The Technique Of Breeding Better Dogs-By Dr Dieter Fleig - The Right age to leave the Breeders home!
This is Dr. Dieter Fleig opinion on the right age for puppy's to leave the breeder and start his or her new life with their new family.When should pups go to their new homes? Some people criticize breeders who let puppies go at seven or eight weeks old. That they are not being responsible. In fact, many breeders are heartbroken when the time comes for them to part with their puppies. They even go so far as to postpone the fateful day, saying the puppies are still much too young! One thing is quite certain; it cannot be his or her dam's milk that the eight-week old puppy still needs. No reasonable breeder should still be allowing a bitch to feed the pups at this stage. It is frequently argued that in order to develop its mind, the puppy needs the mother's influence and stimulating play with littermates for as long as possible. Is it, then too early to part with a puppy at eight weeks. The behaviorists can answer this question for us. It is an interesting fact that Eberhard Trumler, in the course of his manifold observations, discovered that in the dog family living in the wild, fundamental change takes place on the 49th day after birth. In place of the dam, who up to that time has been at the center of the pups world , the sire now takes over, preparing the puppies for their future lives. The bitch, exhausted by nursing and caring for her brood, withdraws rather suddenly and leaves them pretty much to their father's care. Should anyone doubt this, I advise them to read Trumler's book The Year of the Dog, where it is portrayed in detail.
At the beginning of the eighth week, as a result of the changing structure within the dog family, a new phase of life begins for our pups. In this new phase, it is the sire that dominates. It is, therefore, completely logical for the human being to take over at this stage. Nature has arranged matters so that at the start of the eighth week, the beginning of the socialization phase, the 'changing of the guard' takes place in the dog family. Therefore, what could be better than to make use of the pup's learning ability and to transfer him or her at this exact moment from his or her dam's training to that of his new owners? Seen from this viewpoint, it becomes clear that the eight week is the best time for parting with the puppies. The new owner, who will be the cornerstone of the puppy's coming life, takes over the full responsibility, at the beginning of the socialization phase, for the puppy's future development.
Although it is an excellent thing for the mother to teach her puppies good manners, intensive contact between people and the puppies is of decisive importance. Without this, they can never develop into useful, intelligent, adaptable dogs!
I am aware that this reduces the time the mother spends teaching her puppies. We, however, do not want to rear wild creatures but domestic dogs and, for training the mixed human-dog pack, the intensive influence exerted by man throughout the entire period is needed.


The Learning Process- The expanded world affords the mother new teaching opportunities. Play-learning now begins. It may frequently be observed that the mother invites her puppies to play. When the game becomes too wild, some breeders believe they ought to interfere. Just imagine how this particular learning stage evolves in the dog family living in the wild. There, the sire takes a hand in the play-learning activities and teaches his young good canine manners in exuberant games.

It is of equal importance for the pups to have people intensively imprinted on their minds during this period. Scientists have proved, without doubt, that puppies that are isolated from people in the imprinting phase are never able to develop into normal family dogs.
Interplay among the siblings now shows the first signs of possessive behavior, and a hierarchy begins to take shape. The salient point is the fact that within the space of a few days, our sleeping, nursing puppies have become lively, active little dogs. At the beginning of this phase, it is clear that the hereditary element dominates, but as the days go by, this is over laid by the influence of the environment. The breeder who observes his pups closely throughout this period will be in a position to advise their new owners when the time comes for the puppies to leave.
In these weeks, it becomes clear which puppy is highly dominant, which is extremely submissive - and there is a whole range of different characters between these two extremes. The insight into these inborn characteristic is of vital importance for placing each puppy in the right hands. It is not merely the new owner who has ideas about the disposition he requires in his new companion; the breeder must make a careful check of the environment and the qualifications of the puppy purchaser, so that the right dog is placed in the right hands and finds the family to which it is suited.


Social Development - What actually takes place in the socialization phase, between the eighth and twelfth weeks limiting this period? The sire commences systematic preparation of the pups for their future lives as members of the pack. Play-fighting among themselves, they learn not only to defend themselves but also that there is a danger of getting hurt. If you ever which a litter of Scottie puppy's at the age of 8 weeks, you would think they were killing each other. Comparatively harmless play-fighting helps to deflect natural aggression and teaches cooperative behavior. The canine social order does not permit members to fight to the death. Playing in the pack is carried out under the strict dominance of the sire, and in foundations are laid for future hunting behavior as a pack. But, breeders are not raising puppy's to be in a canine packs. In the case of the domestic dog, it is not a matter of conditioning for a dog family; it is much more a question of integrating it smoothly into the human-dog pack. In order to rear a puppy as a family dog, it should change homes at 8 weeks; it adapts most easily at this stage. All the play-learning activity of the dog family now devolves to the pack leader human, who must suit the activity to the future requirements for their own dog.

In this period, it is a matter of the final socialization within the human family of the imprinted puppy. The dog does not now learn predatory play, at least not chasing a quarry, but it learns house-training, compatibility with human children, and adaptability to the rhythm of human life. Close companionship to human beings is an inherent part of the domestic animal's life. Playing with owners, the pup learns constantly and adapts to its environment. Once again, I should like to quote Eberhard Trumler: "The brighter the play activity with the human and the more early learning is accepted as play, the greater the dog's future ability to learn. In this phase, the ability is imprinted for the dog's whole future".
Neither the breeder nor the puppy purchaser can take the responsibility for allowing the dam and littermates to condition the puppy in this phase for life in a dog pack. This could lead to lifelong difficulties in living with humans. This learning phase is so precious that it must never be allowed to pass unused!
It is for this reason that I advocate letting the puppies go to their new homes at seven weeks. A puppy may be left for one more week, but certainly not for longer. Now this is only for pet puppy's, that is going home to family's.
A lot of show breeders will keep their puppy's longer to evaluate them. To see if they have a show prospect, in the litter. So when they tell you they keep them to help socialize them, think of what you just have read about the pack. As a puppy purchaser, I should be most hesitant to take one directly from a breeder at 12 wk and older. Hardly any breeder is able to spend several hours every day with each single puppy; he would be heavily over-taxed.
But, as a general rule, puppies that change hands too late have a serious learning deficit that makes harmonious integration into the human family very difficult.


The Technique of Breeding Better Dogs - Author Dr. Dieter Fleig

Is a world authority on everything pertaining to dogs and has been an integral part of the global dog fancy for over fifty years. He has owned and bred a wide variety of breeds. This internationally-acclaimed dog authority, and author is also a successful breeder of winning Bull Terriers, as well as a judge of Bull Terriers and related breeds and has fulfilled judging assignment is eight countries-a true renaissance dog person 

I do understand a lot of what Dr Fleig says, but I wouldnt let my puppy's go at 7 weeks old.  I think that is to early.  But, there are a lot of breeders that talk about the puppy's should stay with the mom.  My Scottie mom's are ready to leave the puppy's after they are weaned.  They dont wont anything to do with them.  Plus all the puppy's are wanting to do is fight each other.