Welcome! If this is a highly respected breeder, they should be doing all the early socialization you’ve described. Have you asked them about that? Potty training and crate training, too. And grooming. Ask where they’re at in those processes.

Toys often need a little more time to mature before being safely sent to their new homes, so I think 16 weeks actually sounds pretty perfect (assuming, of course, this breeder has been putting the time into socializing your little gal). Extra time with well-socialized adult dogs can also be super beneficial.

 

I have gotten all my toy puppies between 17 and 22 weeks, they were just fine

 

I agree with Peggy. Many good toy breeders won't send a puppy home until 12 weeks, due to the risk of hypoglycemia. Ask the breeder what she has been doing to socialize the puppies. At minimum the puppy should have had the opportunity to play with a sibling and any other friendly & appropriately sized dogs the breeder owns. The puppy should have been bathed and had its face shaved several times by now. It should also have been exposed to different flooring textures and been introduced to some friendly strangers.

 

Got my toy over 12 weeks, because he needed temperament testing and evaluation for show potential. If it’s a good breeder then they have socialized the dog much more than the average person could and the other older dogs in the house have taught him manners as well. The next puppy I get, I would want to be maybe even older like 6-8 months old because breeders do such a good job of getting the puppies out to shows and traveling which makes them rock solid with confidence and temperament. Toys are incredibly tiny and fragile too, having one under 12 weeks would actually be kind of scary.

I will say though, make sure the puppy isn’t leash reactive because some breeders often don’t put collars and rarely leash their dogs. They have the land and fencing to have the dogs off lead and then it ends up they only wear a leash when they’re “working” in the show ring. This can hide lead reactivity outside of that controlled environment.

 

I'm glad to see that it's being recommended to get toys when they are at least 12 weeks old. In the Maltese world, you can't buy a puppy from an AMA code of ethics show breeder under 12 weeks. Personally, I would strongly prefer to get a toy poodle in the 12-14 week range so I could do some socialization. With a spoo, my preferred age range is 8-10 weeks. But there are plenty of older puppies who get well socialized--just make sure that is the case with this 16 week old, as the socialization window has closed by then.

 

I got my spoo at 4 months and am extremely happy with the results.

 

I took mine home at 15 weeks and I think she really benefited from the extra time with the pack. My breeder did an excellent job socialising.

 

I don't think there is a problem with that age at all. Even older dogs make good pets. I would go with your gut though so you don't have regrets later. Wait for the next litter perhaps?

 

As others have said, it absolutely depends on how much work the breeder puts into socialising the puppies. If the pup has been raised in one room, or worse, a cage, met no dogs other than mother and litter mates and had limited contact with humans, then you would be playing catch up perhaps for the rest of the dog's life. But if she has experienced inside and outside, had happy introductions to lots of different dogs and people, got used to the noises of household appliances indoors and traffic etc outdoors, had at least the beginnings of toilet training and introduction to grooming, then you have a head start. After 16 weeks with mum and siblings or other dogs to play with bite inhibition should be well established, puppy is on the way to being able to hold pees and poos for just the extra minutes that make all the difference when it comes to toilet training, will be fully vaccinated and ready for walks, and hypoglycaemia is far less of a risk. So the answer, as it so often turns out to be, is "It depends...".

 

Hi,
I got my boy at 10 months (he’s a failed show prospect). He arrived a little shy understandably, but that went away within a month.

I assume that it’s in the best interest of a good breeder to have a balanced and confident dog in a show environment (lot’s of strangers, judges touching them ect.) and they usually have a lot of experience in raising such puppies. It was definitely true in my case, so I wouldn’t worry to much about getting a puppy a little later.

Then again I was actually really nervous about screwing up early socialisation, plus I was fine with not having to deal with young puppy issues. So I was glad I found an older pup.

 

The general consensus is that your good 👍

 

I got Becke at 4 1/2 months old and she was fine. They’re still place to socialize at that age.

 

Thank you all for your reply. Good point on the breeder’s socialization efforts.

When I asked, she said the puppy lives in the the house, interacts with the older dogs, and she’s been held by many strangers when they came to look at the litter…Didn’t sound like there’re structured steps to exposure. I think we may wait get a puppy from the next litter (she sends them home from 10 weeks on), or better yet keep talking to other breeders.

 

...she said the puppy lives in the the house, interacts with the older dogs, and she’s been held by many strangers when they came to look at the litter.

This sounds similar to what my breeder did, except she invited a constant flow of family and friends as well. She has many friends and they all love puppies...who doesn't? She also invited buyers to visit starting when they were 2 weeks old. I visited weekly until he came home. Most others, along with their family and friends, visited several times too. I'd bet he was exposed to close to 100 people before I even got him home! Also she groomed them each, FFT, 3x before gotcha day. And he was practically potty trained before I bought him home. He was certainly well socialized by the time I got him! I also found it easier than I thought it would be to get him more exposure after he came home. Everybody loves puppies, all you have to do is ask and they will come!
I wonder if you're underestimating her socialization efforts?

 

Yeah, that wouldn't be enough for me.