As with all of our clients, I also remind everyone in the family that, “you have to be ready when bringing a puppy home!” They can’t help but look at their adorable little pup and think they have everything under control. But, it is not enough to have you everything ready at home… You also need to understand when your new puppy is ready to meet you! One of the most important things to consider is how old should a bulldog puppy be before you bring one home. There are just a lot of little and big things to consider to make sure that your relationship with your new puppy is built on a solid foundation.
These Little Ones Are Too Young – But So Cute!
How Old Should A Bulldog Puppy Be Before You Bring One Home
Age
One of the things we put a lot of thought into is a pup’s age. There are a lot of small details that go into assessing a pup’s readiness to go to a new home and live a life apart from ‘mom and siblings.’ You have to consider the pup’s age when bringing a pup home. The age of your Bulldog puppy tells a lot about him or her – this includes emotional needs, nutritional needs, socialization experiences, and other things of importance.
The minimum age for a Bulldog puppy to leave his/her mother and breeder’s care is 8 weeks old.
Now you know the age a Bulldog puppy should be before you bring one home!
But Why?
Taking a puppy from its home can be quite a difficult period for the puppy, and thus the goal is to create a trauma-free experience for your pup. This damage that can be done to a puppy weaned too soon is caused by being separated from mother-pup interactions, and learning how to interact (submissively and aggressively, but always accordingly) in sibling interplay. These nips and hierarchical challenges that happen between siblings is important to a dog learning how to be a dog as well as to its’ socialization.
Food For Thought:
How old should a Bulldog puppy be before you bring one home is really asking, “how old should a Bulldog puppy be before removing it from his/her mother?” The ideal time is unique to each puppy. But generally speaking, the 8 week mark is neither too early nor too late – it gives you plenty of time to get your home ready!
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Points To Consider
Separating a puppy after 12 weeks may have a problematic outcome – your puppy can become defensively attached to its original human family. This can show up in poor bonding, frustration, lack of interest, etc., with his/her new human family. Anywhere from 8 to 10 weeks of age is ideal for a puppy to meet his/her new ‘people.’ It gives just enough time for a puppy to have learned a bit of expectations, desire human interaction, receive proper nutrition, and experience weaning. Additionally, this time frame allows the breeder to ensure the puppy received proper medical care, including vaccinations.
Socialization
One of the most important things to consider, particularly for Bulldog puppies, is how much time they’ve spent with other dogs, as well as humans. A puppy who has received some socialization is ideal as this will help your Bulldog puppy be more interested in training and bonding (source). Pups from our litters, who are between 8-10 weeks of age, receive a certain level of interplay with other dogs and experience ongoing human interactions with some general training. This will help make your puppy easier to care for and manage. Pre-8 week old puppy socializing helps with:
- Bonding with humans
- Interacting with other dogs
- Building self-assuredness
- Minimizing aggression towards humans and dogs
Bulldog Puppy Parent
If you are considering getting a Bulldog, the important question of how old should a Bulldog puppy be before you bring one home is an important one. Equally important is to make sure that you study up on the responsibility and joy of having a Bulldog join your family. There’s nothing like a sweet, roly-poly dog in the family!
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