[dfogs]

Hi All,

I've settled on a breeder that was recommended by an experienced member of, GS.com. I mention this because the breeder is an excellent trainer and comes highly recommended.

With that said, I have the option of picking my pup up at 8 weeks or leaving with the breeder until 12 weeks of age. I originally thought it was an easy decision to have her keep the pup to give me the best possible foundation to work from as I'm new to the, GS breed. I admit that I want to bypass some of the puppy stage but not more than 1 month (month 3).

She goes above and beyond what I've read here and elsewhere when it comes to establishing a solid foundation. She will then come to my home to help with the transition.

Questions:
1) Is it a good idea for one to leave a pup to work with the breeder during month 3?
2) Will I be missing out on critical bonding stages in month 3?
3) Not sure what else to ask so, any other thoughts you can share?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Jax08]

Your puppy will bond with you just fine. She will make the transition from Jen to you without any problem.

 

[dfogs]

Your puppy will bond with you just fine. She will make the transition from Jen to you without any problem.

Thanks, Jax. Much appreciated and settled. :grin2:

 

[Dutchy]

I second that, your puppy will bond fine. About the only thing I would be concerned with is the puppy's exposure to other people and dogs. You have a critical time period up to about 18 weeks that you need to expose the pup to other people and dogs/animals. My general rule is 15 people a day. You still have 4-6 weeks to accomplish this and hopefully the breeder is able to do some of this as well. But that's about all I would be concerned with.

8-12 weeks is a critical time period but if you are inexperienced with GSDs or puppies in general, you may get a better puppy at 12 weeks then you were able to raise yourself. On my 5th shepherd, I wouldn't bother to have someone else train my dog until week 12, but my first or second GSD, I probably would've gotten a better puppy at week 12 as my family made a lot of mistakes that we had to learn from.

Decision is totally up to you of course. But I wouldn't be concerned with bonding. Good luck!

 

[McGloomy]

Your pup would be fine either way. But if it was me, and I had the chance to spend more time with my pup, I'd opt for that. Better bond with me than anyone else.

 

[gsdsar]

I've gotten dogs at all ages. Never had an issue with bonding. My most recent pup, I got a 10 weeks, and to be honest, we have the best relationship of any dog I have had. Not saying that's because of the age I got him, but still.

 

[CometDog]

I'd have no issue leaving the pup until 12 weeks with a good breeder/trainer. I got my dog at 5.5 months and was his 3rd home (breeder, puppy raising home for dogs intending to work in the public, then me)

He is a very handler bonded/sensitive dog and he was admittedly looking out windows for a few days looking for his last handler..and was a little insecure for a week or two. But he was older than what you are looking at..besides it took about a few days and he bonded HARD with me. After like 2 weeks he settled nicely. Oh, and I had another dog only 9 months old and he started to get a little "doggy", something that can happen with littermates that are kept as pets..so we crated and rotated, and my other dog stays mostly with my boyfriend now (was suppose to be his dog anyway, long story).

That was 10 months ago, and he is very bonded to me. When we are out it is hard for other people, even people he knows, to get his attention. He is always staring at me for what is next lol

Anyway, I had the same concerns as you, my dog was even older, and it was a total non issue. Once we trained together with consistency that was it, he was mine <3

Good luck and enjoy your new puppy!

 

[Jenny720]

It’s important the breeder is socializing the pup and introducing the pup to different things. All the ages of the gsds we had past and present were -Luna brought home at at 12 weeks, max at 8 weeks and karat at two years all had no problems bonding after settling in. Congrats and just have fun with your new pup! They are really so much fun!!!!

 

[Heartandsoul]

With all the dumbbell mistakes I have made as a first time GSD owner with my boy, if I were in your shoes with a reputable breeder backed by good solid references, I wouldn't hesitate. perhaps during that month, if you live close by, the breeder/trainer can incorporate you into the training a few time during that extra month.

 

[cz_gsd]

I would take a look at what would be better for the pup -- based on your schedule and what the breeder's methods are, try and determine under which scenario he will get more socialization (both timewise, and quantity wise; meeting 5 new people is different than seeing the same person on 5 different occasions), more exposure to different scenarios and environments, different objects, more hands on interaction/training time, etc. He will bond to you just fine in either case. During the first month at home, our dog was exposed to all sorts of power tools during house projects, riding in cars, exploring nature trails, exploring the neighborhood, meeting people and dogs of all ages in both in our home and while out and about, etc. I don't think he would have gotten the same experience if left at the breeder simply because the breeder has many other dogs to focus on, where as Hank got our full attention and was our top priority. All of the basic obedience and manners training was very easy with him, as long as you are consistent and fair.

 

[dfogs]

I second that, your puppy will bond fine. About the only thing I would be concerned with is the puppy's exposure to other people and dogs. You have a critical time period up to about 18 weeks that you need to expose the pup to other people and dogs/animals. My general rule is 15 people a day. You still have 4-6 weeks to accomplish this and hopefully the breeder is able to do some of this as well. But that's about all I would be concerned with.

8-12 weeks is a critical time period but if you are inexperienced with GSDs or puppies in general, you may get a better puppy at 12 weeks then you were able to raise yourself. On my 5th shepherd, I wouldn't bother to have someone else train my dog until week 12, but my first or second GSD, I probably would've gotten a better puppy at week 12 as my family made a lot of mistakes that we had to learn from.

Decision is totally up to you of course. But I wouldn't be concerned with bonding. Good luck!

Thanks, Dutchy. Great points and always interesting to hear about critical stages in a dogs life. At this point, I think it's an easy decision after reading the comments. I want a solid foundation and I know/trust my breeder to deliver on that.

 

[dfogs]

Want to thank all of you for your input. I've read through all of them and they all provide value to me as a future GSD owner and to my decision on if I should leave my pup with the breeder for an extra month.

I know socialization is key and she stressed it. She has a lot of people come to the house, including kids and pets. She listed off all the things she does and I trust her to deliver, I really do. Yes, she suggested that I come back often, starting at 6 weeks, to visit. I'm sure she'll give me some training tips while I'm there during weeks 8-12.

I know that dogs are adaptable at any age and in most cases, will settle in nicely, especially with love, training, bonding time, etc. I wanted feedback on anything I may be missing from 8-12 weeks, from experiences GSD owners, before making a final decision.

Thank you for helping me make an informed decision.

 

[Jax08]

You really shouldn't be taking an unvaccinated puppy into public places anyways. Nor should you be flooding them with people and dogs. I would fully trust the breeder, who is very experienced in SAR and has to have her puppies exposed to the environment, to provide proper socialization.

 

[dfogs]

You really shouldn't be taking an unvaccinated puppy into public places anyways. Nor should you be flooding them with people and dogs. I would fully trust the breeder, who is very experienced in SAR and has to have her puppies exposed to the environment, to provide proper socialization.

Thanks, Jax. Putting down the deposit this weekend. She'll deliver the puppy around 11/15.

Not being able to take the pup into public until it's fully vaccinated was one of the reasons I started entertaining the thought of leaving it with a breeder...one of the many.

I'll come back to intro new pup.

Thanks again!