The early weeks of a puppy’s life play a crucial part in laying a foundation for a well-adjusted adult dog.
This foundation influences future behaviour and how well they go on to cope and interact with the world.
Unfortunately, there are still breeders who allow puppies to leave their moms and littermates at only 6 weeks old, often with no regard for the long-term impact this can have on development.
Many new owners blindly trust that breeders must know best and never question this. But while a puppy may no longer rely on mom for food at this age, they are still deeply dependent on their family unit for learning vital life skills, social skills, building emotional security and resilience.
Between 6 and 8 weeks, puppies are in the process of learning:
• Bite inhibition
• Appropriate play behaviour
• Frustration tolerance
• Impulse control
• Communication and social skills
• Confidence and emotional resilience
These are skills that we as people, can never fully replicate in the same way that a pups family unit can.
While 8 weeks is generally considered the minimum age for puppies to leave, many ethical breeders prefer to keep puppies until 10 to 12 weeks, while also providing positive, age-appropriate socialisation and habituation experiences.
Habituation means gently introducing puppies to the world around them in positive, developmentally appropriate ways — different sounds, surfaces, objects, environments, people, smells, and everyday experiences — so they learn that new things are safe rather than frightening.
However, we don’t live an in ideal world and having to care for or rescue pups much younger than 8 weeks is often unavoidable due to different circumstances.
This post is not aimed at those situations - it’s about education, awareness and encouraging people not to support irresponsible breeding practices that place profit and convenience above the wellbeing and healthy development of puppies.
Credit: Dogs Disclosed
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