When to adopt a puppy question

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Mama BMT
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Joined: 02 Jul 2018, 15:44
First Name: Renee

When to adopt a puppy question

Post by Mama BMT »

I'm going to be adopting a miniature Schnauzer puppy. The puppy is currently 5 weeks old and some extenuating circumstances have arisen. For one, the breeder has had some family emergencies arise with aging parents (both is the hospital etc.). The second concern is that the mother of the liter has completely weaned them and won't interact with her babies at all. Because the breeder is away so much, the puppies are having very little contact with people let alone experiencing new surfaces to walk on etc. I know this because eI have access to a 24 hour video feed and have been watching regularly. Also, my puppy is the smallest of the liter. Although he's a "runt" he's very healthy; he's just a hit smaller than one puppy, but significantly smaller than the other one. The breeder is doing an excellent job at keeping their crated area clean, and is giving them food and water...so his basic needs are being met; I'm just 90% sure that he's being introduced to very many enriching experiences. In this situation, is adopting this puppy at 6 or 7 weeks a good idea?
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zeta1454
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Re: When to adopt a puppy question

Post by zeta1454 »

This is a difficult situation and hard to give a definitive answer without knowing much more about the circumstances.
If you are confident that the breeder is reputable, responsible etc. and that all health testing of parent dogs (eye screening for Progressive Retinal Atrophy, Hereditary Cataracts and DNA test for MAC) have been done and that the only possible concern is the unforeseen situation with the breeder's parents, then you could consider taking the puppy earlier than usual.

However, the situation with the mother does sound unusual in my experience - I assume from the mention of the 24 hour video feed that you have seen her previously feeding her pups and caring for them?

Have you actually visited the breeder's home and met the pups and the mother?

In terms of socialisation, you are right, that if little or nothing is being done, the pups will be at a disadvantage developmentally and it could be a good idea to take a puppy out of that situation to carry out the socialisation yourself. However, the puppies should be taken to be eye screened by a specialist vet between 6-7 weeks of age to ensure there are no indications of Congenital Hereditary Cataracts so you would really need to know that this is going to be carried out before you take the puppy. Additionally, if you are in the UK, the puppy will have to be microchipped and registered on the appropriate database in the name and details of the breeder before he leaves his birth home. The paperwork or details to transfer the microchip information to your details will need to be provided by the breeder.

Many of the best breeders do have a network of other breeders/ friends they can call on in an emergency of this nature so I would hope that the breeder you mention may be able to get some assistance with raising her pups over the next three weeks and carrying out the necessary screening and microchipping.

So, I would act with caution in the circumstances you describe and make absolutely sure this situation is genuine, the breeder is trustworthy and is going to fulfil her/his obligations and responsibilities towards the litter they have bred. If you have no concerns about that at all then certainly suggesting to the breeder that you would take the puppy after the eye screening and microchipping but before 8 weeks of age may be the best solution. If you do have doubts, I would walk away.
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

Magic - Silversocks Sharade at Darksprite
Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud


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