There is a lot of controversy between breeders and other dog professionals--trainers, pet counselors and even owners--over the best age to place or sell a puppy. Breeders claim that they need to keep the toy breeds longer than the larger breed dogs and they offer several reasons for this, some contradictory. They say the pup must stay with it's dam and littermates longer than a large breed for "socialization", or they want to be sure the dog is show or pet quality, or that it is too fragile to leave earlier, or even that the new owners cannot take care of such a small puppy.

Many non-breeding animal professionals seriously dispute the need for a pup to stay with its dam and littermates to "learn how to be a dog". In fact, a dog is born with the natural instinct to be what it is. A puppy raised with a litter of kittens will still be a dog--still bark not meow, and still dig in the yard and chase things that run or retrieve or chew--it will not lose it's natural instinct to act like a dog. The actual facts are--humans do not want a dog that has 'stayed with it's dam and littermates to learn to be a dog"!! Humans do not want a pet, especially the toy breeds, that barks excessively, chews furniture and clothes, goes "potty" anywhere in the house and ignores the human voice and commands.

Instead, most pet-loving people want a dog that will bond to them, easy to teach to obey basic commands, likes to be with people and is relatively easy to housetrain (we never believe in house breaking) and does not bark for no reason at all. So when does this bonding start?

Nature itself breaks the mother-puppy bond when the pup is fully weaned. The pup looks to those who bring food and safety to establish a new bond. This is when the human--puppy bond begins. When the pup has a full set of baby teeth and can eat on it's own, the dam usually will move away from the pups more often, to avoid the sharp little teeth. This is the time a wild dog would begin to hunt for her pups and this is when the breeder becomes the primary food source for the puppy. And this age is usually around 6 weeks. Pet professionals and many who also train their own dogs, have agreed that the younger pups train more easily and bond to new owners more closely when placed between 6 and 10 weeks of age. (there are certain legal restrictions in selling or shipping before 8 weeks in some states) After this age, the pup slowly becomes more set in it's ways and these ways become more difficult to change later in life. Some breeders claim they need to keep a pup longer to determine if it is show quality--this often means they are hoping for a fault to disappear or are hoping that an expected fault does not crop up. However, there is evidence that the structure at 8 weeks old is the same structure the dog will have as an adult, AND there is no way to be sure of coat and show worthiness until the dog is 2 years old--so keeping a dog till 4 to 6 months serves no purpose for either a pet or show.

Used with permission © Carol Bixler Pixiedust Papillons.

Thank you Carol!