Puppies must be with their mothers when they are young.
Whether it actually is illegal to sell a puppy before it is eight weeks old is a law that varies by state. Not all states have such a law, though many of them do, and some states, such as Virginia, mandate that the puppy must be at least seven weeks old rather than eight. The reasons for enacting these laws are related to the physical and mental needs of puppies.
Social Development
One of the most important reasons for not selling or giving away puppies under eight weeks old is that the puppies need this time with their mothers and their littermates for proper social development. Young puppies are learning the essentials of act around others, and the rules are reinforced by their mothers. Pups that are sold too soon often don't know behave around people or other dogs, and they may become either very timid or quite aggressive, both of which can be serious problems.
Puppy Mills
Puppy mills are dog breeding operations that continually breed dogs and produce puppies on a large scale. Such operations often do not care about the welfare of the dogs and historically have sold very young puppies, often as young as five weeks, as a means of reducing the costs and labor involved in raising litters. By restricting the sale of puppies to those that are at least eight weeks old, the practice of separating young puppies from their mothers and littermates before they are ready is curtailed.
Weaning
While it is common to start puppies on solid foods when they are just a few weeks old, they usually are not weaned fully and able to live without any of their mother's milk until they are close to eight weeks of age. Puppies' stomachs are not able to tolerate sudden changes in diet, and their first food usually is moistened with canine milk replacer and allowed to soak until it is mushy. As they get older the diet is changed slowly until they are eating solid dog food, at which point they are fully weaned. Sending them too soon can cause health problems, such as diarrhea, vomiting and failure to thrive, and puppies that don't grow correctly.
Exclusions
Some agencies are specifically excluded from such laws, typically animal shelters and humane societies that deal with abandoned or unwanted animals. It makes sense to allow such organizations to find homes for young puppies when necessary, since in most cases they are dealing with young puppies that already have been taken from their mothers and would benefit more from being placed with a family than from being kept in the shelter until they reach a certain age.
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