In New Zealand anything before 8 weeks is a no-no .. they have not learnt all appropriate behaviors before then...

I'm a newbie to the forums myself but have noticed a few newbies introducing themselves and there pups which are under 8 weeks old, or were when they took them home.

I mentioned the problem with that to the first one, but am kinda blown away to see the next newbie has a puppy under 8 weeks too.

Is it acceptable in the states to take pup's home before 8 weeks, or are we just seeing the aftermath of irresponsible breeders?

Please forgive me if this is considered ok over there, is very frowned upon here.   

It's very frowned upon here too. In many states, it is illegal to release pups before 8 weeks of age. Unfortunately a lot of breeders release beforehand, regardless of the laws or ethics of it, but reputable breeders will not release before 8 weeks.

Thanks for clearing that up for me. Obviously a lot of people do very little research into puppy owning itself before getting one. Makes me a bit sad

8 weeks here in Australia too. I don't personally know anyone that would pick up a puppy before then and often breeders keep pups until 10 weeks of age.

That's generally the same here, some also keep them till 12.. generally it's NZKC members that go for the 12 week mark.

There is a range here, some states allow 7 weeks, most require 8, although they are making the laws tougher thankfully. I brought my first pup home at 12 weeks, and my second at 9. I do think the time between 8 and 12 weeks is a pretty important developmental time and was happy I got to have some of that time with my second pup.

8 weeks in the UK too