How Old Should a Puppy Be Before It Leaves Its Mother?
- The conventional age puppies are weaned and taken from the mother is seven to eight weeks old. By this time, the mother dog is already trying to wean the puppies, usually by walking away whenever they try to nurse. Mother dogs with small litters of less than four puppies may not do this until the pups are 10 weeks old.
- Stray female dogs without constant access to food may not begin the weaning process until the puppies are six months old. Puppies of dogs that attack or abandon them when they are born will have to be removed and bottle-fed immediately.
- Although many puppies are ready to leave their mothers by the time they are two months old, exceptions happen. Contributing factors are the health and maternal abilities of the mother dog, quality of available food, number of pups in the litter and ability of the mother to produce enough milk to feed her puppies.
