How old should an Australian shepherd puppy be when you buy it?

fashionhpe: How old should an Australian shepherd puppy be when you buy it?
I am moving soon and this women on craigslist has an aussie puppy that is 7 weeks, we won’t be moving for about another month. Which would make the puppy about 3 months old. Would that be a good age to get the puppy at?
thanx

Answers and Views:

Answer by walking lady
Sure, 3 months is a great age. It’ll be a bit easier to housetrain the puppy because he’ll have a little more bladder control. And it’ll be really easy to bond with a puppy that age. It’s a really fun age!

Answer by Laura ♥
No sooner than 8 weeks, many responsible breeders will wait till 10 or even 12 weeks.

ADD:

As Walking Lady stated, 12 weeks would be an excellent age. You will have already moved, will have settled in to your new home somewhat, and the puppy will have had an additional few weeks of socialization with the dam.

Answer by millypeed
A puppy should be at least 8 wks old before leaving it’s mother and litter mates, preferably older, so 3 months would be perfect.

Answer by lovemypups3
Yes, that would be the perfect age to get the pup. Pups should not leave their mother and littermates younger than 8 wks old and ideally should stay with them until they are 10 – 12 wks old.

Answer by IKnowUKnow
No sooner then 8 weeks, with 12 weeks being best, IMO.

Answer by itsmetrea
12 weeks is best. if she’s a good breeder she will hold for you. be careful those dogs are in shelters big time, over bred and high energy. I looked and just the other day that breed alone has over 10,000 right now in USA shelters waiting. good luck

Answer by Dog Trainer
A puppy needs to stay with its mother and litter until at least 8 weeks of age. However, puppies bond quicker and learn more easily from the ages of 5 weeks to 10 weeks of age! So getting your puppy at 8 weeks is beneficial in many ways! I have had puppies I got at 3 months of age and they were wonderful dogs/companions though.

Answer by btdt
Eight weeks is the ideal age for the pup to adapt to a new home and start bonding with you. I’d be tempted to go visit your pup as often as possible between 8 weeks and when you move, so the pup starts bonding with you.

Answer by theonetheonlyholybull
They usually try to wean the pups at about 8 weeks. So three months wouldn’t be a bad age to get the puppy at. I guess the big question is will they hold a pup for you? And if you do have them hold a dog for you I would want to pay them for that extra month the dog would be under there care. Just my opinion. But yeah, 3 months is a good age and you’d still have plenty of time left for puppy lovin’!

Answer by Weimaraner Mom
yes that’s fine, however, puppies have a small window of socialization so it would be best if you got the puppy at 8 weeks and started socializing it right away. I’ve read that a puppy should meet 300 people by four months of age so if you get it at 12 weeks your window is smaller for socialization with people and dogs. Eight weeks would be fine for you to adopt.

Answer by jo jo
all puppies should be 8 weeks old or older when you buy them.That’s when they come off their mum’s milk.

Answer by Loraine F
Get it when you are moved into your new place.