@parodyofjay I'm also nervous that the breeder offered it, seeing as it is illegal in many places to do so.
Puppy at 6 weeks
- Thread starter parodyofjay
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@parodyofjay Why are you even adopting from this breeder when you’d potentially rule out a vet whose receptionist wasn’t appropriately horrified (by a thing you’re overlooking yourself in purchasing from this breeder)?
parodyofjay
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@parodyofjay Didn’t mean to sound harsh btw, just wanted to point out the logic seemed strange! Sorry the puppy fell through; must be really disappointing!
parodyofjay
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I backed out with the breeder. Thank you to everyone who gave me their opinions 
stratocaster
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@parodyofjay where I live (and many other states) it's actually illegal to remove a pup from their mother before 8 weeks
peppekalle
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@parodyofjay We got our girl at 8 weeks, and honestly, I wish we would have waited at least 2 more weeks. I feel like she would have learned a lot more from her Momma and liter mates.
@parodyofjay Switch breeders!! Not the vet! Your breeder sounds bad! Honestly this just sounds like a misunderstanding from the receptionist at the vet. The vet sees 6 week old puppies all the time. Typically the breeder would be taking the puppies in to see the vet pretty regularly prior to 8 weeks. It’s also quite possible that the receptionist thought that you were calling because you have a 6 week old puppy, but were telling them that you were going to wait until 8 weeks to take them to vet. Im not sure why you were telling this story to vet in the first place if you don’t have the puppy yet, so could see where some of the confusion is coming from. Especially given that the response was that the vet sees 6 week old puppies all the time, not that was the optimal adoption age. I used to work at a vet center; I didn’t handle reception, but if someone called into the back, even vaguely implying they might have a 6-week old puppy at home that they just got from a clearly non reputable breeder, I would also say basically anything to try to convince them to bring the puppy in to the vet ASAP.
parodyofjay
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@parodyofjay What vetting have you done on this breeder? Have you seen health testing on the parents? Being willing to give puppies away before 8 weeks is such a huge basic red flag that it would call everything else about this person into question for me.
parodyofjay
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jamieredhead
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@parodyofjay Woah. Even vax at 6 weeks is early. That’s common knowledge now. It’s usually 8-9 weeks.
@parodyofjay I’d be curious what you mean by “everything else.” Did the breeder provide you with copies of the parent’s registration numbers as well as all health and genetic testing required/recommended by the parent breeder club? Has the breeder demonstrated that her dogs meet breed standard and have qualities that are desirable to pass on by obtaining certificates/titles in conformation, skills or behavior? Was the breeder able to explain why she selected the pairing for the litter by describing the qualities they hoped to maximize and those they wanted to minimize?
parodyofjay
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@parodyofjay What breed is this? If you have the registration numbers for the parents I’m happy to see what h can find.
parodyofjay
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@parodyofjay Great. I have a golden myself, so I’m most familiar with that breed.
@parodyofjay So some of the others below have a lot of experience in terms of golden retriever breeding, so will be better at addressing some of the more specific details around what makes a good breeder for goldens. But you mentioned everything else has been perfect. What did the veterinary office that the breeder has been taking the puppy to say? Do they have the puppy’s records? Can the vet that the breeder is using confirm that the pup is healthy and has gone through deworming, first wellness check, and first round of shots (or at least scheduled, may depend on region/disease risk in the area)? Is there anything else the vet would’ve recommended to the breeder that the breeder turned down?
@parodyofjay Breeder is irresponsible to even offer that.
@parodyofjay Any breeder should know that it can cause lifelong behavioral issues to remove a puppy from their mom and litter at 6 weeks old. Since this breeder is ok with it despite it being detrimental to the puppies’ health, what else is she doing wrong that you don’t know about? The first couple months are very important and she should be working with the puppies daily to get them used to being handled, loud noises, etc. Her wanting to rehome the pups at 6 makes me wonder if she did anything else she should have done from 0-6 weeks. Also, are the other puppy buyers going to take their pups at 6 weeks leaving your pup alone and without the sibling interaction she needs at that age? If I were you I wouldn’t get a puppy from her.