What's the best age to bring a puppy home to prevent problems?

No, I recommend waiting at least until 7-8 weeks after puppy has been with mom. These weeks are important for puppy to bond with the mom and to develop behaviorally and socially. Important socialization occurs during these weeks and it is important to not take puppy from mom too early.

I typically try to encourage breeders to adopt out around 7-8 weeks of age. It comes down to socialization and being around the mom as long as possible. Socialization has been known to begin between 3-6 weeks and if you take the puppy away from the littermates too early, then this benefit of socialization could be harmed. I would encourage the breeder to hold on to the puppy for another 1-2 weeks longer than normal. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Yes, it is possible for puppies to be house trained at this age. However, keep in mind that some puppies will experience set backs in their house training and have more accidents when their normal routine and environment are changed. Accidents will happen with any dog from time to time, and there is no surefire way of being positive that a dog is fully housetrained until they come home. I would take the approach of hoping that their claim is true, but be prepared that you may have some work to do. Good luck! :-)

Keep in mind that no method is full proof, and it can takes weeks to months to fully potty train a puppy. It requires time and patience, and I can give you my recommended method for potty training a puppy. Start by keeping your puppy on a regular feeding schedule, and taking away her food between meals. Take her out to potty first thing every morning, and once every 30 minutes to an hour. Always make sure she goes out after meals, first thing when she wakes up from a nap, last thing before bedtime at night, and right before you leave the house. Take her to the same spot each time to go potty. Her scent there will encourage her to go. Stay with her outside each time she goes to potty, at least until she is fully house trained. When she goes outside, praise her and give her a treat. You might want to consider crate training as part of her house training. It allows you to keep an eye on her for signs that she has to go potty, and will teach her to hold it until you put her outdoors. The crate needs to be big enough for her to stand up, turn around, and lie down, but it should not be big enough for her to go potty in.

Soil and feces can carry viruses for a long period of time, so trying to find an area Blakely can go where other dogs don't frequent is best until he has had at least 2-3 sets of shots (or the OK from your vet). If you don't have a spot like that, but have a patio area, you could try making your own "potty" area with a piece of sod or a litter box filled with dirt to get him used to going outside and on that substrate without as much confusion when you do transition to outside. Making sure you're taking him out often enough (every 1-2 hours for a 2 month old puppy, or after waking, eating, drinking, or playing) can also help reduce accidents since his bladder can't hold it very long at this point.

I do not recommend to get a puppy that young. Puppies learn needed socialization skills from their mother and littermates. Without it, they can have problems knowing how to communicate appropriately with other dogs and this can cause a lot of problems. The youngest you should ever take a puppy away from it's mother is 8 weeks old. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your new puppy. Dogs do not gain physical control over their urination and defecation until 4-5 months of age. At this stage, you are just trying to be consistent and create predictable routines for him. This will teach him what to expect and where he should go to the bathroom. However, he is much too young at this point. As far as walking on a leash, this takes time for puppies to learn as well. Most are more comfortable with this by 3-4 months of age. Most puppies can sit on command by around 8-10 weeks of age. Continue to work with him and be patient. He will learn. As far as exercise, playing with toys with keep him occupied at this age. I hope this information helps!