When is it better to take a puppy from its mother?

From birth to two weeks: neonatal period (newborn period)

Puppies are born with not fully developed and strengthened brain. Their eyes and ears are not functioning, they are not able to walk, and the only movements they are able to carry out are constant head shaking and crawling on the floor. During the neonatal period, the female constantly licks her puppies, giving them her scent and stimulating them to urinate and defecate, because puppies are not yet fully capable of doing this on their own.

Konrad Lorenz in 1937 developed the theory of imprinting, according to which the image of the mother is imprinted in the minds of little goslings. A similar process of imprinting the image of the mother occurs in dogs. The training center for dogs in the Swedish city of Sollefteo revealed that some behavior, such as whining, is not genetically predetermined, but is a direct consequence of imprinting. Even the shaking of the head by a newborn puppy takes place along a trajectory that is optimally suitable for improving the imprinting process.

Thus, it can be assumed that everything that very young puppies go through has a huge impact on their future development. Even the slightest thought of weaning a puppy from its mother during this period of growing up should be eliminated, because this can lead to physical and psychological underdevelopment of the puppy and even to his death.

From two to four weeks: transition period

During the transition period, the sensory capabilities of the puppy begin to develop rapidly. He has hearing and vision, teeth are being cut. From now on, maternal care will never be presented to him by everything that is in this world. Suddenly, the puppy begins to show interest in the neighborhood puppies and in general in what surrounds him. He will start chasing his own tail, running back and forth around the house and lawn. It is during this period that he barks for the first time.

The maternal influence on the puppy is still quite strong, although the process of her estrangement from the child has already been launched. She can go to another room when you are babysitting a puppy, or even start regurgitating food, thus speeding up the weaning process. No matter how dubious and inadequate it may seem to us, but eating vomit is often quite normal behavior for females. And this happens despite the fact that for many years of breeding, a person has tried to eliminate this aspect of the behavior of an adult dog during the weaning of a puppy from her.

But the most important thing that happens to a puppy during the transition period is that he begins to notice you. How you interact with the puppy at this moment will determine his attitude to people and to an environment rich in constant communication with other people. Your correct behavior will influence the formation of appropriate behavior in the dog, as well as fearlessness. In addition, it affects the development of the brain and intellectual abilities.

From four to eight weeks: the period of socialization

Changes in the development and experience of puppies during this period are so important that behaviorists-dog handlers often call it the "critical period". As the name implies, this is the time when the puppy begins to interact with other dogs and play with their offspring. But just as any kid should be taught certain manners from an early age, so dogs try to instill basic social norms in their puppies.

The most important thing that a puppy learns during socialization is the ability to play. Your dog will play most of his life and especially during the period of socialization, when he is just getting to know this wonderful world through the game. The game is of great importance in the life of a puppy and carries a lot of necessary functions. It occupies and stimulates the puppy, teaches him dexterity, intelligence and determination in difficult situations, as well as compliance with the dog hierarchy. Even more importantly, through the game, the puppy really learns to communicate with other individuals, so that the removal of the puppy from the canine society can affect the formation of a lonely and immature personality in him for the rest of his life.

Make the decision that best suits your puppy

In the case of animals, it is difficult to develop any one universal approach that would ideally suit all breeds and species, because each animal is completely individual. That is why it is so important to evaluate the character of the mother and the character of the puppies before making such a fateful decision. However, it is possible to give an unambiguous answer to the question of whether it is possible to separate a mother and a puppy up to eight weeks. Of course not.

In countries that are lucky enough to have a fairly small population of street dogs and a well-developed dog education industry, people will find it wild and absurd to wean a puppy from its mother before it turns at least eight weeks old. But, unfortunately, in some countries, especially with a large number of street dogs, they are considered as pests or even as a food product. There is no special legislation that would protect dogs, and therefore puppies are sold at the age of five or less weeks. At this age, puppies cannot be sold in any case, no matter how cool and adult they seem.

Many disputes have led to the fact that eight weeks was defined as too early, and 12 weeks is too late, so the golden mean is somewhere between these figures. A good indicator of maternal readiness for weaning from a puppy can be perceived as her leaving him at the moments when he asks her for food, or burping food. Feeding a puppy takes a lot of energy from mom, so it's in her best interest, namely to speed up the weaning process.

The number of puppies also matters. It is very logical that a dog with several puppies will accelerate the weaning process, while an individual with one puppy will slow down. Although the real emotional state of the dog is quite difficult to establish, some signs may still indicate it. For example, if a dog sleeps with his head on the puppies, it means that he is still not ready to be separated from them.

The temperament of puppies also determines their readiness to be separated from their wet nurse and to find a new home. Weak and undeveloped puppies always need more time for socialization and preparation for a new life. Such puppies can be taken from their mother when 12 weeks have passed after birth. But puppies who feel quite confident and eat well can be sold after nine weeks, provided that they have already distanced themselves sufficiently from their mother.

Also, we should not forget about vaccination, especially against parvovirus. After vaccination, the chance of getting infected still remains, but minimal, so it's better to consult with a veterinarian to make the right decision. The truth is that there is no right and wrong way to wean a puppy from its mother, there is no age at which it will be easier for the mother to bear this loss, and the puppy is afraid of a new atmosphere. The changes are hard for dogs to experience in the same way as people. Dogs adapt wonderfully, have a natural curiosity and the ability to rejoice here and now, which cannot be said about people. If you plan everything carefully, the mother and child will endure the separation and will be able to live happily on.