new member, and Watson

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Watson01
Puppy
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First Name: greg

Re: new member, and Watson

Post by Watson01 »

Thats great to hear. The breeder made me a bit nervous about taking him out before vaccinations, but that really helps, so we will be sure to head out in arms to meet as many new things as we can find.

Quite excited to show him off to be honest!
Oscar 12345
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Re: new member, and Watson

Post by Oscar 12345 »

What lovely photos, welcome to the forum. You are in for the most wonderful rollercoaster ride. Definitely get him used to a harness, collar and lead around the house, schnauzers are notorious for not appreciating anything on their backs like a harness unless you introduce them very young. Looking forward to hearing about your adventures.
Man cannot survive with wine alone...
we also need a schnauzer.
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schnauzer
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Re: new member, and Watson

Post by schnauzer »

I took Gino out a lot to socialise while I was waiting for his inoculations to kick I carried him out on walks around the neighbourhood also got him to meet friends dogs who I knew were healthy & jabs up to date. Took him in the car etc. Did something every day with him. Also as soon as He was able to get out I let him off the lead in a safe area with my friends two Scotties it was the best thing I did as he stays close by now. I don’t have any hesitation letting him off now.

Felt with my last girl we hadn’t done it early enough as she wasn’t off the lead soon enough & would run away she was at least 3-4yrs old before I was confident with her even then she could still take off.

Good luck.
Christine & Gino (Siglette Shadow (born 9/5/17 ---

Suzi (15/5/04---13/4/17) (Sugarbabe) RIP loved you to the moon & back, miss you so so much precious girl
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zeta1454
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Re: new member, and Watson

Post by zeta1454 »

Watson01 wrote: 18 Oct 2019, 10:12 Thats great to hear. The breeder made me a bit nervous about taking him out before vaccinations, but that really helps, so we will be sure to head out in arms to meet as many new things as we can find.

Quite excited to show him off to be honest!
Obviously you do need to be careful about where you take Watson but there should be no problem if you are carrying him. The importance of early socialisation to prevent behavioural issues later is widely recognised nowadays as vital. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior states that: " Behavioral issues, not infectious diseases, are the number one cause of death for dogs under three years of age." There is a link to their article here:

https://avsab.org/wp-content/uploads/20 ... -FINAL.pdf

Although the above is from the USA, it is just as relevant to the UK.

Have fun taking Watson out and about - it is one of the joys of having a new puppy :)
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

Magic - Silversocks Sharade at Darksprite
Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud


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Oscar 12345
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Re: new member, and Watson

Post by Oscar 12345 »

Be prepared to discover lots of admirers.... :D
Man cannot survive with wine alone...
we also need a schnauzer.
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Dawnspell
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Re: new member, and Watson

Post by Dawnspell »

Most definitely go to as many places as possible. I had a puppy carrier for first couple of weeks then used a backpack to carry Jasper around. Schnauzers can be very reactive/ barky with things they're not sure of.

Some places I took Jasper
Car boot sales
Sitting at busy road junctions
Asking if we could stand behind a fence while preschool kids playing outside
Going in churches
Non food shops didn't mind a puppy being carried round in a bag, I just asked first
Most garden centres allow dogs in anyway
Going to different people's houses
Meeting vaccinated, friendly dogs
Getting used to loud noises, tractors, lorries, drills, vacuum cleaner, hairdryer, bangs, beeps
Letting people who are used to dog handle him.

At home getting used to walking on lots of different surfaces ready for the outside world, handling him all over, grooming, basic training.
There's loads you can do, now is the time to put the time in to benefit later from well socialized dog.
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Barney - Pocketpark Biali Eyebright 6/2/13 - 8/3/19 Gone too soon
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Watson01
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Re: new member, and Watson

Post by Watson01 »

What a first week! As advised we are now getting Watson out and about in arms, and he is experiencing many new things. We have had people over to the house with small children, and he has been over to grand parents. My kids are keeping him entertained, and he them! training is going well, and he is responding really well to "come" and "sit". He's not a big fan of going out to the loo in the rain, but the toilet training has really turned a corner. Going outside for 1s and 2s immediately after waking up, before he goes to bed, and after meal times. mo accidents these last couple of days, and when he has gone inside its been on the pad. The one thing so far that he seems to really hate, is riding in the car, where he howls the whole way. Weirdly we discovered that if we opened the window he would stop, and as soon it was closed again he would start up. We are making sure to leave the house without him, and generally speaking it seems like he is so tired at that point, he's happy to use the opportunity to have a nap in his crate with the radio or a podcast on to keep him company.

Once again a big Thankyou for helping me along with these first experiences. The forum is so helpful
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mikegoodson1
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Re: new member, and Watson

Post by mikegoodson1 »

Good news that Watson has settled in so well and that his house-training is coming on leaps and bounds.

The car experience was/is exactly the same for me. Regardless of whether I have Oscar in the back (boot area with a big dog bed in the back to keep him comfy) or on the front seat next to me (with the dog bed moved from the boot) he lasts about 15 minutes then will start crying, even with me there next to him trying to soothe him. With the window open, this seems to placate him a lot more but that isn't always convenient if my OH is in the car and telling me to "do the windows up".

Yet my other mini, who is half Oscars age (at 2) is as good as gold, you would not even know she was there.

So if anyone can answer Greg's question over car travel, I would be pleased to hear it :D
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Dawnspell
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Re: new member, and Watson

Post by Dawnspell »

Do either of them cry when the car is stationary ?
Just thinking of doing something like crate training to desensitise to being in the car while at home and taking it on the road so to speak
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"
Watson01
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Joined: 16 Oct 2019, 11:40
First Name: greg

Re: new member, and Watson

Post by Watson01 »

Good to know its not just Watson!

He only starts when the car is moving, so I’m imagining it’s a kind of motion sickness, or stress at moving while sitting or lying down, which i guess must be confusing. He has been in his crate which he normally loves, but in the boot. It’s a big car so he isn’t cramped.

Hoping as time goes on he will realise that when we get in the car it’s to go and do something fun, but he’s not got the hang of that yet. Any tips gratefully received!
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zeta1454
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Re: new member, and Watson

Post by zeta1454 »

It can be difficult sometimes to work out why dogs are stressed out with car journeys. As you say, it could be motion sickness in Watson's case and, with many puppies, this does naturally resolve as they mature. Sometimes having a puppy or dog in a position where they can see out of the car window can help to overcome travel sickness but, if it is more of a "psychological" issue that may not work.

We have had so many dogs and puppies over the years and pretty much all brought up exactly the same and yet, while most are excellent travellers, one or two are not. We have two affens at present who get very stressed on car journeys - both were rehomed with us from a home where they probably did not experience car travel so that may have had an effect.

It does sound with Watson as though it may be a reaction to being aware of the noise and motion of the car but not really knowing what is happening. The open window will give him a sense of place / environment which may be why he is better when the window is not closed. Once when we were on holiday many years ago with our first mini schnauzers and had a car which had a sun roof we could open, all three sat taking in huge sniffs of the air as we went along and seemed to enjoy that more than looking out of the window. Scent is a major sense in dogs and they learn so much about their surroundings from this.

With our affens who are struggling with car travel, we have tried all kinds of things unsuccessfully so I am thinking of trying a homeopathic remedy with the one who has the most car travel and see if that works.

With Watson, I would be inclined to try putting him somewhere he can see better where he is going, unless you are OK with having the car window open and maybe just try taking him on as many short journeys somewhere enjoyable as you can - it may well be that he will actually outgrow the stress reaction to travel as he matures.
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

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Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud


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Riesen16
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Re: new member, and Watson

Post by Riesen16 »

Hi I saw this on the Net and decided to copy it:

"Motion or car sickness is more common in younger dogs than adults. The reason may be due to the fact that the parts of the inner ear involved in balance aren't fully developed. ... Many puppies will “outgrow” motion sickness by the time they're about 1 year old."

One of our dogs - cannot remember which one - suffered from this. When we went to the dog club about 20 mnutes' drive, he once made it to the last corner and I sighed with relief and then "whoops" once again!! It lasted until about 6-7 months and then he was ok.
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Schnauzer Sam
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Re: new member, and Watson

Post by Schnauzer Sam »

In Guernsey you wouldn't expect car sickness to be an issue given that the island is only 25 square miles but we have struggled with Edie and motion sickness. Anything over 10 minutes and she would be certain to be sick. We tried lots of things, ginger biscuits, open windows, waiting for a few hours after feeding but nothing gave us consistent or predictable outcomes.

She's now 15 months old and it must be 3 months since she was last car sick. I can't remember it easing off - it simply stopped.
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Watson01
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Re: new member, and Watson

Post by Watson01 »

Really interesting to hear the possible reasons, and to know that its not just a struggle for Watson. He's not actually sick, just very distressed, so I think the inner ear and balance theory might be spot on!

We have now gone for a few trips where he has been in a carrier between the kids in the back, and on my wifes lap in the front, and he has been much happier. Possibly its a mix of not being able to see us, and the feeling of my rickety old car grumbling and vibrating too much. Good to know others have had it to start with but that its gone away.
Schnauzenator
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Re: new member, and Watson

Post by Schnauzenator »

THAT FACE THOUGH ❤️💕🤣
I see nothing but joy coming your way.
My little girl got so easily distracted while put to potty .... I ended up putting her on a lead and walking her around in circles (about a half hour to hour after meals) Within weeks, she was flying through the cat flap! I’ve had her 9 years and she only made an accident once!
I’m all for crate and whatever your choice ... but my kids were flying the coop .... so Kaya became my baby. She was happy in her fleecy bed next to me, but yeah .... she sleeps with me in my bed now lol. She has her own overstuffed leather chair with a plush cushion, of which I removed the contents and it’s now stuffed with certified humanely-sourced down🙈 it is the cosiest little nest and she will often get off the bed and sleep there.
My husband travels, so she and I have proper girly nights, whereby I do my nails and cream and and and late at night on the bed .... then I go and get a sneaky toast and sweet tea! Kaya LOVES this (terrible Mummy), as she gets her own slice ❤️ She used to be hot on my heals to make it, but now, in her older years, she actually waits on the bed for me hahahahaha .... I can hear her tail pat patting the duvet as I make my way back to the boudoir with the booty - it’s a real treat 🐶💕
So what you feel is right for you. Look at your puppy. He is the cleverest little sausage you will ever know ... really ... they talk with their eyes and are so understanding. Don’t shout or smack or force ... gently coax your little feller into a routine that’s right for you both ... he really, only wants to please you and be close to you, that’s it .... gently teach him how.
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