Breeders/Experienced Dog Owners: Thoughts on this?

I was talking with a co-worker who has 2 purebred Vizlas that he shows.... I told him I am in contact with a great breeder of South African Boerboels and he told me to ask if the breeder allows for pups to remain with the mother/other puppies for 12…

    Breeders/Experienced Dog Owners: Thoughts on this?

    I was talking with a co-worker who has 2 purebred Vizlas that he shows.... I told him I am in contact with a great breeder of South African Boerboels and he told me to ask if the breeder allows for pups to remain with the mother/other puppies for 12…...
    Dog Breed Discussions : Breeders/Experienced Dog Owners: Thoughts on this?...

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    • Breeders/Experienced Dog Owners: Thoughts on this?

      Breeders/Experienced Dog Owners: Thoughts on this? Dog Breed Discussions
      I was talking with a co-worker who has 2 purebred Vizlas that he shows.... I told him I am in contact with a great breeder of South African Boerboels and he told me to ask if the breeder allows for pups to remain with the mother/other puppies for 12 weeks.He felt as though if a pup is allowed to stay for a month longer than the usual 8 week period, it gains a ton of socialization skills, learns how to interact with other dogs better, etc. Id love to hear people's thoughts on allowing a pup to stay with breeder until 12 weeks old...Thanks! (FYI, I have a purchase and sales agreement signing next week for a 6 acre property... and we have ALWAYS wanted a boerboel.. but how we have the need for a large working/guarding breed to watch our property and be a companion. I know some people like to bash the guarding breeds on here )marti43- Excellent point about the "shipping of a dog". I agree, I wish more breeders wouldnt ship puppies. Ill be travelling to PA from MA by car to pick up my boerboel.... I cant stand shipping puppies! Good point.Everyone has made awesome points! Opinion questions always make it hard to pick a best answer...

      Breeders/Experienced Dog Owners: Thoughts on this?

      Breeders/Experienced Dog Owners: Thoughts on this? Dog Breed Discussions
    • I think it really comes down to preference. Obviously, 8 weeks is the very youngest a pup should leave the mother, but waiting to 12 weeks is beneficial as well. I think it just comes down to personal preference and comfort levels, etc. 8 weeks, 10 weeks, 12 weeks..... whatever the breeder feels is most beneficial for their litter, then I agree with them.

    • Wasn't aware that 8 weeks *was* "usual". More "usual" *would* be 12 weeks. Most breeders I know place their puppies around that time (11 or 12 weeks.) 8 weeks is pretty darned young, and I agree with your Viszla friend.

    • I think it depends on the breed and what your plans are for the dog. I'm not familiar with the Boerboel, but from my experience and research with working dogs (Dobermans and Belgians) the optimum age seems to be 49 days (7 weeks). This gives them enough time to learn to be doggy but puts them into your hands at the best time to bond and begin the training process.More important, though, is that the breeder breeds for sound temperament and health, and socializes their puppies from an early age.

    • The length of time that pups should stay with their littermates really depends on the breed. All should stay until a minimum of 8 weeks... some breeds at 8 weeks really are gaining nothing by staying longer and are missing out on a time to bond with humans, other breeds are growing, and becoming more stable both physically and emotionally. I tend to like my pups to stay with me until they are 10-12 weeks of age. It allows me to give them a good foundation in basic manners as well as to start housetraining and crate training.

    • i would say the 6 weeks should be long enough i almost lost my dog when she had her pups because they were around too long and they kept trying to feed off her and she lost a lot of calcium so i would defiantly say 6 weeks is long enough...

    • Personally I do not bash any breed. Yes, I am in agreement with leaving the pups with the mom for 12 weeks. I am not a breeder but am a trainer. I can tell you there are far less behavior problems with pups that have been left as a family unit for three months. The pups learn a lot from mom and each other. The three main things being bite inhibition, socialization and communication skills.

    • " I know some people like to bash the guarding breeds on here "Not me -- I own/foster/train and help with rescue for rotties and have done so for 20 yrs. What I would say is whatever you do get then bring it up as your pet with firm fair boundaries. The guarding instinct will be there but you must try not to allow this to become its primary function otherwise you could have more on your plate than you can deal with. As for the pup staying with the mother/pups longer then that is debateable and worth seeing what others think. It can learn to bond with dogs more than humans if left too long also. Also if it is the most dominant within the litter then it will take that dominance with it into the new home. However I do feel the best teacher for it is its mother. The best rottie I ever had was hand-reared from two weeks although it was still left with its litter until 8 weeks.

    • From personal experience, the longer the pup stays with Mum, the more confident and secure the dog will be. Having said that, this is only useful when the new owner provides a follow up education with allowing the dog to evolve and learn by keeping the mind alert and with training.Guard dogs are fine, as long as they are given time off the chain. Although you strike me as a wonderful owner to any dog, who already knows the 'humane' approach to any animal, the best guard dog, is a dog trained to be a guard dog. When the dog grows, the neck gets bigger and the collar needs to be changed. I campaign for all chained dogs to receive the status of 'working dog'. This way, by Law, owners need to remove the chain every 4 hours and allow the dog a break. As you may know, there are owners who literally never take the chain off and not only is it cruel, but the chain grows into the dogs skin, with consequences that are unspeakable.6 acres, sounds like a great place to be. In the UK under the Duty of Care, the owner is obliged to provide shelter (a dog house), appropriate heat during the cold season and shade during the hot season, plus water and food. May sound silly, but I've seen it with my own eyes, dogs sweltering in the heat and no water, whilst freezing in the cold, without proper food.

    • It's absolutely breed-specific. What applies to Viszlas may not apply to Boerboels, and I would follow the advice of a responsible Boerboel breeder.Breeders in my breed let their puppies go at 8 weeks, unless they're having a hard time deciding which one to keep. Keeping them together longer results in an indifferent, unruly mob with a pack mentality, which doesn't always serve a pet owner well.But that's my breed. Not a solo guardian breed. The people who know the breed best can give you the best information.

    • 8 weeks is only a minimum. Personally i like to keep my guys till 12 weeks on so that they can get at least 2 sets of shots from the vet, i do not do combined shots, also they learn more socialization, and we do leash training and show training during those times. For my weimaraners we do bird wing training which gets them to use their natural instincts. they also get leash training, and gun fire training. My bulldogs get leash and conformation training

    • I do not agree and here is why. Most breeders do not have the time or the know how to properly socialize a dog, never mind an entire litter properly.I have said this in here 100 times and I will say it again...socializing a puppy does NOT constitute having play with other dogs. Socializing means that the dog gets exposure to the real world that it will face as an adult and everything in it.On the rare occasion that I do get a puppy, I have specific requirements that state that the dog comes with me at 6 weeks.There is a very important period that takes place between 4 and 12 weeks when the dog MUST be exposed to life in order for it not to develop phobias later on. That window of exposure slams shut at 12 weeks and I am not willing to take a chance on a young dog, especially in the guarding field.Hope I helped.ADD: If dogs were not able to be shipped, I fail to understand how I would get any of mine as they all come from Europe.Thousands of dogs are being shipped daily, never heard of any problems unless the dogs are of questionable temperament to begin with.

    • Our first German Shepherd puppy was purchased from a very well known breeder. a couple who both were show judges and obedience judges.Their dogs were known nationwide. We had to do 3- 1 hr interviews with our entire family at their home/kennels. Then they decided which puppy would be best suited for my 13 yr old son who had saved his money and would obedience train the dog.They never sold a puppy before it was 3 month old nor would they ever ship a puppy. A standard more breeders should adhere to.Our puppy was taught with it's littermates to come. All were called puppy but were the 'k' litter. We could name our puppy any 'k' name.The reason being that if they ever saw/read about any one of their puppies in a magazine, show etc. they could immediately pinpoint which parents produced it out of which litter. They were very serious about the quality of their GSs.Years later they called to ask about her health and hips.Yes, I definitely agree that a 3 month old puppy is much better for staying with it's mom than an 8 week old puppy.We named her Kay. I fell in love with the GS breed because of her.and because they were called to come as a litter. No matter what she was doing, if she heard 'come' she stopped and came. She amazed me.

    • I leave the pups with their dam for 12 weeks. It allows mama to teach them some basic manners and it's a good chance for the pups to interact with other youngsters and older dogs. But some other breeders like to leave the puppies with their dam at only 8 weeks, as dogs sell better when younger, but I'm not in this for money, I'm in this for the pleasure and the work!

    • I'll make your choice easier! You should get some quality stock from SA and then start breeding. I have the perfect name for a boerboel breeder, Overkill Kennels. When too much dog just isn't enough!