So you Think you Want an 8 Week Old Puppy Rather Than a 16 Week Old Puppy
Older Puppies are Far Less Likely Have or Get a Disease
Older Puppies Have Larger Bladders
Older Puppies Do Not Need to Go to the Vet Every 2-3 Weeks
Older Puppies are Just as Much Fun as an 8 Week Old Puppy
Everyone that has not bought a puppy before or has not bought a puppy in a long time always wants an 8 week old puppy. This is understandable considering that person probably will not be able to enjoy a puppy again for a long time, and they want to get one as young as possible. Those of us that buy puppies often know a lot about the puppy buying experience. That causes us to look for puppies that are a little older. I usually do not buy from many breeders because I do not trust them or do not know how well they are taking care of their dogs. When I do buy from select breeders or trade with a breeder, I always try to get the breeder to hold the puppy for me until the puppy is at least 12 weeks old. I buy from breeders that I know keep up with shots and worming and do not abuse their dogs or puppies. This way, I know that I will get a friendly and happy puppy that is far less likely to catch a disease or come to me with a disease that could be deadly and could rapidly spread throughout my nursery. Puppies need to have a series of shots in order to develope immunity to deadly diseases like parvo and distemper. When breeders give shots at 6, 8, and 11 weeks or at 5,7, 9, and 12 weeks like I do, they are protecting their puppies from living a very short life. When people get a new puppy, they have a tendency to take that puppy all over town showing him or her off. They also invite everyone they know to come over and see the puppy. Puppy classes are also a part of many new puppies exciting lives. Unfortunatly, all that excitment is exactly what may kill your puppy. I do not allow anyone to touch my puppies until I know they are immune from catching something that could very well be on a strangers hands, feet, or clothing. When a puppy leaves here at 12 weeks of age or older, they have a great chance of fighting off a disease because of all the shots I gave them. When they leave here at 8 weeks, they are still very likely to get sick or die if exposed to the wrong agent. There is nothing I can do to prevent this except warn the new owner. The new owner will have to take the puppy to the vet every 3 weeks until the puppy is at least 15 weeks old to contine getting the puppy shots. This costs a lot of money in some states. Every time the puppy goes to the vets office, they are at risk of coming in contact with a disease as well. Shipping is also another issue. Shipping a puppy that is under 12 weeks old, especially a chihuhaua, presents risks that are not there if the puppy is older. Buying a chihuahua puppy at 8 weeks old is insane. Chihuahua puppies more than any other breed, are very likely to die just from a change of environment or too much activity. Puppies are also a lot more durable when they are a little older and much less likely to get injured or killed while playing. In other words, if you see a puppy available that is 15 weeks old or a puppy that is 8 weeks old, which one should you choose? The choice is yours, but I know which one I would choose. Keep in mind that I do not mind holding a puppy and do not charge extra to do this. I perfer to hold one especially one that is going to be shipped. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the fact that as a puppy matures, so do their bladders. 8 week old puppies need to go to the bathroom about once every 2-3 hours. This makes it very hard to housebreak them. The older the puppy, the bigger the bladder and the longer they can hold it. The list just goes on and on. Beware of a breeder that allows a chihuahua puppy to go to a new home unless that puppy is a little older. Letting them go at 8 weeks old is only acceptable under ideal conditions. Breeders that let them go as young and as tiny as possible either do not care about their puppies or are very inexperienced. If they love their puppies, they will most likely stop letting them go so young after a few of them end up very sick or even dead. It is that stressful. One of the best benifits of getting an older puppy is this: Genetic problems are not as apparent when a puppy is under 12 weeks old. When they are older, the breeder knows if there is a problem. If the breeder is one with integrity, he/she will not sell you a puppy with problems. I cannot count the number of people that have came here to buy an older puppy after they learned the hard way that younger puppies can be nothing but costly, very sad mistakes.