New Rottie Puppy

Question
I will be picking up my new puppy this coming Sunday. He will be exactly six weeks old, and normally, the breeder waits until eight weeks, but due to the holiday, they're letting the pups go two weeks early. My question is, what should my expectations be of a six week old Rottie pup, and what will his expectations of me be? What can I do to ensure the most comfortable homecoming and how can I make the nights easier on the pup and my family? This includes getting up in the night to take him out; how often; crate training at such a young age, etc. Thanks in advance!

Answer
Dear Christi,
Thanks for writing. How exciting to be getting a new puppy. It's thoughtful of you to find out what to expect.

Ideally the pup should stay with his parents and litter mates until he is 8-9 weeks. They teach him a whole lot about dog-dog communication, a task that is impossible for us. Maybe you could take him back to interact with his siblings a couple of times each week?

There's a free book that has all the answers you seek - and more. Visit http://www.jamesandkenneth.com/new_puppy.html and download the book, Before You Get Your Puppy by Ian Dunbar. You'll be glad you did.

Have fun with your new pup. Thanks for writing.

Alan J Turner
http://howsbentley.com