New member & soon to be standard owner

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dchichester
Puppy
Posts: 7
Joined: 31 Jan 2019, 02:19
First Name: Daniel

New member & soon to be standard owner

Post by dchichester »

Hello Schnauzer Forum!

We lost our Boxer of 7 years to DCM back in September, and really didn't think we were ready for another dog for quite a while. That is until we watched the national dog show in November and saw the Standard Schnauzer. We were just drawn to it, and it crossed off a lot of our boxes (shedding, allergy's, temperament, size etc..) So we have since been in contact with a very reputable breeder in our area, and are hoping to bring a pup home in mid-March!

We're from the Philadelphia area, in a kind of urban area. We realize the challenge that is in store for us with a standard, but are looking forward to that journey.

My first big question is in regards to diet. I see a lot of people going raw, but I'm kind of hesitant to go that route. I would love to hear anyone's take on this. If you prefer raw, or if not, what brand food do you recommend?
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Schnauzer Sam
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Dog #1: Rosie
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
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Re: New member & soon to be standard owner

Post by Schnauzer Sam »

Hi James,

Welcome to the forum. I have no experience of standard schnauzers (not yet anyway :))) so will restrict my comments to raw.

I have 2 mini bitches (19 months and 8 months) and put them both onto raw food 6 weeks ago. It was something I had always wanted to do but was hesitant as I'd no experience and imagined I'd need a chopping block, butcher's cleaver and a waterproof overall:)

The reality is very different. I buy a week of frozen raw food every week and each night before going to bed I take one out of the freezer and it's ready to use the next day. It's a complete meal so I have nothing else to do. They eat 2-3% of their weight in food each day across 2 meals but as a pup the ratio is different.

I know there are people on here who wean their pups on raw so I'm sure someone will add their experience.

In all honesty, I wish I'd done it sooner. I have had no problems with going raw. Both my dogs love it and the older girl was a really fussy eater and had to be encouraged to eat at most meal times - not now. I use a food made in UK by a company called Nutriment but as you're in Pennsylvania you'll obviously need to source a US manufacturer.

There's a website called rawfeeding rebels that has good information. The link is below to some raw suppliers in US on their website.


http://www.rawfeedingrebels.com/supplie ... us-canada/
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Oscar 12345
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Dog #1: Oscar RIP Sweety
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Re: New member & soon to be standard owner

Post by Oscar 12345 »

Hi James and welcome to the forum. Completely concur with Sam's post above. He spurred me on to try raw and I really wish I had done it sooner. Do check what your breeder will be feeding the pups on. I know of some breeders in the UK that do offer a choice of weaning the pups on raw or non raw depending on what the future owner will be doing so you might be able to have an input. You could also ask your breeder what their experience has been on food, as a breeder I am sure they will have tried lots of different foods.
Man cannot survive with wine alone...
we also need a schnauzer.
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Dawnspell
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Re: New member & soon to be standard owner

Post by Dawnspell »

Dog food is a personal choice have a look at https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com which will have more of the brands available to you in US.
If choosing a dry food then grain free is generally of higher quality. Cold pressed is easier to digest than extruded.
Our first family dog
Barney - Pocketpark Biali Eyebright 6/2/13 - 8/3/19 Gone too soon
Motto for owners who groom their own Schnauzers -"Never mind it'll soon grow back"
dchichester
Puppy
Posts: 7
Joined: 31 Jan 2019, 02:19
First Name: Daniel

Re: New member & soon to be standard owner

Post by dchichester »

All, Thanks so much for the insight and suggestions!!! Sam that is exactly what I was picturing in my mind as well! Your post really helped simplify it for me and ease some fears. Appreciate it 👍
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