Getting a Puppy... Is He Too Young?

[Neuqua]

I know there are quite a few dog owners on this board, so I figure I'll ask a question that has been bothering me over the past two weeks.

For the past couple weeks, I have been in the market for a canine companion. I knew that I wanted a small dog and after some studying, I came to the decision that I wanted a beagle. After a few leads that led to no where, I think I finally found the dog I was looking for.

The problem however, is the puppy will be only 6 weeks old when I finally bring him home. His mother was brought in from another shelter on April 28th, and the very next day, she gave birth to a litter of 6. I found the litter on a late night internet surf of www.petfinder.com . Anyways, I had been in contact with the shelter that my puppy was being held at and everything seems to be running perfectly. My puppy's current shelter care-taker and I have had numerous phone calls over the past week and a half and I am very confident that the organization that I am taking my puppy from is doing decent work and run by good-natured people.

The age of the dog is really bothering me though. Everywhere that I have read has said that puppies should not be seperated from their mothers until they are atleast 8 weeks old. That seems to be the common rule no matter what source I read. However, this litter has been broken up rather quickly. Today is the first day that members of my puppy's litter have been eligible for adoption and in my conversations with Nikki (the shelter care-taker), she's told me that only one of his siblings will be left with my puppy when I come to pick him up on June 20th. Both remaining pups are scheduled to be picked up on the 20th.

Anyways, I was wondering if anyone out there had any advice on handling an exceptionally young puppy. He is going to be my first ever pet so I do not even have previous experience to help guide me. I do feel I have a good level of knowledge and expectations with all the studying I have done previous to adopting the puppy. It's a responsibility I am confident I am ready for.

Thanks in advance.

[terpkristin]

6 weeks for any domestic animal is an *okay* age. Not necessarily optimal, but certainly doable.

I got my cat when he was about 4 weeks old, and he was separated from his mother probably within a week of being born (he was found abandoned). The best piece of advice is to find a good vet. They will be able to help you with puppy care and new pet ownership, and offer suggestions.

Things I ran into with Oz (my cat):
*It was better for me to be home with him as much as possible in the first few weeks. This is especially true for puppies because of the walking schedule, but it helps create the bond that most animals who are weaned too early lack. It also was important during his first thunderstorm, which scared the bejeezus out of him.
*I don't know if this will be the case for you, but Oz needed to be motivated to eat, first from the bottle and then from the dish. He just wasn't sure, according to the vet, of what to do.
*Oz suckled himself for the better part of his first year. The vet attributed it to him never properly being able to suckle his mother, and it just mean that I needed to make sure he wasn't opening the skin and then getting dirty litter near it.

3 years later, Oz is as normal a cat as I could've hoped for. ;) He still suckles himself every now and then, but he knows me as "mommy" and is easily the only thing that's been constant for me over these last 3 years.

Find a good vet, and things will go well from there. Good luck! :)
/tk

[DanGarion]

Wow a beagle, expect lots of barking :).

[Cringer]

Yeah, 6 weeks is pretty young IMO.

But in this case it seems the dog is going to be 'moved' one way or the other, so I say you might as well get him/her.

[MrBug708]

Name him Sammy!

We got our mini-doxie at 6 weeks and while it was young, it's not bad to get them this early. They are very whiny however at 6 weeks and might need a lot of attention so get ready to give it

[Neuqua]

But in this case it seems the dog is going to be 'moved' one way or the other, so I say you might as well get him/her.

Yeah that pretty much sums up the deal. In conversations with the shelter they explained that June 20th would be the last day they would hold him for me and so either I take him home then or lose him. I will be bringing him home for sure.

[Crapshoot]

Yeah that pretty much sums up the deal. In conversations with the shelter they explained that June 20th would be the last day they would hold him for me and so either I take him home then or lose him. I will be bringing him home for sure.

In that case, it seems going for it is the only option. Do you have an apartment or a house ?

[Neuqua]

I live in a rather spacious house in a suburb outside Chicago.

I don't have a fence, but wish I did. Regardless, I don't think he'll ever not be on his leash outside anyway.

[st.cronin]

A puppy that young needs a lot of attention. Leaving him home alone for long stretches might lead to behavioral issues.

[EagleFan]

I thought 6 weeks was about the normal age for somehting like this.

Whatever you do, don't beat the breeder with the dog later if there are problems... ;) (I have to find a link to that story)

[Grammaticus]

I thought 7 weeks was the best. They get what they need from their mom and then you get to start training them at the right time. It's a big boost if you can start training them before they get too mature.

Anyway, I got my Weimaraner at 7 weeks and she is great. I know several people that got dogs around 5 and 6 weeks and they had no problems. I wouldn't stress over it.

[Passacaglia]

I know it's your first pet, so making the jump to two might be a stretch, but is it possible to take the mother, too? I got a kitten from my stepdad's vet clinic, and since she was the last one of the litter to go, he suggested I take the mother, too. It's gone pretty well -- they have each other as company when no one is home, and we had no problems with the daughter.

[Neuqua]

It's possible. Just don't know how likely.

Is it usually desirable to always keep mom and pup together their entire lives?

[Glengoyne]

Wow a beagle, expect lots of barking :).

No No. That's Howling.

[Craptacular]

We got our first husky at 7 weeks of age. I seem to remember the breeder saying 8 weeks was a good time, but I think it was more to allow them time to make sure the puppies got important vet care before allowing someone else to take them.

[EagleFan]

Here it is...

http://www.wwltv.com/national/stories/WWL060806tppuppyattack.6762f1f7.html

[dervack]

Anyone else read the thread title as Getting a Pumpy?

[wade moore]

In the many puppy books I've read, it's 6-8 weeks, you should be fine. The people at the shelter know what they're doing, they wouldn't give him to you if it was too early.

[Doug5984]

i got my boxer when he was 5 weeks old, it is a little young for a puppy, but he has turned out great. As long as the dog can eat real food you should be ok.

[LoneStarGirl]

GoldenEagle and I adopted a beagle mix from the shelter two years ago. She is the best dog we have ever had. I got my german shephard at 3 months old, but he was taken from his mom at 5. He has a problem with biting, and the vet said its because he was taken away from his mom before 8 weeks. Other than that he was a perfect litle boy... but those teeth are sharp!