Sled dog breeding

[Americano Blue]

Oh no! Poor puppy. You are supposed to transition them slowly from milk to food. From 5 weeks to 8 weeks of age he drank milk, and was fed dry puppy food soaked in milk until soft, 3 times a day, there was always some unsoaked milk in his bowl that he was happy to drink. From 8 to 10 weeks of age I cut back on the milk until he was off of it. I did the same for the kitten I rescued. I believe that a puppy or kitten should be with its mother, nursing for as long as she will let him, or at least until 8 weeks old.

same. the lady who sold them the dog didnt know a thing about breeding. her dog got pregnant by mistake and she didn't want puppies in the house. personally i think she was lazy

 

[Americano Blue]

And some mothers will kill and eat their pups after birth. You can never tell how a female will react , each litter is different.

But for maximum benefit to the pups, they should be nursing at least 6-8 weeks and stay with their mom till 8 weeks old for socialization. Selling pups too soon is bad for the puppies.

I wasnt happy picking Phantom up at such an early age. But my breeders mom called and said that she had been given specific instructions to call me and let me know what was going on and that I had a choice. I thought if my breeder,who was in the hospital, is that concerned then I should follow her advice and get my puppy.

yeah. i don't like getting dogs early

 

[SternRose]

yeah. i don't like getting dogs early

I think 12weeks is the longest and best to get a pup. 8weeks is ok but it's harder then waiting 4more weeks to get a more settled dog.

 

[Americano Blue]

I think 12weeks is the longest and best to get a pup. 8weeks is ok but it's harder then waiting 4more weeks to get a more settled dog.

i buy sled dog when they are at least 6 months

 

[SternRose]

i buy sled dog when they are at least 6 months

Well that's a different scenerio. You buy yours that age because they already have sled dog training. Buying a pet or show dog is different.

 

[Starfire669]

I think 12weeks is the longest and best to get a pup. 8weeks is ok but it's harder then waiting 4more weeks to get a more settled dog.

i buy sled dog when they are at least 6 months

I agree that there are many benefits to letting a puppy stay with its mom longer than most breeders allow. I don't think 6 weeks is the age to sell/send pups off to a new home. Puppies get most of their social skills by 12 weeks of age, and mom and the breeder are their teachers. Mom teaches the puppy dog behaviors and skills, and the breeder should teach human interaction to puppies.

But, not everyone knows how, or care to socialize a young puppy. Take my dog Cheyenne, she was 12 weeks old and with her mom and remaining sibling, when I met her. But she had never left her concrete pen, or been touched by a human. When I touched her she screamed like I was killing her. She also was severely emaciated, had eye infection, and was a very sick pup. I purchased her, called an animal abuse hotline, and then took her to a vet. She is now healthy in body, but not in mind. She will suffer the rest of her life from the lack of socialization. I could not re-home her even if I wanted too, she would end up being euthanized, as she either pees herself in fear or turns to fear aggression around strange dogs and humans. I work with her every day and have her in obedience class as well. She has made progress, she no longer cowers behind my knees.

It takes more than just the mom to make a well balanced puppy. I have seen some puppies go to new homes at 8 weeks old and be fine, and others that end up having problems. It's not just the age, it's the handling and interactions the puppy has that determines how it will end up. Phantom was well sociliazed by his breeder, and I continued his socialization when I brought him home at 5 weeks of age.

So when buying a puppy, it's not just the age at which they are being sold, it's how well their breeder socialized them. Along with looking at OFA, Cerf, kennel conditions, etc, check how the puppies react to people and other animals, before buying. A dog with no social skills needs a lot more of your time and a different way of being handled. Fear aggression is actually the worst type of aggression, and most people end up putting this type of dog in shelters or euthanizing them.

 

[Starfire669]

Fiona has a meet and greet tonight. This one seems very promising. The adopters live 5 minutes from my training facility, have had Rotties before, and will be getting 2 weeks of free obedience training while Fiona is with them. If they decide to keep Fiona and continue the training, at that point they will pay for the training. The family has 3 daughters, 1 a 5 month old baby, and 2 cats. I believe that Fiona will do great in this environment as she loves kids and cats. The family will meet us at our training facility after meet the teacher tonight. Then I will follow them to their home to help them introduce the cats to Fiona. There is some concern that their 20 pound rag doll cat's size may bother Fiona (I don't think so) or that the young kitten may charge Fiona when we walk in (a valid concern), so I will help them get everything settled. Tonight will start the 2 week trail run for Fiona with this new family.

Let's hope and pray this goes well! I am very excited for Fiona.

 

[Americano Blue]

Well that's a different scenerio. You buy yours that age because they already have sled dog training. Buying a pet or show dog is different.

for pets I at least wait 4 months.

 

[Americano Blue]

Fiona has a meet and greet tonight. This one seems very promising. The adopters live 5 minutes from my training facility, have had Rotties before, and will be getting 2 weeks of free obedience training while Fiona is with them. If they decide to keep Fiona and continue the training, at that point they will pay for the training. The family has 3 daughters, 1 a 5 month old baby, and 2 cats. I believe that Fiona will do great in this environment as she loves kids and cats. The family will meet us at our training facility after meet the teacher tonight. Then I will follow them to their home to help them introduce the cats to Fiona. There is some concern that their 20 pound rag doll cat's size may bother Fiona (I don't think so) or that the young kitten may charge Fiona when we walk in (a valid concern), so I will help them get everything settled. Tonight will start the 2 week trail run for Fiona with this new family.

Let's hope and pray this goes well! I am very excited for Fiona.

sweet I will pray it works out

 

[Americano Blue]

I agree that there are many benefits to letting a puppy stay with its mom longer than most breeders allow. I don't think 6 weeks is the age to sell/send pups off to a new home. Puppies get most of their social skills by 12 weeks of age, and mom and the breeder are their teachers. Mom teaches the puppy dog behaviors and skills, and the breeder should teach human interaction to puppies.

But, not everyone knows how, or care to socialize a young puppy. Take my dog Cheyenne, she was 12 weeks old and with her mom and remaining sibling, when I met her. But she had never left her concrete pen, or been touched by a human. When I touched her she screamed like I was killing her. She also was severely emaciated, had eye infection, and was a very sick pup. I purchased her, called an animal abuse hotline, and then took her to a vet. She is now healthy in body, but not in mind. She will suffer the rest of her life from the lack of socialization. I could not re-home her even if I wanted too, she would end up being euthanized, as she either pees herself in fear or turns to fear aggression around strange dogs and humans. I work with her every day and have her in obedience class as well. She has made progress, she no longer cowers behind my knees.

It takes more than just the mom to make a well balanced puppy. I have seen some puppies go to new homes at 8 weeks old and be fine, and others that end up having problems. It's not just the age, it's the handling and interactions the puppy has that determines how it will end up. Phantom was well sociliazed by his breeder, and I continued his socialization when I brought him home at 5 weeks of age.

So when buying a puppy, it's not just the age at which they are being sold, it's how well their breeder socialized them. Along with looking at OFA, Cerf, kennel conditions, etc, check how the puppies react to people and other animals, before buying. A dog with no social skills needs a lot more of your time and a different way of being handled. Fear aggression is actually the worst type of aggression, and most people end up putting this type of dog in shelters or euthanizing them.

poor doggie