puppies removed from their mother

Question
What are the effects of puppies being removed from their mother before 8 weeks

Answer
There are arguments about that.  My experience seems to confirm the scientific studies suggesting problems if done before 6 weeks or after the 12 weeks many insist on.    I have not actually read the noted behaviorists Fuller and Scott or Pfaffenburger, but have read quotes from their work in dozens books including the Art of Raising a Puppy by the Monks of new Skete. ''...pups raised without human contact would show fearful reactions to humans at five weeks of age but could readjust over 2 weeks time if handled often, Puppies first exposed to human contact at twelve weeks of age, however immediately reacted very fearfully and fled from the experimenters. They acted essentially like wild animals and were socially irretrievable. They had missed the vital contact during the critical period.'' p 43, First Edition.

I think they need to be with their mother and litter mates until 6-7 weeks to learn how to be dogs.  Then they need to go to their homes and start learning to live with the strange 2 legged beings.  Human contact is important from the first, and needs to include, men, women, and children.  In their book, the monks talk about bringing women into the monastery to socialize the puppies they breed.  Early socialization is a badly neglected topic and I see poor socialization as the root of many problems people come here for help.  Most of what you do hear is about bite inhibition.  Puppies need to learn that if they bite a litter mate too hard, it yelps and leaves.  I think they know that by 6-7 weeks, and another month or 2 only teaches them biting is OK as long as you don't bite too hard.  That is counterproductive in a society that objects to dogs biting.  

The sooner a dog is removed from a kennel setting, the better it is prepared to live in a home as the only dog.  Just as they need human socialization before that, they also need dog socilization afterwards.  It needs to be with dogs  carefully selected to be disease free.  Even the best shot program leaves a window they can catch life threatening diseases.