The Age at Which Puppies Can Be Sold

A family that loves dogs usually get a wonderful addition when a new puppy is born. This is not only the joy of such a family but those who sell dogs also start counting some more profits once the puppies are born. That's not all. Did you know that the mother dog is also happy when she mothers some new puppies? If you didn't know, now you should know.

Puppies, just like young children and the offspring's of most of the animals, especially mammals, need some tender care and protection from their mother. If you deny them the opportunity of being brought up well by their mother, or in case you take them away before they can depend on themselves, the puppies will automatically see death coming. Ideally, puppies should be separated from their mothers when they are eleven to twelve weeks old while in reality, you can separate them when they are eight weeks old. In fact, most states hold the selling of puppies that are below eight months old as a criminal offence and you may end up behind bars because of this. Some reasons are discussed below for the reasons behind waiting till the puppy is old enough before one can sell them

Separation age

Ideally, before they are eight months old, the puppies have not yet well-developed emotionally and physically. A 2011 study that was published in "The Veterinary Record" said that all those puppies that were allowed to stay with their mothers for at least two months had a good track record in comparison to those that stayed for a lesser duration of time. They also eat less food, they were less fearful, barked less- only barked when necessary among other wonderful; features.

Physical development

When puppies are four weeks old, they can be able to eat food by themselves. However, they are still not able to eat dry pellets at this age but will rely on canned food since they are still not able to chew. At this age, they are still relying on licking food and are at the critical stages of physical development. It is not until age of six to seven weeks that the puppies are now able to eat solid foods. After they start eating solid foods, give them a week or two before you can take them to the market to sell them.

Special circumstances

There is however some special circumstances when it would be beneficial to separate the dogs earlier than usual. In case of stray dogs, the puppies will enter the "Overlap stage" between the fourth and the seventh week. Overlap stage is nothing more than socializing stage and the puppies are able to learn some behaviours and cues around them. For instance, a fearful mother dog will teach her puppies to fear people at this stage. Separation may be vital at this point.

However, this does not come without risks. It is scientifically proven that a puppy that is separated from the mother before weaning is more vulnerable to diseases than that which has been separated after weaning. This is because the mother's milk is known to boost the puppies' immunity.