How Long Should Pups Stay With Their Mother?

The neonatal period of a pup is a period of extreme importance in a pup's mental and physical formation and has a great impact on the dog's later development. As a breeder or a future dog owner, you should learn about the recommended age to separate the pup from its mother and siblings, so this will not interfere with the pup's natural development or alter its personality and behavior in any way.

  1. Early Development

    • The first 21 days of a pup's life represent an essential time frame in the dog's mental, physical and emotional development. During this critical period, the basic biological needs of the pup, such as nutrition, cleaning and elimination, are best tended to by the mother. This is also a time when pups gradually begin to establish contact with the exterior world. Until the age of three weeks, pups don't hear any sounds and they open their eyes between their 11th and 19th day.

    Mother's Role in Physical Development

    • Pups should be breastfed by their mother, since this milk is a natural source of antibodies and will strengthen the pup's immune system. The mother's role in immunization is however dependent on her own health condition. The mother should be vaccinated against specific diseases. As a general rule, pups should not be weaned before they are seven-weeks-old. Weaning them at an earlier time may cause distress and may affect the dog's development and behavior.

    Mother's Role in Emotional Development

    • Starting with the third week, after the puppy starts to see and hear, the pup's mental life undergoes important transformations due to the confrontation of the outer world. The permanent exterior stimulation can sometimes be emotionally traumatic and may induce a sense of fear in the pup. The mother acts as a barrier between the world and the puppy and makes it feel more comfortable.

    Mother's Role in Mental Development

    • Up to the age of four months, the puppy establishes the fundamentals of socialization and character in relation to its mother and siblings. During this time, the pup also learns how to relate to other dogs. Dogs that had been separated from their peers at an early age (i.e., before the puppy is four-weeks-old) tend to socialize with humans rather than other dogs.

    Appropriate Age for Separation

    • The fourth week of a pup's life is when it is most dependent on its mother. Separating the pup from its mother at this age can affect the dog's emotional balance for life. Separation of the pups from their mother is customarily recommended sometime around their seventh week, when their brain is completely developed. Research has shown that dogs that have been separated from their mothers at an earlier stage are more likely to display aggressive behavior.