Miniature Schnauzer Wanted!

[Lucybhartill]

Myself and my partner are desperate to add a dog to our family and would love a miniature schnauzer. We are really looking for a dog between 8 months to around 1year so they are just out of the real puppy stages. We live in Bristol but would be willing to travel if there is potential for the perfect dog but need some help in trying to track one down! If anyone could help us out it would be much appreciated.

[zeta1454]

Welcome to the Forum

Although you may have personal reasons for not wanting a puppy, it is important to know that getting an older puppy / adolescent dog may demand a great deal of patience and dedication unless you are certain it has come from a first class background. By that I mean a youngster that will have been well socialised, is of good health and temperament and that you will be provided with all the same paperwork (registration details, health tests, microchipping details etc.) as for a puppy at 8-16weeks of age. At 8 months to a year old dogs are going through their most challenging period of development as adolescents when they can ignore training, forget good behaviour and suffer anxieties and temperament changes due to adolescent hormone surges. Added to that you will have missed out on settling and training a young puppy into the routines of your own household and lifestyle.

There is a link here which explains a bit more about the importance of the early weeks in a puppy's life:

https://positively.com/contributors/you ... ank-slate/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Although the article is addressed to people buying a puppy at a younger age than you are seeking, it does highlight the critical importance of the early weeks on the dog's future behaviour and temperament.

As 6-12 months of age is the most challenging time, it is often also the age at which many dogs are abandoned or given up to rescue by those families who had no commitment to a dog beyond the cute puppy stage so many dogs from disreputable breeders, puppy farms and irresponsible owners may be rehomed at this stage in their life. Although it is a kindness to offer a home to these poor pups/dogs, it must be undertaken with a realisation of the potential problems that will need to be addressed with them, the costs re vet bills and possibly behaviourist advice and the time and patience to rehabilitate them.

However, having said all the above, if you are looking for guidance on obtaining a young dog who has had a better start in life and hopefully a loving caring beginning, the best place to look is via the breed clubs. You could either contact the breed rescue officers or the Secretary of each of the clubs to express your interest in taking on an older puppy /dog. The contact details for both can be found on this link:

https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/servic ... px?id=4096" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you are on Facebook, you could also post on the breed club Facebook pages regarding your interest. There may be breeders who show that have retained a puppy in the hope of it excelling in the show ring but have then decided to let it go as it may not have made the grade. They may let it be known then via the breed club that they are looking for a pet home for the dog.

Do check out all the puppy care and puppy buying / breeding topics via the Forum Board Index though as much of the information is just as relevant when getting an older puppy to avoid disreputable and irresponsible breeders or owners who are rehoming a dog for reasons which they may disguise from potential new owners.