Everyone must be aware about this fact that puppies are to be kept with their mothers till they are at least 2-3 months old. its only beneficial for them, although the much common notion our people have is of 40-45 even 30 days old and take away the pup. but that’s completely wrong.
The physical development might happen by then but the psychological learning process that is ongoing is put to a stop and most behavioral issues of dogs are due to separating them early from their mother and litter mates. Many important learning aspects a mother provides their pups in this duration. I hope this post creates awareness and makes a change in all of you who feel otherwise. Remember even the top kennel clubs promotes puppies’ sale at 8 weeks and above i.e., 2 months and above but since we have a lot of backyard breeders and puppy mills, they simply give away the pups at just 4-5 weeks of age. but it’s not their fault completely, we create the demand of cheap priced pups at a very early age. it’s you and only you who can make this change by not doing an impulse buying and hurrying into getting a younger pup. if you so desperately desire a dog, first go for fostering options to get an experience and then look for adoption from NGOs or local shelters which is the best because you’re also doing a good deed in saving another life. but nonetheless, the choice remains your own. remember, one should not compromise this 8-week period of a pup’s life if you truly are a dog lover.
It is very important for us humans to understand what a mother dog and her puppies’ relations all about. The mothers’ duty is not only to feed and nourish the puppies physically but also psychologically. The main role what she plays in that crucial stage is that she educates the pups and teaches them to be confident in life. The learning process of the pups begin the day they are born. At the time of giving birth, the mother is calm assertive, and this energy is immediately picked by the pups. They are born with their nose open. Smelling is their basic instinct because, 60-70% of the brain is controlled by their nose. With the help of the nose, dogs do their introductions. They smell their rear and feel each other’s energy as introduction. This way they come to know whether this particular dog or living thing is dominant, excited, fearful, nervous, tensed, anxious etc. They don’t introduce themselves saying “Hi, my name is …?” or “Which breed are you?” or “What is your name?”
After 13-15 days, their eyes open. they see each other and start exploring the environment as they start walking. After 20-25 days, their ears open. Now they can smell, see and even hear. The orders go like this: NOSE-EYES-EARS. In this order, they introduce themselves properly, but we humans exactly do the opposite. At the time they are 3-4 weeks old, the mother starts teaching them and gives them some RULES-BOUNDARIES-LIMITATIONS and this education continues till they are 2-3 months old. If we pick any pup at such an early stage, then some happy-go-lucky pups might adjust easily but not every pup will do so. Some will undergo separation anxiety or will not be confident enough or will develop fear. So, 2-3 months old is an ideal age to get the pup home.
Sometimes, people say their female dog who recently delivered pups tried to snap unknown humans or sometimes at the owner himself when they try to touch the pup during their first 3-4 days. This is not aggression; indeed, it is very healthy for a mother to do this, and you should not stop her from doing this till they are just 1-2 weeks old because she is just communicating with the people that the pups are not yet ready to be touched by a human and might allow only 1-2 people with whom she has the highest amount of trust. Sometimes, the mother will gently bite her pups just to snap them out of what they are doing and to correct them for misbehaving which is her way of disciplining them. So, it is our duty to see to it that this process is not stopped, and we shouldn’t separate the pups from the mother until they are at least 2-3 months of age!!!!!
Written by – Khushi Bhatt.
