Puppy Weaning - Page 1

I have two great working dogs from two different breeders.

Breeder A:
Never weaned her puppies from their Mom.
She let it occur naturally.
My puppy was with her Mom and siblings until the day I received her.

Breeder B:
Weaned her puppies at 5 weeks.
After 5 weeks my puppy never had access to his Mom again.
Of course he was with his siblings constantly.

Puppy A:
Made a very smooth transition into our home.
Cried for the first couple of nights in her crate and was house broken in a week.
Very easy to live with.
I believe puppy A learned lessons from its Mom that I did not have to teach her.

Puppy B:
Screamed like Banshee on the 2 hour ride home and would not be consoled.
Puppy was a holy terror for 3 months.
Cried and cried for weeks at night.
Almost returned to breeder several times.
I lost 10 pound the first month from stress and not sleeping.
Took 2 months to potty train.

Breeder B has been breeding GSD's for over 30 years a believes her methods are best.
My question is which weaning method yields the best result?
What's the conventional wisdom?

Hard to say. I mean, in theory it could have a lot to do with the personality of the individual dog.

I'm more in favour of letting them wean themselves as well. We do the same with the horses. We start by feeding them in the stall next to their mom and then maybe move them down to a stall further away, then increase the time apart etc. So they learn to gradually become more and more independent and eventually leaving mom isn't such a big deal.

I don't know that it helps with training or attitude, but it does make for a much smoother weaning process.

Since you only have two puppies from two different breeders, making an accurate evaluation of the two weaning methods is impossible. There are too many variables. Temperament plays a huge roll in all that you spoke of. Weaning pups at five weeks, assuming they are eating and lapping water adequately is common. Leaving with the mother dog until she refuses to nurse them is not good for puppies or the mother dog. A big problem with puppy b could be, " of course he was with his siblings constantly". A puppy needs individual attention and to learn to cope with being away from siblings before going to new home. How old were the pups when you got them?

Supertanker,

Can tell something about health of both puppies if you noticed any differences?
Can you tell something about maturity age if it was different for each one?

Thanks
Ibrahim

Puppy A I received at 8 weeks.
Puppy B I received at 7 weeks (though I was told the pup was 8 weeks old - basically a math error, nothing intentional).

You are exactly correct on the weaning methods, there is not enough information to determine which is best.
I'm not a breeder, but I'm wondering what most breeders do or is there a generally accepted method.

The reason I raised the question is Breeder B contacted me about a litter coming due and I'm trying to decide if I want another pup from her.

End result for both dogs have been excellent.
Both are easy to train, high drive, dominate personalities.
I'm pleased with both dogs, great family dogs, great workers, great around the house.

Of course I'm not trying to make a imperical case based on two dogs (I've had 13).

I've noticed no difference in health between the two.
The female matured sooner (Puppy A), but I think females across the board (humans included) mature faster than males.

The problem is that you not only have two different weaning methods, you have two different sexes and two different bloodlines.  I have a showline female here for training that is the worst screamer I have had in 10 years, however she is also the best working dog I have had my hands on in that length of time as well.  Too many variables in this math problem :)  ( I also think I am being punished for making fun of Laura when she brought Bosco home)

Sometimes, the most vocal and relentless puppy turns out to be the best in drive and commitment in work

my mama dogs stay with the pups till the pups leave..  that being said.. once the pups are older..  she comes back to sleeping in my room.. going back to training.. but still has access to her puppies for feeding and playtime.   She is not with them 100 percent of the time.   I think pups learn alot from mom.. or from another adult dog that they could have access too.. especially during the later weeks.

jody

"Sometimes, the most vocal and relentless puppy turns out to be the best in drive and commitment in work"

RELENTLESS!!!

What a great word!
That completely describes puppy B.