Introducing Monty!

The Schnauzer puppy stage goes by so quickly, so make sure you get lots of pictures and make sure that you share them with the rest of us. Bristle noses, floppy ears and wagging tails are all welcome.
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Benestgm
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Joined: 16 Jul 2019, 06:47
First Name: Gillian

Introducing Monty!

Post by Benestgm »

Hi!

I am new to the forum and a first time Schnauzer owner. I thought I'd introduce my 11 week old puppy, Monty. I've had him for about a week and a half and he is growing into his new surroundings and showing the sweetest nature. He will happily destroy many a blanket, flower, shoe etc, if I let him!

Monty can be quite nervy in new situations, so I was particularly proud of him in his puppy class yesterday when he met a lot of other little puppies which seemed to gain him confidence. I also had a one to one session with a trainer yesterday which unfortunately rather deflated me. She didn't think much of me not picking up before 10 weeks of age (I couldn't because of work commitments) and rather scared me as to how much socialising with him I have to do in one week. She also questioned why I had got a Schnauzer. I live in London and we've have been out and about with him twice a day since he arrived, we've been to parks (a lot), high streets, cafe's, breweries, had people round and been to busy roads and (quiet) train stations to get used to the trains. He's met all sorts of adults and children; he remained calm when a 4 year old came bounding up to him and put their face in his face!

The trainer also told me I need to leave him on his own more, so yesterday I went out for an hour (whilst all the while watching him on a baby monitor app) and I went another time to drop a friend off home. Both times he was sleepy anyway. He does whine when left alone, even when I'm in the house. He did manage to settle after a few minutes and then just went to sleep.

I'm sorry for the slightly rambling post, but can people give me advice as to whether I am doing it right?! Is it that I have another week to introduce him to everything and if not then he will be forever nervy?! Will he always whine when I leave the room? My hope is that he will one day become a therapy dog in school (I am a teacher). Obviously if things don't work out that way that's fine, but I would dearly like to do my best by him.

Anyway, I'm sharing a picture of him (I maybe biased, but I do think he's a cutie!). He is also brother to Jasper (on the forum) and they have a playdate in Guernsey booked for August!

Gill
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GoEmGo
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Re: Introducing Monty!

Post by GoEmGo »

Hi Monty (and Gill)

We also have a white mini called Monty. He is a delight!

I think picking Monty up at 10 weeks is no problem at all. Some of our Monty's siblings were picked up at 10 weeks and they are thriving too! I'm not sure why your trainer questioned why you got a schnauzer. London can be an incredibly stimulating environment for a dog - as you say parks, cafes, people are all on your doorstep. I think a mini schnauzer is the ideal breed for that sort of lifestyle!

Our Monty enjoyed heading out in our arms for the first couple of weeks. He went to different houses, to the park, to cafes, to a reservoir, the forest, the town centre and the vets (obviously!) The fact that your Monty was so calm when a four year old was a bit too in his face is fantastic. Our Monty definitely wasn't so calm at 11 weeks. Your Monty sounds a cautious little thing, just like ours. I don't think this is a bad thing at all. Our Monty has a few doggy pals that he enjoys playing with. He's not nervous around new dogs but will remain stationary upon seeing them in the park, wait for them to get closer and then approach with a gentle nose touch. This is perfect in my opinion!

Our Monty has never been to a puppy class - we have never found one we liked. I'm not against them at all. If there was a good one close by we would definitely have attended, but I think Monty is doing well without one. I think a fantastic one can be hugely beneficial however, and we may reassess this in the future.

Monty looks gorgeous and adorable! Look forward to seeing him grow up! Good luck with puppyhood!

Emma (and Monty!)
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Re: Introducing Monty!

Post by redalert »

Welcome Gillian, hopefully we will be able to follow Montys journey into adulthood on the forum as well as Jaspers. I'm not sure what to say regarding the trainers comments about not getting him till 10 weeks old, I didn't get either of my girls till they were 6 months old and I can't say it has caused me or them any problems and my 2 are very well socialised. One of my girls is far more nervy than the other, every dog is different just like humans. He is bound to whine when you leave the room at the moment, he is only a baby, just go with your gut feeling and do what you think is right for both him and yourself. I agree with you, he is a cutie.
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mikegoodson1
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Re: Introducing Monty!

Post by mikegoodson1 »

Hi Gill and Monty

Welcome to the forum, another cute white Mini Schnauzer puppy :D

I'm also a little confused by the "why a Schnauzer" question unless it was meant in more of a 'what made you choose that particular breed of dog over another' type thing...….I can honestly say that I have always loved dogs but had never known of the Schnauzer breed until we started researching what breed of dog would fit our lifestyle - I wouldn't choose any other breed now, they are a brilliant dog. So, good choice :)

I don't think the 10 weeks is a problem to be honest especially as it sounds like you have done loads of socialisation and taking him out and about.

I would agree with the leaving him alone thing though, try it in stages, working up from 10 mins etc. We never did this with Oscar and he hated it if we ever had to leave him in the house on his own, even if just for an hour. This only really calmed down when we introduced another mini into our lives some two years after Oscar came along, so now he has company.

Anyway, good luck. It sounds like you are doing all the right things :-bd

Enjoy the puppy stage, it's challenging sometimes but SO rewarding and take plenty of snaps and videos and of course, keep posting pictures so we can see him grow.
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Lou78
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Re: Introducing Monty!

Post by Lou78 »

Ah he is gorgeous!

I can't really advise on what is right or wrong as Ollie was a year old when we got him. He hadn't been to puppy classes and i always say "if we had him from a pup, we would have taken him to a class or a trainer". However, reading your post i think i would have been really intimidated if someone has started questioning my choices! We did 3 years' research before getting a dog and chose a schnauzer having met some and also them being hypoallergenic is a deal breaker for me. They really are characters and you have definitely made the right choice!

It did take a bit of work on our part to get Olls used to other dogs as he had been used to short or no walks and not much interaction with other dogs. He wasnt aggressive just massively excited and wanted to play with every dog he saw. He is much better now but it took time.

We have been so lucky that we can leave him and he is fine for a couple of hours. Thankfully never had any problems. He just sleeps and then is full of beans when we get in and ready for a play or a walk.

Reading your post and what you have been doing with Monty sounds perfect! A friend of mine, picked their pup up at 12 weeks owing to them being away and he is now 2 yrs old and a fantastic dog (cockerpoo). I can't say it affected his socialisation and he is great with other dogs and kids alike.

This forum is a wealth of knowledge with a lot of experienced owners and breeders on here. I relied on it a lot when we were new owners. Have a read through, there are some really useful tips and tricks on here as tried and tested by other schnauzer servants...sorry owners!

Ollie is 6 now and is just the perfect little guy to have around (not biased!). They make such great pets and companions, he makes us laugh everyday and we have met lots of new people by having a dog. We would truly be lost without him. May you have many fun filled adventures with Monty!
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Lou78
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Re: Introducing Monty!

Post by Lou78 »

Sorry that has appeared 6 times! If any one can delete them, please do! I kept getting an error message like it hadn't gone on! SORRY!
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zeta1454
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Re: Introducing Monty!

Post by zeta1454 »

Lou78 wrote: 16 Jul 2019, 11:00 Sorry that has appeared 6 times! If any one can delete them, please do! I kept getting an error message like it hadn't gone on! SORRY!
I have taken the duplicates out :) No worries- I think there may be an issue affecting some of the posts as a number of new ones have appeared multiple times recently.
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

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Re: Introducing Monty!

Post by Dawnspell »

Hi Gill pleased you found us :-h

I think the trainer is being a bit harsh. He was better off being left with the breeder and her dogs than being left on his own while you were at work. Its still socialisation.

I've been taking Jasper to car boot sales, bus station, pre school when the toddlers were outside playing and asking if he could watch over the fence. Finding lots of different animals yesterday he was nose to nose with a retired racehorse :)) I've got a carry bag which even though hes now on the ground I take with me so if he seems to be getting overwhelmed he can go in the bag.

Schnauzers are renowned for wanting to be with their humans and suffering from separation anxiety. Jasper is the same at the minute whining if he thinks hes been left too long, out of sight is too long sometimes =)) Im trying to build it up. When hes settled in his crate I keep coming and going, if hes awake and no whining he gets a treat when I come back.

Hes a gorgeous boy :x , of course I'm bias too since hes one of the family :D
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Re: Introducing Monty!

Post by zeta1454 »

Welcome to the Forum, Gill and Monty :-)

As regards your choice of dog, a miniature schnauzer has for many years been justifiably a popular choice for a companion dog in terms of size, health, and generally sociable nature. We have had several miniature schnauzer puppies go to homes in London and one regularly travels by train up to us in Yorkshire for holiday stays. All are perfectly happy and enjoying life in the city. A recent study by the Royal Veterinary College into dog health also concluded that the miniature schnauzer was definitely a good breed for new owners:

“Based on VetCompass™ Programme data, the miniature schnauzer is currently Britain’s most average dog from the breeds that we have studied to date. Extreme breeds such as flat-faced, long-backed or teacup-sized dogs may currently be in vogue but we need to move away from extremes and towards the healthier middle-ground.”

Dr Alex Gough of Independent Vet Care and co-author added: "Although a number of diseases were identified in the current study that affect miniature schnauzer, the common ones did not occur more frequently in this breed than in others studied. Many popular breeds are prone to life-threatening and distressing conditions related to their breeding. Our study suggests that the miniature schnauzer should be considered as a relatively healthy breed, which can help owners make a decision when acquiring a new dog."

The full article is here:

https://www.rvc.ac.uk/vetcompass/news/m ... w-research

The first twelve weeks (as an average) in a puppy's life are regarded as critical in terms of how well they are likely to adapt to a variety of different experiences in their new homes and much of this actually needs to be done by the breeder. We have had pups go to their new homes at any time from 8 weeks to 15 weeks of age and there have been no issues for the new family as we have made sure the pups are raised with the challenges and experiences appropriate for each stage of their development. If Monty has come from a good breeder I am sure he will have been "socialised" from before you got him and you just need to continue as you have been doing with more experiences including getting him used to being on his own.

Whether or not a puppy has the best possible early experiences, you can always work on any and all issues in the weeks and months ahead and almost all pups from whatever background can have or develop minor behavioural issues. It can take longer to work on deep seated problems obviously and the more resilient puppies will be easier to train and raise but do not feel pressurised or despondent because of the trainer's comments.

As mentioned above, training classes (and particularly puppy classes!) can be brilliant if they are well run by experienced and knowledgeable people who are up to date with the most effective ways to raise and train pups and support and advise the puppy families. The downside of going to training classes if they are not of the highest standard (and far too many are not) is that a puppy can be negatively affected and even traumatised by inappropriate behaviour and advice on the part of the trainer/s. Even puppies who have been given the best of starts in life can be seriously impacted by poor puppy class experiences and the owner lose confidence and feel they have failed if they are not fully and positively supported. I know this from personal experience of one of our pups who went to a lovely home and who had a very poor experience both from the puppy class and the one to one trainer.

Good puppy classes will have a high number of trainer / assistants to puppies with no more than 4 pups to a trainer and ideally only 2 to each assistant. Class sizes should be small - no more than 6 puppies ideally and all those attending with their puppies should leave classes / training sessions feeling excited to try out training tips, proud of their puppy and confident that the trainer will be there to support them with any problems. If you are not getting support or feel at all uncomfortable or uneasy about the training methods or the actual trainer, I would look for a different class or even check out online training videos, or puppy training books that use positive, kind, reward based methods.

Monty looks very sweet and I am sure you will have a fun time ahead with him. It is probably too early to know whether or not he will become a "therapy" dog but the more you put into raising him to be relaxed and sociable with people (and other animals etc.) and introducing him to novel and enjoyable experiences, the more likely he will be able to fulfil this role. Looking forward to hearing more about his progress too :-)
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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Lou78
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Re: Introducing Monty!

Post by Lou78 »

Thanks Leigh! Don't know what i was doing this morning!
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Re: Introducing Monty!

Post by Oscar 12345 »

Welcome Gillian and Monty, how lovely to see Jasper's little brother on here. You sound like you are doing some great things with some wonderful socialisation trips. Looking forward to seeing future photos of little adorable Monty.
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we also need a schnauzer.
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