| Well, I would say it depends upon the dedication of the breeder. Starting around 7 weeks of age they need to stop being part of a dog pack (the litter) and learn to bond and work with what will be their human group. If a breeder has the time and dedication to see that each pup has daily individual one-on-one time away from the littermates and little education sessions and learning to sleep alone (another thread going right now) and eat from its own bowl, and so forth, then staying with the breeder for longer periods of time works out just fine.
What I find most disturbing is the large number of people here recently who are taking puppies at too young an age when the pup needs to learn its dog social skills, bite inhibition, the give and take of play and many other things best taught within their litter group. Humans can try their best, but they cannot and should not attempt to become substitute dogs. These puppies are being cheated out of important developmental skills by their breeders and by the buyers who are enabling those lazy so-called breeders and rewarding them with money to boot.
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"The scientific name for an animal that doesn't either run from or fight its enemies is lunch."-Michael Friedman |