When is a good time to introduce a 6 week old male to a female?

Question
We have a 6 week old female AKC Pedigree Boxer. My question is, when is a
good time to get a 6 week old AKC Pedigree male? (We are going to breed
when the time is right). My wife and I were thinking that we would get a male
a couple of months after we have had time to train the female alittle so that
the male would maybe follow her lead. Or should we get him right now? We
think that trying to train them at the same time would be difficult because of
their age the attention span. Tell me what you think.

Thanks
Derek  

Answer
Hi Derek,

Honestly, there's no good time to bring a 6-week-old puppy home; that's really too young for a puppy to leave its dam and littermates.  You already have your female, so right now you'll want to focus on helping her with the important lessons she would have been learning from her canine family over the next several weeks.  Dr. Ian Dunbar has a book called "Before You Get Your Puppy" which discusses, among other things, the socialization a puppy needs before it turns 8 weeks old.  Typically this is done within the litter and by the breeder, but since your puppy is so young it falls to you.  The book is available for free download here:
http://www.jamesandkenneth.com/new_puppy.html

(Pay special attention to the information on bite inhibition - and I'd suggest you purchase the follow-up book, "After You Get Your Puppy", for further information on this topic - it is very very common for puppies taken too young to develop biting issues.)

As far as when the right time to bring home an 8-12 week old male :) I generally recommend waiting until the first dog is at least a year old, preferably two.  However, since you're considering breeding the two, then you really don't want to get a puppy in any case.  It's very risky to buy a puppy with the intention of breeding it to a dog you already own - you just don't know if they'll turn out to be compatible.  Most breeders simply pay a stud fee for a dog owned by someone else - that way they can compare traits of both adults (and often the offspring the male has produced with other bitches) and find the best match; also if the first litter doesn't turn out as expected, if you decide to have a second litter you can go to a different stud dog and get different results.  If you really want to own both parents, then the best thing to do is wait until your bitch is at least two years old (to be sure of both her physical traits and that she'll pass her initial health screening, which can't be done until two years of age), and then look to purchase a male who is at least two years old (and similarly, has compatible traits and has passed his initial health testing).  

I do have some information on breeding and on using a Boxer at stud, with links to further resources, on my website:
http://www.newcastleboxers.com/wannabreed.shtml
http://www.newcastleboxers.com/wannstud.shtml

Good luck - you have lots of time to research and find just the right dog for your girl!

~Jennifer