Problem
I have read your articles for some time and enjoy them greatly. Also, I have learned quite a bit even though I have been involved with retrievers for quite a while. We breed and raise golden retrievers and Labs. Recently, I have had people wanting to pick up pups at five or six weeks of age. I am sure I read something in one of your articles about the importance of socialization within the litter, etc., which occurs about that time.

I won't let my pups go until seven weeks, and prefer 10 if possible. Do you have a reference I could look up about possible problems resulting from taking a pup away from the litter and home at five weeks of age?

Solution
Thank you for the nice words about my articles. The one you refer to is, "Why Not Seven Weeks, the 49th Day Revisited." You can get a copy of that one and three other puppy articles I wrote from the following Web site: wpgcaerf.freeservers.com. When the screen comes up, click on "Pup's First Year" in the menu on the left. When that screen comes up, scroll to the bottom of the page and you will see the articles listed, including "The 49th Day."

Several references are listed there. Actually the most definitive work ever done on the subject was published as a book called Genetics and the Social Behavior of the Dog, by John Paul Scott and John Fuller. It covers 20-plus years of work on the socialization process in dogs. That was the title of the first edition. The title was changed slightly in later printings. All printings of the work were published by University of Chicago Press.

I can't imagine why anyone would want to take a pup from litter at five or six weeks. I consider eight weeks to be the minimum age to take a dog from litter and prefer to wait until 10 weeks. But there are as many myths about dogs floating around as there are about horses. Though not all the advice you can get there is bad, the dog behavior chat rooms are about the worst place to pick up nonsensical information--especially from self-styled behavior experts. Perhaps that is where the five- or six-weeks suggestions are originating.

Problem
My shepherd is going to be a first time mom. How will I know if she needs help removing the membrane from her pups when they are born?

Also, she barks and acts like she is going to tear up any dog that gets near her (wags her tail). Then she wants to play after the initial "front."

How can I keep her from going nuts when company arrives? She wants to jump on them and brings them her toy to play. This dog is 21⁄2 years old.

Answer and Questions
Your first question: Usually the bitch will lick a newly born pup and that will remove the membranes. You might need to hold pup's head down to be sure the pup's mouth and throat are cleared of fluid. Sit down with a veterinarian well ahead of time and have him/her run through the birth process.

The other questions I can't answer without knowing a lot more about your dog. I don't know whether the hyperactivity is a result of genetics, improper primary socialization or very lax training. For example, at what age was the pup taken from litter? Did you and the pup go through a good obedience training course? Is your dog generally overly puppy-like? What do you do when someone is arriving? Is she kennel (crate) trained?

If you give me a complete behavioral, training and general history of her I could better advise you. With the info you have provided I would only be whistling in the dark.

Another major question is, why was she bred? What reasons can you give me for breeding her? Can you think of any for not breeding her?

Sorry I can't be more specific, but I look forward to hearing from you.