Hello, my boyfriend and I are getting a new golden retriever puppy in the next couple weeks. The breeder said that we can come and get her anytime after she is 7 weeks old. I have heard that taking a puppy from its mother in the 7th week can be bad. Should we wait until 8 weeks or is it okay to bring her home in the 7th week? Thanks!

No problem at 7 weeks. Some of my puppies including my 8 month old Lab, Holly were in my home by 45 days. If the breeder isn't doing much to socialize the puppies, 7 weeks is better than 8. Six to 12 weeks is a very important time for a puppy. You need to expose it to as many people and HEALTHY dogs as you can the first month you have it. Your puppy may or may not be safe if exposed to parvo. If the mother passed immunity on, the shots will not take until it wears off. After that, one shot, 2 weeks before being exposed to parvo, is all that is needed. The usual practice is to give a series of shots hoping to hit the window between the mother's immunity wearing off and being exposed to parvo. See Canine Parvovirus, What you should know about (http://www.avma.org/communications/brochures/canine_parvo/parvo_brochure.asp)

There is a sticky at the top of the dog forum with much of what I have learned from the training and experience with our 17 puppies since 1992.