The best age for a puppy to enter their new home is at seven to eight weeks old. This is what the evidence tells us, especially the best and most recent study.
A Puppy's First 8 Weeks
You should never adopt a puppy—unless it is without a mother and litter—before they fully wean and begin to eat only solid food. This age will vary based on a few factors, but it is generally between 3 to 5 weeks.
10 weeks is also considered a developmentally appropriate age for a pup to go to his new home. Developmentally speaking, roughly any time during his 8-10 week window is considered the perfect time for a pup to join his new pack as he is still in this critical fear period that makes him very impressionable.
So what is the ideal age for a puppy to be when you welcome him into your home? There are different opinions, as well as a variety of factors, that influence the answer to this question. However, most veterinarians and breeders would put the optimum age to bring home a puppy somewhere between 8-to-10 weeks old.
Puppies should not leave their mom and littermates before eight weeks of age. The mother dog has so much to teach the new puppy; lessons that will affect him all his life, and his littermates teach important lessons as well. If the mother dog has passed away, the littermates need to remain together.
Pups who don't have the opportunity to be corrected by mom will lack the same level of bite inhibition as a "normal" pup. These are the pups with the mouth issues from frantic mouthiness to nipping to downright hard biting. Similarly, sibling pups begin to teach each other in their play.
Puppies who experience early separation also commonly develop other behavioral problems as adults, such as high reactivity, anxiety, attachment-related problems, and inter-dog aggression. We also know that between 3 and 8 weeks old moms begin weaning their pups.
Research has found that puppies who are separated from the litter too early are more likely to show fear, aggression, anxiety, resource guarding, reactivity and inappropriate play biting than puppies who stay with the litter for at least eight weeks.
Ideally, you'll start potty training when they're anywhere from 8 to 16 weeks old. Young puppies have small bowels and bladders, and they don't have full control over their bladder until about 5 months.
Evening Puppy Schedule
Let him spend time playing and interacting with family members. Give him a quick bathroom trip before bed, and then settling him down in his crate for nighttime sleep.
Puppy difficulty at ages 2-3 months
A smaller percentage of owners voted 8-12 weeks as the toughest age.
In general, however, the best age to adopt a puppy is eight to ten weeks. This will give your puppy plenty of time to work through the developmental stages that take place while the puppy is still with its mother.
Puppies are generally considered to be 'safe' two weeks after they have had their second round of injections. If your puppy was vaccinated at 8 weeks, again at 10 weeks, they will be ready at 12 weeks old. Your vet is the best person to advise on this.
Social competition tends to start among littermates at this age. Puppies may start "mock attacking" each other, and play fighting is very common. These "attacks" are important for the puppies from a behavioral and physical standpoint. They allow the pups to practice motor skills and develop good social skills.
Consistency and patience are crucial to success. If you put in the time, you're likely going to complete house training within four to six months. While this time frame may seem long, most puppies will acclimate to house training within a few weeks.
According to the American Kennel Club, puppies younger than 10 weeks cannot be left alone for more than an hour.
Start at three hours, maximum.
A two month old (eight week old) puppy can hold her bladder for three hours. That does not mean she knows she should hold it, though.
Take your puppy outside frequently—at least every two hours—and immediately after they wake up, during and after playing, and after eating or drinking.
No one knows for sure, but puppies probably experience a bit of stress when they're initially separated from their siblings. However, most will adjust to their new sibling-free life very quickly and likely experience no lasting distress.
There is a good chance that they are crying because they are in a brand new environment and scared of it. However, we are sure that that they probably miss their mother a little bit. Dogs, particularly younger ones, are susceptible to social anxiety. Over time, your puppy will cry less and less.
The Standards and Guidelines for the Health and Welfare of Dogs states that a puppy must not be permanently separated from the dam (mother) and littermates for the purpose of transfer unless the puppy is at least eight weeks of age and is fully weaned.
The virus affects dogs' gastrointestinal tracts and is spread by direct dog-to-dog contact and contact with contaminated feces (stool), environments, or people. The virus can also contaminate kennel surfaces, food and water bowls, collars and leashes, and the hands and clothing of people who handle infected dogs.
Generally speaking, your puppy will be ready to eat dry food by 8 to 10 weeks old (at the end of the four-week weaning process, which starts when the puppy is 4 to 5 weeks old). However, this will vary from dog to dog.