The Schnauzer Forum

Hi there!

first of all, i should say that it has been a pleasure quietly getting to know you through the forum for the past few weeks
I have learned a lot

We do not yet own a Schnauzer. we are wanna-be miniature Schnauzers companions, but it has been difficult to find a suitable puppy where we live (mainly switzerland)
While we continue our search for a good breeder who has a mini available for us, we have been studying and preparing ourselves for a lot of grooming time!

Although we were searching for a puppy, i should say that in the past week, we were offered a 10 month old S&P female . She is super sweet, and chances are that probably we won't be able to resist her!

PS:

i have loaded the only picture i have of the 10 month old S&P female that we found as my profile pic
if you don't mind, i will open soon a topic to see what you think about her coat, if i am allowed

Welcome to the Forum

I hope that you are lucky enough to find a schnauzer puppy from a good breeder soon. Is the 10 month old you have been offered a ‘standard’ schnauzer?

Do check out all the circumstances as to the background of the schnauzer you have been offered to be sure that you know why she is being moved to a new home at this age. This is not to put you off from getting an older puppy but it is often much harder work to settle in and train a puppy who is in adolescence (which she will be at 10 months) and you may need greater patience and understanding with this schnauzer girl if she has any behaviour issues.

Good luck with your search and, if you do take this schnauzer girl, let us know how she settles in and I look forward to seeing more photos of your new family member

She is a miniature Salt and Pepper.
She is from a good breeder and there is a valid reason as to why she is still available for sale

Yes, you did confirm one of my fears, training and bonding. I am worried about training of the little schnauzer but also i'm wondering whether our own children will bond with her the same way as they would have done with a puppy. It is their first dog. They haven't had actually any contact with dogs before

i am told the little schnauzer has been spending time with the breeder's family in their home and that of their grandchildren.

We are undecided, to top it all, she is quite expensive , or rather, she is the same price as the more recently born small puppies from the same breeder (that have already found a family)

It is a really difficult decision to choose between a puppy at 8-9 weeks which you will have to wait for and one at 10 months old that you could take at once. Generally for a family new to the breed I would recommend getting a young puppy. It is easier to settle them into the family routines and training is more straightforward with a younger puppy as they are more receptive and are less likely to have had bad experiences or lack of training than an older puppy or mature dog.

However, I do understand that it can be difficult in some areas to get a puppy from a good breeder and, if the breeder has raised the older one just the same as the others, with love and care and has done all necessary socialisation and training you would expect, it could work out OK. An older puppy should be house trained and used to family routines and outside noises, scents and sights such as a range of different people, traffic, other dogs /animals etc. which could take some of the hard work from you if it has been done well.

Here in the U.K. it is not unusual for breeders who show their dogs to keep a puppy in the expectation that they will do well in the show ring and possibly for breeding in the future. If the puppy grows too big or is too small compared to the breed standard or does not have the temperament for the show ring they may move them on to a family as a pet at around 6-12 months of age. Usually an older puppy of this kind would be sold at a reduced price compared to getting a puppy at 8-10 weeks old.

Miniature schnauzers are wonderful little dogs, generally very affectionate and should get on well with children if they play gently with the puppy and are careful not to be too rough or tease them. I mention this as we had a toy breed puppy who we took at 9 months of age from a family where the young children had loved him but had been unsupervised with him and had clearly teased and frightened him as he had a deep seated anxiety of children - even the sound of their voices on television and a fear of hands or anything coming towards his head. However, the miniature schnauzer puppies we bred in the past who went to homes with children have all settled in very well and love the children and their playmates so, if the 10 month old schnauzer you are looking at has had good experiences with children and is used to a family life with them, she should settle well with your children and I am sure she will bond with them and they with her - miniature schnauzers are quite small dogs and at 10 months will not yet be fully grown or mature.

If you are confident in the breeder and trust they raise their puppies well, there may be nothing to worry about with getting the 10 month old but, if you are concerned, maybe you could get on a waiting list for when the breeder has another litter, if s/he breeds regularly. If you do go ahead with the older puppy, do make sure you get all the relevant documentation. You would expect to get the registration details of the puppy, the pedigree, copies of the parents’ health test certificates and of the litter screening for hereditary eye conditions as well as any veterinary records for the puppy. The U.K. Kennel Club and schnauzer breed clubs recommend that parent dogs have been eye screened by a veterinary ophthalmologist before mating and the litter of puppies eye-screened at 6-7 weeks of age for Congenital Hereditary Cataracts and the parent dogs have been DNA tested for MAC - these are important tests to try and ensure the pups will not have a hereditary health issue which is identified later in life.

http://www.theminiatureschnauzerclub.co ... -problems/

http://www.theminiatureschnauzerclub.co ... mplex-mac/

thank you so much for the precious advice.
I already got the details of the pedigree registration and was able to check the "puppy" ancestry for several generations etc, it was quite fun
i will enquire about the health checks you suggest