We believe the best time to send our puppies home is 9 weeks because that is when the puppy forms a bond with their human family. If for some reason a puppy isn't ready they would stay here but watching their behavior, we have learned and seen this is a good time for their developmental needs. We raise them in the home with us, lots of hands on activities and do a lot of confidence building with them. 

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/puppy-information/best-age-bring-puppy-home/ 

THIS INFORMATION WILL HELP YOU UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT SOCIALIZATION IS, HOW YOU CAN AVOID BAD HABITS, HOW YOU CAN HELP YOUR DOG UNDERSTAND THE WORLD AROUND AND HOW THEY CHANGE IN TIME.

All this will help you raise a very smart confident puppy, without fear of aggression, false defense behavior, and most importantly an easy-to-train dog!

Puppies experience certain developmental periods during which they are more adaptive toward novel stimuli. If a puppy is not exposed to a wide variety of experiences during the critical social periods, behavioral problems are more likely to occur.

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0-12 days – neonatal period

12-21 days -and transitional period. Social learning periods

Weeks 3 – 8 – learn to interact dog to dogs (belong to breeder)

Weeks 5-12 – learn to interact with humans

Weeks 10-21 – learn to investigate novel environments and stimuli

These studies have shown that if dogs are not exposed to the particular stimuli in above mention time frames, the dog has a higher risk of developing behavioral problems that are connected with these developmental periods i.e.

Puppies that are taken away from their mothers before 8 weeks of age or that are hand-raised, will probably not interact normally with other dogs later in life. Puppies that do not see humans until 12 weeks may never develop proper dog-human interaction. Puppies that are not exposed to different environment and stimuli may become fearful, nervous, skittish, reactive and even defensive.

Transitional period...12-21 days. This period is marked by progressive neurological development with regard to locomotor ability. The mother is the puppy’s primary social object with the puppies only being vaguely aware of his littermates. During this period the eyes and ears open, the teeth emerge and the puppy develops more control over voluntary behavior. During this period the puppy begins to leave the cacoon-like protection of the mother and emerges into a field of widening sensory experiences.

Socialization Periods - The primary socialization period (3-5 weeks) belongs to the breeder! During the secondary socialization period (6-12 weeks) the process of bonding and social conditioning towards humans and the domestic environment is done. For most dogs, this secondary socialization period starts once the puppy leaves its mother and littermates and joins a new household. The ideal age recommended by breeders to start adopting the puppies out is 8 weeks of age, as this is the period where the mother shows an increase in irritability towards her litter and she is lactating less and less and shows little interest in nursing the pups. It is also usually around this time that maternal punishment peaks as puppies’ teeth are sharp as their appetites (Rheingold 1963, Wilson 1984/85). It is around this time that the mother has fulfilled her duties, both nutritionally and psychologically, thus making 8 weeks of age a very sensitive time for final weaning. Agonistic interaction between littermates also peaks at this time. Even if their aggressive play is not intended to hurt, the skills and attitudes developed by such agonistic play and competitiveness can have negative effects on their adult behavior. 

The Rule of Seven states that by the time the puppy is 12 weeks old it should have been exposed to the following situations:
Been in 7 different locations. Been in an alone-time-pen/area at least 7 times. Been exposed to 7 different contexts i.e. being groomed, having a photo taken, etc. Been played with by humans and taken away from the mother without other littermates, 7 different times introduced to 7 different people, ages, gender, race, etc.Played with 7 different toys. Ridden in car 7 times and more than 7 miles or more
THIS RULE CAN ALSO BE DONE BY THE OWNER. It's a rule of 7 but it can be done between 6 to 12 weeks old!

The strongest support for encouraging adoption during week 8 is the appearance of two opposing social dimensions (fear and attraction). Several motivational parameters associated with bonding and socialization peak at this time. (Scott Fuller 1965). Distress vocalization and reactive behavior exhibited during brief isolation from littermates reaches their peak at around 7 weeks of age but undergoes a rapid decline through week 10. Also peaking at this time is a puppy’s willingness to approach strangers confidently and to investigate novel things with vigorous tail wagging. The balanced interplay of attraction and fear is fundamental to bonding and socialization in the broadest sense as puppies are now at their most prepared to experience the most efficient secondary socialization.

The stage of socialization with people – from 7 to 12 weeks of age. At this stage, the puppy learns how to adapt to life among people. Therefore, it is best that after the age of 8 weeks, he can find himself in the house of the new owners. This does not mean, of course, that a puppy staying at home (breeder), having a lot of contact with people, and staying with the breeder for longer, may harm. At this stage of development, it is good to carry out non-stress tests of the puppies’ character, which allow us to determine the temperament and hereditary tendencies of the baby that are very different in individual puppies in a litter. Knowledge on this subject will allow you to choose a puppy in accordance with the expectations of future owners (especially important when the dog is to be with children). Although the future owners most often choose a puppy from a litter, an experienced and responsible breeder should suggest the right choice, or at least inform them about the results of the test trials and their observations of the puppies. Mental tests carried out with approximately 7 weeks old toddlers are the most reliable, because at this age the puppy has a small amount of acquired behavior, and their reactions mainly reflect inherited tendencies.

In a new home, contact with household members and strangers should be as nice as possible. Avoid disciplining the puppy too harshly, both by yelling and with physical punishments (this does not mean, of course, that the puppy should not be disciplined and allowed to do anything!). Between weeks 8 and 11, a puppy learns to feel fear, and if he experiences too much fear or pain during this period, he becomes overly anxious, and recovery is usually difficult. The new owner must treat the baby very gently at this stage of development, protecting him from all puppies injuries, and at the same time allow him to experience various positive experiences in many places and with many people.

12-16 weeks.

During this time, the dog ceases to be a puppy and becomes a “teenager”. Very often no restrictions are placed on him in the human family/house, he got privileges that he would never have had if he lived with his siblings and mother among dogs. From a human point of view, we still see a twelve or sixteen-week-old dog as a puppy and tolerate things in their behavior that we would never tolerate in an adult dog, forgetting that dogs develop immeasurably faster than humans. So this is the time when you can and should teach your dog the basic commands and principles of good manning while continuing to familiarize himself with the environment and other dogs. For this purpose, you can use the help and experience of other dog lovers or the so-called canine kindergarten – places where young dogs meet regularly just to learn how to behave in a dog pack.  Puppy classes should be managed by an experienced educated persona/trainer with good-mannered adult dogs or puppies of similar age, otherwise, this can lead to big issues in older age. Learning the right behavior and respect for the household is all the more important that the puppy, feeling more and more self-confident, tries to initially establish his place in it. 

Escape stage – from 4 to 8 months. It is around this time that the dog experiences what could be described as the call of freedom. Obediently until now, when he is called, he suddenly becomes deaf and walks away in the opposite direction. This is normal behavior in a wolf pack. At this time, the young male starts looking for a sexual partner and the young female has her first heat. At that time, it separates itself from the herd to explore the area on its own. This is the age that corresponds to the age of fourteen or sixteen for humans. Of course, it is not the case that the dog is constantly and constantly running away – sometimes it takes several days, sometimes even a month and further problems with coming on call arise most often when the dog discovers that disobedience and an independent trip are great fun. It is important at this time not to punish a dog that has returned from such an expedition. It also helps to walk in unfamiliar terrain, where the dog feels less confident and does not move away from his owner so willingly.

The maturation period – from 6 to 14 months. Both in the body of adolescent bitches and dogs, there are large hormonal changes during this period. As with human adolescents who experience a period of “storm and pressure”, canine adolescents have similar problems. As the body struggles to establish a new hormonal balance, excessive or even incomprehensible responses and behaviors can arise. Until now, indifferent objects or phenomena may cause fear or aggression. The behavior of the owner at this time may affect the pet’s tendencies later. Both punishing a dog and trying to cheer or calm him down can perpetuate undesirable behavior while keeping calm and ignoring such reactions shows dogs that there is nothing to fuss about.

Mature age – from 1 to 4 years until approximately 4 months of age, the stages of development of dogs of different breeds overlap. Later on, there are some differences depending on the breed and size of the dog. Small-breed dogs enter each phase faster than large-breed dogs. Thus, the period of puberty to full maturity takes from one to four years, depending on size and breed. In the period of entering adulthood, there is a need for a relatively permanent place in the social group consisting of members of the human family and sometimes other dogs. If the dog has learned to use many privileges in the stage of initial positioning in the group (12-16 weeks) or if its inappropriate behavior has not been corrected, and it has a high temperament, it will often try to consolidate these behaviors. If the owners allow him to do so, and then try to subjugate him, they may face open aggression. A proper relationship with a dog is based on the fact that the human controls the dog’s behavior and the dog obeys his commands. This position is achieved, of course, without a fight, by systematically, consistently, and calmly teaching the dog that obedience brings more benefits than inappropriate behavior. It also happens that the dog’s position is unclear and not fully determined, and the dog receives contradictory signals from the household members – on the one hand, permission and often unconscious rewarding of undesirable behavior in one situation or time and punishing the same behavior in another. It can result in behavioral difficulties ranging from disobedience to aggression.