# perfect time to pick up pup?



## cedarsedge (Sep 21, 2006)

What do you guys think is the best time to pick up your pup? I think the 7-8 week period is best, seems like the pup will really bond with you the best during that period.Not that you can't get a pup a little older just think you missed a great window of oppurtunity to bond with your pup.

What do you guys think? Dan


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## bratlabs (Mar 11, 2005)

49th day is suppose to be the magic day, but Ive seen pups picked up at 10 weeks that bond just as good as 7 week pups. Id be more concerned
about picking up to early then to late.


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## cedarsedge (Sep 21, 2006)

I had a guy from my last litter that wanted to get his pup at week 5-6  I told him that is to early the pups still need there mother at this period. Even though they are fro the most part weaned away from mother, I think there are still social issues that are learned from the mother at this age. JMHO

Dan


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## gonehuntin' (Jul 27, 2006)

The older the better, as long as they are SOCIALIZED. You can tell so much more about the pups the older they get. If I had a choice, I'd pick at 10 weeks. You can tell a lot about the pups, the litter bully hasn't been established, and they're still plenty young to bond with you. That 49 day crap was started or rather, emphasized by Wolters, and taken as gospel ever since. Now it's being de-bunked. HOWEVER, if the pups are just kept in a kennel and never talked to or handled, I'd want it on the 49th day. Then again, I'd never buy a pup from a kennel that raised them like that. All pups need human love, and the more the better.


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## cedarsedge (Sep 21, 2006)

How many people want htere pups to have early nero-stimulation done to there pups? the first litter I had I didn't do it the last one I did the research and did it with the entire litter. In my opinion if you are not doing it you are really missing out.
Most don't do it because it takes some time out of there day or are to lazy to do it. Dan


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## lecub (Mar 14, 2003)

we keep our pups a least 9-10 weeks, pups have lots human contact and really develop the personallity to help us match the pup to the new owner.
Lee


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## Cyrus (Nov 24, 2003)

cedarsedge said:


> What do you guys think is the best time to pick up your pup? I think the 7-8 week period is best, seems like the pup will really bond with you the best during that period.Not that you can't get a pup a little older just think you missed a great window of oppurtunity to bond with your pup.
> 
> What do you guys think? Dan


I think it depends on the pup somewhat, but I have always picked my dogs on the 49th day except one which was about day 52 if I remember right. I agree with you that this is a time line that works best.


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## stonebroke (Dec 16, 2004)

I've bred dogs for about 19 years now and have placed them in their new homes a different ages for a variety of reasons. Sometimes people want me to hold a pup as they are on vacation, so it doesn't get to them until it is 9 to 12 weeks of age. Other times I've not been able to ship pups because of weather restrictions, so I have them a little longer. I've also had people who insist they get them at 6 weeks of age. I will not let a pup go that is younger than 6 weeks, and really don't like them to go that young.

As stated by others, the 49 day deal has been pretty much disproven. Mr. Wolters got rich off training a very small handful of dogs and writing several books based on a very limited number of dogs he'd actually trained.

Pups develop in stages. What you see at 7 or 8 weeks may not be what you see at 10 weeks, and what you see at 10 weeks may be very different from what you see at 6 months, 12 months, etc.

Don't get hung up on what age to bring a pup home at. As mentioned earlier, what the breeder does during those few weeks he/she has a litter of pups is more important than the age you bring the pup home at. And equally important is the quality of the breeding...... The odds of a well bred pup from good solid hunting lines developing into a good dog is much greater than a pup from one that is not.

So, what a person needs to do is find a pup whose parents, grandparents, etc. exhibit those traits he is looking for and then make sure the breeder does the things with young pups that need to be done to ensure that the pup is off to a good start. Any time after 7 weeks is a good time if the pup is well bred and from the right breeder.


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