When to separate a puppy from its mother

There is nothing in the world sweeter than a young puppy. If you meet your puppy for the first time, you can try to take him home and begin your bond. But should you do that? It depends on the age of the puppy and the type of dog you have.

In general, your puppy should be about 8 weeks old and ready to be separated from the mother. The separation of puppies from their mothers may be due to maternal or puppies’ welfare reasons.

 

When is it ideal to separate a litter?

When puppies have fully transitioned to solid foods

One of the reasons why puppies have to stay with their mothers, up to 8 weeks of age, because it can take for some puppies until they eat 100% solid food.

Most puppies begin with the gradual shift of their mother’s milk shift to solid foods for 3 to 5 weeks. It may take until you are about 7 weeks old until you eat completely from your mother and do not breastfeed your mother.

In addition, puppies that prevent breastfeeding from breastfeeding may exhibit unsafe behaviors for the rest of their lives.

Puppies have learned social skills from their mother and siblings

Puppies learn how the world works from their mother and siblings. You have to learn to follow Mother’s example and how to play together, as well as whether it is enough.

In addition, the consideration is that the period of socialization of puppies is of fundamental importance for their development and expanded up to 16 weeks.

During this time, your puppy is like a sponge, soaked, with information about how the world works. You want you to safely expose as many people, places, and things as you can.

This can contain different surfaces, cars and bicycles, old and young people, as well as different sites, everything is new to your dog.

Remember to be careful until your puppy is fully vaccinated.

When the puppy has enough of his vaccinations to travel safely

For younger puppies who need to travel a long distance to their new homes, especially with the plane, some breeders may recommend until the puppy is 10 to 12 weeks before driving.

This allows the puppy to be more advanced in vaccinations and have a stronger immune system. Remember that airports are full of people (and pets) they can also have many germs that want to go to their puppies.

Risks that puppies are separated too early from their mother

Your puppy may not be fully developed

In the first two weeks of life, your puppy cannot see or hear and depend on the mother. If you separate the puppy from the mother in these first days, the chances of survival are reduced.

Even if you feed a bottle with a replacement for milk, there is a chance that you could lose the puppy.

Your puppy may develop behavioral problems

Puppies learn a lot of mother and siblings. Disconnect a puppy from its mother and garbage increases the chance of behavioral problems in the future.

While this isn’t a guarantee that you’ll see behavioral issues, a discontinued puppy may have to basically show signs of aggression, resource protection, anxiety, or other behavioral issues.

These puppies can also be more difficult to train.

Your puppy may develop breastfeeding behaviors

Some puppies separated from their mothers can’t stop sucking on their favorite toys in adulthood.

This behavior may not be harmful and can actually calm down for your dog. You should be wary of behavior that will be compulsive. If you care about this behavior, talk to your veterinarian.

Having a puppy is a challenging and rewarding experience. Start the gait with your puppy on the right foot to make sure he has enough time with his birth mother before taking him home.

Most dogs have an average lifespan of 10 to 20 years, which means you’ll have plenty of time with your beloved dog!

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