There’s nothing in the world cuter than a young puppy. When you meet your puppy for the first time you might be tempted to take them right home and start bonding. But should you do this? It depends on how old the puppy is and what type of dog they are.
In many states, there are laws prohibiting puppies from being taken from their mother too early. Generally speaking, your pup should be about 8 weeks old and ready to be separated from mom. These laws only apply to breeders or puppies that are being sold. Animal rescues and shelters may need to remove puppies from their moms earlier for reasons related to the mother or the puppies’ wellbeing.
When is ideal to separate a litter?
1. When the puppies have fully transitioned to solid food
One of the reasons that puppies legally need to stay with their moms until 8 weeks of age is because for some pups it can take that long before they are eating 100% solid food. Most pups begin the gradual switch from their mother’s milk to solid food anywhere from 3-to-5-weeks-old,” says Dr. Jerry Klein, AKC chief veterinary officer. It can take until they are about 7 weeks old until they are fully eating on their own and don’t need to nurse from their mother. Dr. Klein further cautions that puppies who are prevented from nursing can display insecure behaviors for the rest of their lives.
2. The puppies have learned social…
