THE RIGHT AGE: 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 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 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 8 weeks of age. After this age, the pup slowly becomes more set in it's ways and these ways become more difficuh 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 fauh to disappear or are hoping that an expected fauh does not crop up. However, there is evidence that the structure at 6 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. Some breeders say that the new owners have no ability to care for so young a pup. Yet, they will say that they love to play with new puppies and see the personality emerge. We at RPM Bulldogs feel that the new owner CAN care for the dog the same as any breeder and the new owner DESERVES to enjoy and help shape the puppy personality to fit the owner and his life schedules.
There are cases where a pup may be too tiny to place at
an early age, For good breeders, this should be the exception, not the
rule. Any good breeder should be breeding a healthy, sturdy pup, no
matter if they are a toy breed. At Pixiedust, we breed papillons that
can compete in agility and obedience, and still be small lap dogs. And
we want all of our pups and their owners, to develop that special connection
that makes for a life-long companionship between dog and owner. |
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.
Some
breeders have gone to the extreme of saying there is no bonding process--the
dog will love all people equally. There is just too much evidence from
research and owners alike that completely disprove this false statement.
While an older dog may become "generalized" and like anyowner
who treats it kindly, this is NOT the same as that special bond developed
between a young pup and a devoted owner. Older dogs can and do become
special pets, but again, this is not exactly the same as the bonding
for a young pup.