How do I know if the puppies are retarded??

[Lauram]

Are the puppies, Lottie and Bramble retarded? how will i know?

I have been reading the articles on puppy 0-2 year and one post said that pups must be split from their mum at 8 weeks, well ours weren't. Meg still fed the once a day, not much was more like a comfort suck when the big dogs came back from their main walk untill about 12 weeks, it was her choice not theirs, after that she just stopped, they were also tried to suckle tag untill about 10weeks then they simply stopped. They still live with their mum and occassionally she still washes their ears and they do sleep with her at night. Is that normal? They are not bothered if Megan is away from them, they have their routine, she has hers.

Also they are from the same litter and I have been reading and agreeing with what has been said about litter mates. We initially only kept Lottie and bramble moved to a new home, she was a funny alien looking thing and went at about 10 weeks, she went to a lovely family with 2 older kids- one who she slept with and a crawling baby, who she curled up with. For the two weeks she was with the family their baby was ill, just kind of summer flu symptoms, then it became covered in a rash and was taken to hospital with breathing difficulties- Allergic to bramble!!! They were devastated so naturally we took bramble back, there was a bonus because she came back with a huge box of toys, bed and had her first jab. So the intention to keep 2 was never there.

But how will we know if there development has been stunted? They seem like pretty balanced normal dogs, they are well out of the 'vampire' stage, no separation anxiety issues, they are toilet trained although Lottie wont go out if its raining, they have a small social network and aren't really into each other that much, right now Lottie is sleeping in front of the fire and bramble is upstairs somewhere. Are they developing properly? What would I notice if they weren't?

They are 9 mths old, what markers should they have reached?

[Mattie]

That article is only guide lines for the majority of dogs, like childen dogs are different, some reach stages earlier/later than others. There are many bitches who didn't have their pups taken away from them and the pups grew up to be normal well balanced dogs.

If your dogs look normal, act normal they probably are normal, we can read too much into articles at times, they are only a general guide.

[emmabeth]

They have had plenty of opportunity to interact with other adult dogs, and humans and done things seperately and together.... so that falls under the 'it works for some people but they way they did it and their lifestyle is not the same as what you are offering...' category.

It is a far cry from puppies bred by puppy mills or bought in petstores who havent experienced anything useful in the first 8 weeks... and then only experience one another and a couple of humans once they get home!

[Lauram]

I thought the articles were excellent and just worried that if their development was stunted I wouldn't know untill it was too late. But you think they'll be ok?
I don't want them to be deliquents of my making, they do that on their own

[Nettle]

They sound perfectly fine to me.

[Fundog]

And even if they are missing a few brain cells, that doesn't mean they would be "delinquents." My Dottie is mildly retarded, due to the neglect of her first most crucial year. We call her our "little cotton-headed ninny muggins," lol. I could tell within 24 hours of bringing her home that she had some developmental delays (she's very sweet and good, but she isn't very smart). Even at 2.5 years old, she is still just a little baby of a dog. But... through a lot of Tender Loving Care and stimulating experiences, she has undergone some significant rehabilitation. I figure by the time she's five years old, her delays may be overcome enough to not be able to tell anymore. Here's another clue: Dottie never gets into any mischief. If we didn't remember to feed her, she would starve to death (but as long as we have Annie, that won't happen, lol!) We've had to teach her how to play. You mention your two pups are good at getting into mischief-- that tells me their cognitive development is right on track. Who knows? Maybe the extended nursing time made them extra smart!

[rossibear]

I'm not experianced in this with dogs but i have had 2 young horses in my life that were both left with mum and weaned naturally and the difference in them was amazing. they were so confident, laid back horses, took everything in their stride nothing fazed them, being 'broken' was a doddle, compared to others that had been force weaned at 6mths who questioned everything, the reseach into this is coming out that the forced weaning traumatises them and effects them for the rest of their days in one way or another. so would something similar apply to dogs, after all we seperate them for our benefit at a early age ?

[Lauram]

I have had similar experiences with horses, in practice the more secure you can make their foalhood the easier and more confident they become as adults. I have read on other sites that with dogs that two puppies won't develop as individuals.

I think ours are ok, I'm going to go with the theory that if they seem normal then they cant be too bad