Getting my pup early

Question
Hi there I just got my pup (staff) he is 6 weeks old the owner said he was doing fine eating food and drinking baby milk and it was fine to take him Early witch I was very surprised but could not wait so decided to take him he is fine. But the only thing is he is not taking a drink of milk or water he is eating fine acting fine with the kids. Could this be due to being away from his mother early. he is due at the vet and will access him then but just bit worried as I am asking your advise. One other thing is 6weeks to early for him to be away from his mother

Answer
Hi Samuel.  You are correct - 6 weeks is just a bit too early to leave the litter.  The early interaction and play with his littermates and dam is very important to his development of bite inhibition, especially for a Staffie.  I would recommend finding the owners of his littermates that have also gone home already and arranging playdates - or asking the breeder if he could come back for a while each day for about a week.  

Please read this chapter by Dr. Ian Dunbar for information on helping your pup develop bite inhibition.  http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/teaching-bite-inhibition  Dogs that spend a sufficient amount of time (usually 7-8 weeks) with their littermates get a good head start with this.  They teach each other.  Pups that leave the litter early don't have this advantage.  This website is a wealth of information about puppy training.

Puppies don't need to drink milk.  Provide him water in his puppy pen or confinement area and he'll drink when he's thirsty. Hopefully you've seen him drink by now.  If not, contact your vet.