How old should a puppy be before She leaves her mom?

Question

I'm going to be purchasing a maltipoo and the breeder said she will be ready for me Jan 12th. She'll be 6.5 weeks old. Is that too early to get her and bring her home? If you know or have any advice, please respond. Thanks!!!

Oh no.. I already put a $150 deposit down on this puppy. I got several references from her, and they all said good things. Everywhere else I look the maltipoos are around $500-$600! She is selling hers for $550. And the deposit is nonrefundable unfortunately :( Can't really get out of this. But she did say she would keep her an extra week, so is 7.5 wks ok? I guess that's better than 6.5wks.

Yes, she is getting the puppy wormed and giving her the first shots, and I've been conversing with her everyday about this. But I just emailed her my concerns... so we'll see what she says. I really wish I knew this before ~sigh~

I'm going to go ahead and purchase her, I knew I would anyway. But I just didn't want to be ripped off... I know poodle mixes are in high demand, so maybe that has something to do with the cost? I will get her at 7.5 wks also.

Answer 1

Puppies need to be AT LEAST 8 weeks old, and most REPUTABLE small dog breeders will keep them for 10-12 weeks. Puppies that leave their litters too young often have socialization and behavior problems.

Hon, I'm afraid that this breeder is no good. Not only is she selling the puppies way too young, she is also breeding mutts and probably charging ridiculous prices for them. Don't let anyone fool you, a "maltipoo" is just a mutt with a fancy name and you can get one just as good from a shelter at a fraction of the cost. There are NO "good" breeders of mutts.

Please go elsewhere for a dog. Do not support greedy, unethical "breeders" like this one.

EDIT: You're paying $550 for a MUTT? Seriously, you could lose the deposit, adopt a nice mix from a shelter or rescue and still be saving money.

Answer 2

Way way too early!!!! Eight weeks at the very earliest and 10 -12 weeks is better if you want a healthy, well socialized puppy. You are buying from an unethical back yard breeder. RUN THE OTHER WAY!!!

And please don't be fooled into spending money on a mixed breed dog. Either get a Maltese or a Poodle. They are both cute breeds but neither is improved by breeding it to the other.

You ask this question, because you had a bad feeling about what you were doing. You were right to have this feeling. No, 7.5 weeks is still too young. This woman is a scam artist. Take the $150 loss and consider it a lesson learned.

As MANY others have said, it is against the law in most states to sell puppies under 8 weeks of age, my own state included. (I helped draft the law and get it passed) If it is against the law in your state, (and even if it isn't) tell the woman you found out what she is doing is against the law and if she doesn't give your deposit back, you will report her. It's worth a try.

Good luck, but PLEASE don't get that puppy. It will only cause you grief down the road.

Answer 3

If you are asking if 6.5 weeks is too young to leave the mother, then I think you already are guessing that it is just a little too young. Even if this seller is telling you the puppy is weaned from the mom, the puppy is still learning important social skills from the mom and it's litter mates.
Do you have your heart set on this puppy at this point? Because you should be seriously questioning the type of "breeder" that would recommend you taking the puppy at 6.5 weeks.
As the other posters have stated, 8 weeks is the norm and is best for your puppy. Is there any way you can ask this person to leave your puppy at that home for at least another week or so?
If you want to be extra cautious, you could ask this breeder what vet they take their dogs to, and call that vet to ask their opinion about the parents as well as the puppies in that litter.
I am only suggesting the vet call because I adopted a toy poodle puppy from a relative couldn't keep him.
When I took him to my vet, his back knees came out of joint and he had a serious under bite.
I had his breeder's name. The vet knew that person, and said that they were not the most responsible breeders.
Don't get me wrong, we adore our poodle to no end, but just some words of caution for you. Buying from a backyard breeder may have an affect on the health of your puppy in general.
Good Luck!!

Answer 4

8 weeks MINIMUM.

Not only is it illegal in most areas to sell a puppy younger than 8 weeks old, but it is very detrimental for the pup to be separated from the mother and littermates that early. That week and a half might not seem like much, but it is a very long time in the life of a pup that young, and removing her from the mother that early could lead to all kinds of problems later. It won't give the pup "more time to bond with you," or any of the other mistaken beliefs you may hear. There are no pros from separating early, and all kinds of cons.

More importantly, if this breeder is willing to sell you a 6.5-week-old pup, she is NOT someone you should be getting a pup from in the first place. And then there's the simple fact that she knowingly and intentionally breeds mutts! How many red flags do you want? This is a BAD BREEDER. Do not be fooled by those cute little faces. Run the other way and find a real breeder.

Answer 5

if you give this woman another penny, you will just be throwing good money after bad. This is not a responsible or respected breeder. This person is a puppy mill. Responsible breeders do not propagate designer dogs or let them leave their siblings prior to 8 weeks of age. If you do go through with it, don't be surprised if you are plagued with coccidia, worms, fleas, the works. Not to mention all the socilization issues you will encounter due to the puppy being sold too soon. It would be far cheaper in the short and long run to go adopt a mix from the Humane Society rather than pay $500 for a mutt.

Answer 6

If you are in the US be aware that in most states it is against the law to buy, sell, adopt or give away a puppy under 8 weeks old.

A breeder who lets their puppies go under 8 weeks, law or no law is very irresponsible..a person that delibrately breeds mixes is irresponsible.
The price you are paying for a mix is way too high..you could get a nice pet from a responsible ethical Poodle or Maltese breeder for what you are paying an irresponsible breeder for a mix.
You could rescue a Poodle mix from a shelter/rescue for $100 instead of lining the pockets of a BYB and encouraging them to continue to breed more mixes.

NO vaccinations under 8 weeks of age!!! This is the current protocol set by the AAHA/AVMA and al l27 vet schools because vaccinating earlier suppresses the immune system,interfers with natural immunity, can cause problems with future vaccinations and makes a puppy more prone to the very illnesses the vaccines are suppose to protect against.

*****by going ahead and purchasing this puppy for that ridiculous amount you are encouraging an irresponsible breeder to continue breeding..you are lining their pockets...Poodle mixes aren't in that big a demand..sorry but they are a dime a dozen and there are tons of them in all sizes in shelters & rescues...so that doesn't excuse they highly inflated price you are being charged.Also again you and this so called breeder may be in breech of the law if you take the puppy before it is 8 weeks old..waiting the extra time would be so much better since you are so bent on getting an irresponsibly bred puppy from a BYB*******

******You don't want to be ripped off but rest assured by buying a mix for that amount of money you ARE being ripped off big time!!!!!!!!******

Answer 7

Explain to me why you're spending $550 on a mutt when you could have found the exact same mix in a shelter for a fifth of the price?

8 weeks, minimum. Any REPUTABLE breeder wouldn't sell pups earlier than 8 weeks. That should say something about the person scamming you.

Answer 8

This is far too young. Dogs should not leave until they are 8 weeks old. Dogs learn discipline and clenliness during the time period of 6-8 weeks. If you pull the puppy from the mother too early, they are know for having severe obedience problems, lack of social skills, and difficulty housetraining.

Any breeder that will sale a pup that young is not reputable and may sale you a defective dogs. Although they may look healthy problems can take a year of two to arise, I would RUN in the other direction. There are so many poodle mixes that need rescuing!!

Answer 9

HUGE RED FLAG! The puppies are not physically weaned and ready to leave their mother until they are 5-6 weeks old. To prevent major behavioral problems later in life, they should remain until they at least 8 but no more than 16 weeks old. If this breeder is letting puppies go home before this time frame, they are almost certainly cutting other major corners in health and temperament as well. I would look elsewhere for a puppy and not risk the anguish, property damage, and trauma to me, the puppy, and my family as it struggles through a lack of bite inhibition, problems socializing properly with other dogs, and possibly many health concerns for the rest of its life. If you purchase a puppy from a breeder like this, it will encourage them to breed again and to produce more unhealthy and unstable dogs. PLEASE look into finding a reputable breeder affiliated with their national breed club (search "[breed] club of america") or in adopting a dog or puppy from a local rescue group instead.

Answer 10

Others have said it & I'm repeating - this "breeder" is obviously only in it for the money and wants to get rid of the pups early to save feeding them for another 2 weeks (8 weeks is the minimum age you should part a puppy from it's mother & littermates). Either buy a purebred Maltese OR Poodle, or adopt a mutt from a shelter - don't support BYB's and puppy mills.