Puppy Problems: Minimizing Aggression and Anxiety - a podcast by Ty Brown

Today I’d like to speak about the impact of taking a puppy away from its mother and litter mates too early. I recently spoke with an owner who had done this, having brought her puppy home at about five weeks. While talking with her, I tried to explain some of the complex issues involved in this kind of situation.

In this particular case, the owner had no choice but to bring the puppy home early because its mother had died. Some people do have that choice: they meet a cute puppy who is five or six weeks old, and they’re given the opportunity to take the dog home. Generally, I advise that you not do that. The only way that I would ever recommend that choice is if there is a health issue involved where the puppies can’t be with their mother. In that case, it is what it is: not an ideal scenario, but something you can adapt to.

There are a few big potential issues with taking a dog away from its mother too early. I often see problems with mouthiness. Almost every puppy will nip, but dogs who were separated too early do so excessively. There’s a phenomenon called “bite inhibition” that occurs as the puppies get more mature—past five or six weeks—and start to bite their mother. They explore the world with their mouths, and start biting their litter mates and their mother. The mom will put up with some nipping, but she’ll eventually get to a point where she doesn't want to be bothered any more. So the mother will correct the puppies. In doing so, they begin to realize that they shouldn’t bite too rough or too hard. They can learn this lesson from litter mates as well, as the puppies put each other in their place. Mouthiness and biting can therefore become huge issues if the puppy is taken away from its litter prematurely.

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