When Are Puppy Dogs Ready to Be Taken From Their Mother?

Bringing a new puppy into your home is such an exciting experience. Puppies are adorable, playful and a lot of fun, but they are also a lot of work. It is important that your new puppy is mature enough to leave its mother before you bring your puppy home with you. Puppies must first be weaned from their mothers, socialized and then sold by the breeder or adopted at an animal shelter. Choosing a mature puppy that is ready to leave its mother helps to reduce complications in raising the pup.

  1. Newborn Puppy Care

    • Newborn puppies require much care in their first weeks of life.

      Newborn puppies require a lot of specific care. It is best for a trained breeder or veterinary expert to handle and care for newborn puppies to ensure they receive the proper care for their survival. Baby pups must receive warmth, water and food (mother's milk) to survive. When they are first born, puppies do not know how to go to the bathroom on their own. It is the job of the mother dog, or the person raising the puppies if there is no mother, to help stimulate the puppies to relieve themselves.

    Puppies and Weaning

    • Puppies get their nutrition and energy from their mother's milk. Weaning is the process of helping the puppies become less dependent on their mother's milk. During the weaning process, puppies should receive dry puppy chow mixed with some water to create a softer, soupy meal. The pups may need to be encouraged to eat the new food, but many puppies will readily begin to eat. Pups usually begin the weaning process at 3 to 4 weeks and continue weaning gradually until about 7 or 8 weeks of age.

    Socializing Puppies

    • Socialize puppies before they are 18 weeks old for best chances of success.

      Socialization is a key part of raising a puppy. Puppies need exposure to all kinds of people, places, things, sights and smells to become fully socialized. This helps them learn how to live comfortably in different settings. Pups should ideally be socialized anywhere from 3 to 12 weeks of age, while they are most accepting of new places and things. Puppies may continue to socialize fairly easily from 12 to 18 weeks but, after this time, they may be more hesitant or suspicious when around unusual sights, sounds and smells. It can even become impossible to socialize puppies to certain things such as sounds after 18 weeks in some cases.

    When Can a Puppy Leave its Mother?

    • Different puppies may mature at different rates. The ASPCA recommends waiting for puppies to reach 6 to 12 weeks old before taking them away from their mother and litter mates. Puppies of this age should already show signs of being suitable as a family pet. By the time a puppy is ready to leave its mother, it should be somewhat socialized and completely done with the weaning process. Once the puppy goes home with its new family, it can begin house training and learning new tricks.