new homes at 6 weeks?

Question

This is why there are soooo many problems with dogs! Well, part of the reason.

I read so many things about 6 week old pit bull puppies taken from their mom and littermates, and this is a recipe for disaster!!!

When will people learn???????

Actully, the only criteria that says a pup is ready to be rehomed is NOT that it is on food and weaned off of the mother.

Pups learn important social skills, dog communication, bite inhibition, and how to "be a dog" from it's mother and litter mates.

The reason this can be a recipe for "disaster" is that the puppies given away to early miss out on vital life lessons from their canine families.

The only reasons I mentioned "pit bulls" are:

1. They have such a bad reputation.
2. They are being irresponsibly bred.
3. I own and rescue pit bulls, so I know what I'm talking about in regards to the breeds.

For those of you that say 6 weeks is fine for a pup to be taken from it's mom, this is one of reasons you would be defined as a "back yard breeder" if you do or were to breed.

Answer 1

Because they are getting money out of the deal, I don't really understand what you are asking. People sell them at this age so the owners can have a puppy that will grow up in a family since they were really young and because that is the time when they are less reliant on thier mothers and are able to be taken away.

Answer 2

Pure laziness!!! That is when it gets hard!

Yup, nothing worse than a large guarding breed that was taken away so young that it didn't learn how to interact with other dogs.

I have seen so many problem dogs that were taken from their littermates at 4-6 weeks, often to a home that knows little about raising a puppy as well. Recipe for disaster is right!



Noota Oolah - "It is one part genetics and another bigger part the person who currently owns the dog"

Genetics and the owner certainly have something to do with it. But a puppy that did not get the socialization it needed from its littermates will be a much harder dog to own. A knowledgable owner CAN overcome the early seperation, but your average pet owner, probably not. These dogs tend to be rude and have no idea how to interact with other dogs. Sad, but they often never really do learn, just because some clueless 'breeder' was too lazy to keep them together for a couple more weeks so that they could learn these important lessons.


Fembot - It is likely a hypoglycemia problem, that happens with small dogs. Feed her small meals, often.

Answer 3

"What exactly is the question here? Puppies can be taken from their mothers at 6-8 weeks."

No, they can't. Puppies are weaned at about that age, but they need to spend a few more weeks with their mothers and siblings. This is so that they can learn vital skills such as... you know... bite inhibition? The social structure of dogs, and all the signals? 8 weeks is the absolute minimum. Look it up on any reputable website.

I'd imagine people do it out of ignorance, a desire to get rid of pups early, impatience to own a dog, and a desire to be responsible for a badly adjusted, socially inept, frightened dog and any resulting accidents and injuries.

Answer 4

Uhm. Puppies can leave their mothers as soon as they begin eating solid food. At this point they are ready to be weaned. Furthermore, why is this comment restricted to Pit Bulls? Any dog can be a nurturing and friendly animal in a home that is loving and treats the dog right. The only thing some people need to learn is that dog fighting is wrong and sadistic. Animals are companions...and need to be treated as such. But other than that, how exactly does taking a puppy away from its mother at any age result in "disaster"?

Answer 5

I think it is because uninformed backyard breeders sell to equally uninformed puppy buyers who think the pup will bond more closely to them & 'be more protective' if taken away young. BYBs only want money, so they will send that pup out the door ASAP - more profit for less time involved for them!

You're right, the pups NEED that time to learn important things from the mother, and will most likely have socialization & behavior problems later because of missing it...and we know what that means: it is "just a horrible, bad dog - so we took it to the pound". Sigh.

Answer 6

I got my mother a yorkie for Christmas and she was 6 weeks. We now believe that this is at least 2 weeks early for her. 6 weeks, however may have been fine for other dogs, for this particular dog it wasn't. After 4 days of having her she completely stopped eating, started vomiting, and became very very limp, we thought she was dying before us. We eneded up having to take her to the animal emergency hospital and after $400 and a huge scare, she is finally perking up. They tested her for parvo, which came back negative. however, she continued to just lay around all day and when we would try to wake her up she would have absolutely no control of her body. She falls over, rolls around, and can't control her neck. We now believe that it may be a sugar problem. The breeder of course thinks nothing is wrong with her dogs. However, if she was to keep our little baby with its mother a little longer 1- she would have possibly noticed this problem 2- the mothers milk might have given more enzymes to the puppy to maybe fight off whatever infection she was facing.

Answer 7

Pitt Bull mothers start weaning their pups at about 4 to 5 weeks the pups start getting aggressive for the milk and their teeth are like little needles at that point so it is very typical and does not damage the pups in any way.

Answer 8

Because they are greedy money grubbers. Reputable breeders will not release their pups until they've had all their shots, which means 12-16 wks. At a MINIMUM pups should be 8-10 weeks and eating completely on their own.

Answer 9

I don't know of any reputable breeder that does. Usually its 8 weeks. I work in a pet store and no matter how good the breeder looks, if they offer us a puppy at 6 weeks, we don't deal with them anymore.

However, regardless of the age of separation, that is not what turns a dog bad. It is one part genetics and another bigger part the person who currently owns the dog.

Answer 10

Responsible breeder of any breed don't let any puppy go to it's new home younger then 8 weeks and sometimes later.

In most states it is illegal to buy, sell, giveaway or adopt any puppy that has not completed it's 7th week and in some states that's 8 weeks.