I have a shih tzu and got her when she was 9-10 weeks and she is the sweetest wee thing x

Its a kennel club rule not to let them go before 8 weeks

there are also some less reputable breeders who will sell pups claiming they are older than they actually are...in those instances the RSPCA should be informed as they would have the right to take them away!! So there is obviously a good reason why animals shouldnt be seperated from their mothers early, and even if the mother has rejected them that doesnt necessarily mean they can be sold coz they would then need to be fed special formula milk in replacement of the mothers milk!! i believe there is such a thing as weaning animals too early...

we breed Yorkies ....well did, till a couple of years ago..... i think 8 weeks is waaay too early. my last litter (which was Labs) stayed with me till atleast 12 weeks, tho i think it was more 14 TBH.....lots of people said they wanted them ealier and they ended up not buying because of this.....

For whippets/lurchers the usual age to collect them is 8 weeks. They are weaned at about 6 weeks and then this gives a couple of weeks after to check that everything is okay before going to their new homes.

We have picked ours up at 10 weeks but this is presonnal preference as we could have had them at 8 weeks but chose not to as we like them to have a bit longer with the dam. They learn so much about social behavour off the dam in the early weeks.

Many of our friends chose to collect theirs at 8 weeks because they want to miximise the bonding, training/socialising window that they have to work with.

I think there are advantages and disadvantages to both, depending on your viewpoint and what you want/expect from the dog. The dogs of friends who have picked them up at 8 weeks, have shown no ill effects at all and have turned out to be well rounded, well socialised and excellently trained dogs.

I think regardless of when they are taken away from their dam's, ( as long as this is not before 8 weeks), with the correct training and socialising and using the puppyhood window to the max, you should have a good companion.

To me it's investing in this window and the hard work by the owners during this time that effects the pup more than whether it's collected at 8 or 12 weeks.

Alex

I let my pups go to their new homes at 10 weeks But started time away from the bitch at 8 weeks to let her milk to start drying up. They are German Shep pups btw.