At what age is it better to take a puppy?

You are sure that you are ready for the appearance of a dog in the house, you have decided on the breed and you know where you will take a new friend. It remains to decide at what age it is better to take a puppy. This is an important question, because it largely depends on how your life together with the dog will turn out.

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The answer to the question “What is the best age to get a puppy“is not unambiguous, as it depends on the purpose for which you take the dog, on the composition of the family, your employment and many other factors.

The earlier the better?

It is a fairly common belief that a puppy should be adopted as early as possible, as soon as he is able to eat on his own. Indeed, a couple of decades ago it was customary to give the baby to new owners when he was one month old. But is this the right decision?

Unfortunately no. If a puppy separates from its mother and siblings too early, this can cause a lot of problems. At the age of one month, the puppy is still heavily dependent on the mother, who brings up the cubs, teaches them the rules of behavior, including cleanliness in the den and communication with relatives.

In addition, the age of 3 – 7 weeks is the so-called primary socialization of the puppy, when he learns to be a dog, masters the language of his species. And if he does not get this knowledge, his future life will become quite difficult – to the point that behavioral problems will arise.

In addition, at the age of 1 month it is too early to vaccinate, and the puppy is at risk of getting sick in a new place.

When is the best time to get a puppy?

To date, it is believed that the optimal age for moving a puppy to a new family is 60 days. At this age, the baby is already aware of himself as a dog, has learned the basics of communication with representatives of his own species and is quite strong. In addition, at this age, the puppy can already be trained (of course, in a playful way), and you will not miss precious time.

However, if there are children in the family, it may be worth waiting until the puppy is 4 to 5 months old. At this age, the puppy is already able to hide if he is tired of communicating with your heirs, or stand up for himself, while he is not so small that children can cause him serious harm. But of course, it’s worth making sure that the puppy has had a positive and safe experience with children while in the care of a breeder.

If you are counting on winning in the show ring and this is very important for you, it is better to wait until the puppy grows up and it becomes clear whether you can count on prizes. At two months, you can only roughly determine how big a dog will grow, so there is a risk that you will have to give up the dream of winning all the championship titles in the universe and surroundings.

Remember that a puppy requires a lot of effort to care for him, in particular, more frequent walking and feeding. Are you able to provide all this?

If not, it might be worth considering getting a grown dog (6 months or older). Such a pet, most likely, is already accustomed to walking, and you can feed it twice a day. In addition, he may already have undergone some training. However, there is a risk that the dog has already formed bad habits, which will be more difficult to get rid of than if you raised the baby “from scratch”.

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In any case, the choice is yours. And at whatever age you take a dog, with the right approach and the right attitude, it will give you a lot of joy and become a true friend.