[Newpuppyowner12]

I am going to be getting a 5 week old and was wanting to know if I needed a puppy pad or if I can just take it outside on the grass to use the bathroom????

 

[RonE]

How did that puppy go from 8 weeks to 5 weeks? In about half of the U.S. it is illegal to offer for sale a puppy less than 8 weeks old.

 

[Newpuppyowner12]

Yes well I guess I live on that other half, I was talking to the breeder and I will be picking up the little girl earlier than we have planned this is why she is going to be 5 weeks when I get her. I bought grass puppy pads but was wondering if I could just take her outside to use the bathroom instead?

 

[RonE]

If you're getting a five-week-old puppy, where it's going to pee will be the least of your problems.

 

[Newpuppyowner12]

Yes but could I take it outside to pee

 

[Newpuppyowner12]

That is all I want to know.

 

[Newpuppyowner12]

The breeder says that the puppy has already started eating semi solid food, I don't know if I should believe this or if I should get some puppy milk formula to feed it every couple of hours still.

 

[LeoRose]

It's not whether the puppy is eating solid food. It's about the crucial social interaction it will miss out on by being removed from the mom and littermates so soon.

 

[Newpuppyowner12]

Oh okay

 

[DaySleepers]

Sadly, removing puppies from their mom and littermates before 8 weeks does significantly increase the risk of problem behaviors. Lack of impulse control and bite inhibition are big ones, meaning they tend to be a lot more mouthy and bite more and harder in play. But you can also get an increase in fearful/anxious behaviors and poor dog social skills. You might want to check out this article discussing a study on the issue:

The Risks of Taking a Puppy Home Too Young | TIME.com

Be prepared to work extra hard on socializing and setting up your puppy to have lots of positive experiences with strange people, objects, surfaces, sounds, etc. They don't have to interact with everything, and you should never force a puppy to be around something that's actively scaring them, but being able to safely observe new things will help build confidence. If you have family/friends with very young puppies OR vaccinated adult dogs that are proven to be good with young puppies, arrange playdates to try to help make up for what your dog will miss out on learning from its littermates and mom. I'd avoid older pups - they are often too much for a little baby.

I know this will be extra difficult, given you already have to work around the quarantine, but it will really help offset the disadvantage your puppy has coming home so young.

But I do think that if you have a space that'd be safe for an 8-week-old puppy to potty (quiet, not frequented by unknown, potentially unvaccinated animals), it'll be fine for a 5-week-old. Just realize you'll be dealing with even less bladder control than usual.

 

[pandora]

5 weeks is far too young.

A pup at that age is going to need a lot of extra help and attention and may well end up having problems later on.

 

[Newpuppyowner12]

Yes I think I could manage, I know a lot of pups that turned out just fine, I will be looking at getting her later on if possible though but if not possible I think she will turn out just fine.

 

[storyist]

Years ago when I was looking for a puppy, a woman I called was sending pups home that young. I got off the phone as fast as possible. While I felt sorry for the puppies, I didn't want to deal with someone that irresponsible and lazy and encourage her to breed again. Now it's illegal in my jurisdiction to sell or transfer ownership of any puppy before 8 weeks of age, and if I became aware of a person like that again, I'd report them.

 

[Newpuppyowner12]

Yes I understand this the breeder I am getting the puppy from has been doing this for more than 10years and is great at it, I personally know that I will be held accountable for the pups needs and am ready to face the challenges, again it is not illegal in the state that I live in so I don't find it to be an issue.

 

[pandora]

I hope the law in your state changes soon. Just because its ok where you live doesnt make it right.
Looking around you can see how many places states and indiviuals agree its too soon.

But I hope it does work out because if it doesnt it wont be a human that suffers , the breeder has their money and you can always get another dog but that pup has only one chance.

 

[DaySleepers]

I'm glad you're committed to this challenge and will take responsibility for any behavioral problems that come up down the line, however things turn out.

I just can't see someone as a 'great' breeder when they're doing something that's been proven, scientifically, to be bad for their puppies' development. At least not outside of extreme circumstances ie an unexpected family emergency that makes them unable to care for the pups. So much of good breeding is in the puppy raising and socialization, because that's a huge part of what sets a dog up to be a stable, confident adult. I'm sorry that your breeder is pushing this responsibility off onto you and the other buyers and denying the puppies the benefit of learning important dog behavior from interacting with their littermates.

 

[3GSD4IPO]

Yes. You can take your puppy outside to pee and poop. About every hour at 5 weeks old.

 

[Newpuppyowner12]

Yes. You can take your puppy outside to pee and poop. About every hour at 5 weeks old.

Cool thanks I have decided to just keep the grass puppy pad to start off since it definitely wont have all of its shots I don't want to risk anything like that.

 

[Newpuppyowner12]

I'm glad you're committed to this challenge and will take responsibility for any behavioral problems that come up down the line, however things turn out.

I just can't see someone as a 'great' breeder when they're doing something that's been proven, scientifically, to be bad for their puppies' development. At least not outside of extreme circumstances ie an unexpected family emergency that makes them unable to care for the pups. So much of good breeding is in the puppy raising and socialization, because that's a huge part of what sets a dog up to be a stable, confident adult. I'm sorry that your breeder is pushing this responsibility off onto you and the other buyers and denying the puppies the benefit of learning important dog behavior from interacting with their littermates.

This is very true I see now and am going to hold off on getting her so early but I still will be getting her earlier than 8 weeks since the breeder doesn't want to hold her any longer, I appreciate how nice you are being about it all and I am sure I will do everything I can to help her grow up to be a good dog and if it comes to it I will even try classes to help with a professional.

 

[Newpuppyowner12]

I hope the law in your state changes soon. Just because its ok where you live doesnt make it right.
Looking around you can see how many places states and indiviuals agree its too soon.

But I hope it does work out because if it doesnt it wont be a human that suffers , the breeder has their money and you can always get another dog but that pup has only one chance.

I don't see the law changing anytime soon personally but hopefully one day it will.