Many breeders agree that seven to ten weeks is a good age range for a
puppy to go to his new home. This puts the pup in his new environment at
the peak of his bonding and socializing period. In families where there are
preschoolers, we recommend that a pup not be introduced into the home
during the eighth week.
The seven- to ten-week-old puppy still needs a lot of rest and will take
morning and afternoon naps. For the first day or two, however, he might be
very excited and spend much of the day in motion, checking out his new
home. As long as he isn’t hurting himself or anything else in the
environment, let him investigate wherever and whatever takes his fancy.
If the puppy is eight weeks old when he first comes home, be very patient
with him. This is the fear period, and sharp noises or harsh treatment will
leave him with fear that may take months to overcome. Let him take his
time getting acquainted with everything, and don’t take him to places where
he will be subjected to loud and frightening sounds or activities. If at all
possible, trips to the veterinarian should be arranged either before or after
the eighth week.
If the puppy is ten to twelve weeks old when you first bring him home,
he’ll be more rambunctious, especially if he’s one of the larger breeds, and
he’ll sleep considerably less during the day. However, he’s at an age where
you can get his attention quite easily and where he’ll want to please you and
stay close to you. It’s very important that the puppy’s pretraining activities
begin now.
