Best age for a puppy to come home...

Brief explanation...my husband and I are hoping, if all goes well, to get a mini schnauzer puppy around mid-December. We are in contact with a breeder who's bitch might be pregnant, if she is, the puppies will be 8 weeks around the 1st of December. As we won't have finished work yet (he works full time, I'm part time) we'd like ideally to pick up the puppy the day after we finish working (19th of December) the puppy will be about 10 weeks old if my maths is right.
Do you think 10 weeks is a good age, or is 8 better? It means the puppy gets more time with mum and family, so maybe will be better? Will it have lost irreplacable bonding time with us??
Just wandering what the pro's and con's of the age the puppy comes home and your experiences of these different ages.
Thanks
Melanie

Personally, I would want a puppy before 10 weeks. I have my name down for a puppy (sometime!) and I hope to get her at 7 weeks. I know one trainer who likes to get hers at 6 weeks but IMO 6 weeks is a bit young. No more than 8 weeks for me though. I want to start socialising my pup and introducing her to everything I possibly can when she is young as there is only a small window in time to work with while they are pups, after that it gets a lot harder. Saying that, I'm sure a lot of people get their pups at 10 weeks and do brilliantly, you just need to work hard at socialising

I have a puppy here I am holding for a lady as she had holidays booked long before my puppies were born. She will be 11 weeks exactly when she goes home with her new mummy. I am taking her for her 2nd vax on Friday, so she will be almost ready to go out and see the world. In the meantime I am teaching her the basics like sit and coming to her name. I really don't subscribe to the theory that you should get your pup at 6 weeks, they lose valuable learning time they should have with their mum. I know my 2 Norties have played constantly with the pups and taught them many things through play, I have enjoyed learning myself through watching how they interact. There is only one little girl left for them to educate now, but the process is ongoing, and she is a lovely well rounded outgoing little individual with loads of confidence in herself. There is not a chance on this earth that any of my babies would have left here before 8 weeks, it is against our Breeders Code Of Ethics anyway, but not only that it is against my own personal ethics.

A lot depends on the breeder. Many years ago I had a similar dilema, wanted the dog at the beginning of summer holidays so six weeks to bond & settle dog before I went back to work. The breeders car trained him & took him along to classes as a spectator so he was well socialised when I had him at 12 weeks, I was lucky they were keeping 2 of the litter a dog & bitch for themselves so he had dog company. I know that guide dogs like to get puppies at six weeks so they can make them more human less dog oriented but our good breeder guide says no earlier than 8 weeks to letpuppies go to their new homes.

We got our puppy at 7 weeks and it seemed as if it may have been a little early for him to leave the mom/siblings. He gets terrified if my wife or I even walk into the next room without him. I get so sad when I wear him whining so I spoil him all the time haha

I picked Cruiser up at 13wks..due to distance and holidays etc and everything was fine..in fact he was fabulous..even stayed in a caravan for 4 days on holiday when we picked him up..and it never phased him at all..

Hi Melanie if collecting the puppy at 8 weeks, (an ideal time I would say) means it will be alone for 2 weeks, I would say picking it up at 10 weeks is the better option.

If you are getting your puppy from a good breeder it will have been subject to different sights and sounds from a few weeks old as part of the socialisation process . Leaving it with the dam and siblings for longer than one would choose will give it an opportunity to learn a little more canine body language before it goes to a new home.

Chloe (my latest Mini) was 12 weeks old when I got her, older than I prefer but she came from a wonderful breeder and was a very well adjusted fearless puppy and very easy to train .

Good luck with your puppy you lucky person ,Minis are a lovely breed

Thanks everyone for your helpful replies based on your experiences. I agree that I would rather get an 8 week old, but I can see the wisdom in leaving with the mum a little longer rather than it being alone until the holidays. I'd prefer that as the pup can bond with us over hols and be gradually accustomed to being left alone before it has to have a couple of hours alone.
Did those of you who had puppies a few weeks older, that they took longer to bond with your or anything because they were with their mum and original family longer??
Thanks again for your replies...and minihaha, i agree with you, they're fab little dogs!

Hi Melanie no Chloe certainly didn't take any longer to bond with me than any other puppy I had at a younger age. Here she is the moment I arrived home with her





I always have new puppies with me in a box next to the bed and take them outside to relieve themselves when they wake. Doing this helps with the bonding process, they can hear you breath and smell your scent , very reassuring for a puppy .

Honestly, I would never take a dog from a breeder that let pups go BEFORE the age of 9 weeks!!! puppies need to socialize with the litter, it's very important to developing proper manners and social interactions. and as pups cant go out and be with other dogs until 2 weeks after the second shots (14 weeks) early socialization with littermates is very important. Also, at 8 weeks, a pup goes through a fear stage, I'd rather NOT scare the pup anymore than necessary. My sister got her Westie at 10 weeks, she was a happy, well adjusted, confident, and curious about everything! she wasn't afraid of a darn thing, and bonded very well with my sister. so no 10 weeks is great, especially if they'll have other pups around.