Quarantine puppy - help!

[Carrie_Brosio]

Hey everyone,

I know this is very common with schnauzers but I’m seriously at a loss and would appreciate help.

I’m currently living in Argentina with my husband. We decided to get a puppy a couple months ago and before purchasing Milo, I researched breeds to see which type of dog would be a good fit for us, etc. We both loved the idea of a mini schnauzer but I was nervous about the barking. Mini schnauzers are very popular here and so we asked a lot of owners we ran into and everyone said how sweet and loving and calm they were, that they actually didn’t bark that much. So we got Milo.

In Argentina, puppies cannot be outside till they’ve received all their shots. For Milo, that was a week ago. We expected him to bark and he did. At everyone and everything. But after a week, we saw some improvement.

So today we went to a large park, which was extremely crowded. I expected him to bark and then be okay, but he barked at literally every single person, child, dog, etc. To the point where we ended up leaving. He continued barking while we walked home. I think partly he was scared and maybe other times he wanted to play with other dogs. But soooo many dogs passed us, even other puppies, and none barked. Not even another schnauzer we saw! He was so calm while Milo barked away.

Milo also nipped at/bit my husband when he tried to calm him down. I'm sure he was just scared.

I’m just so disheartened. Needless to say, this is not the experience I nor my husband expected. I love Milo so, so much. He's only 4 mos. old, so I know he's still young, but I’m exhausted and stressed and so discouraged!!

Is there something wrong with him??? Is it just his personality? Why do other puppies seem fine?!! Even other schnauzers??!!

** Just a note, I wrote about his barking before and received great advise.

Any advise would be appreciated!!

[zeta1454]

Hi Carrie,

Please don’t get discouraged. I know that it must be hard when you have done the research and planned and looked forward to life with Milo and it seems as though your expectations have been ruined but you must try to focus on working with your puppy, learning to understand his personality and what (for now at least) may be scary and something he cannot cope with.

Many years ago now we introduced a male miniature schnauzer puppy into our family from a good breeder and we did all the training and socialising with him and took him to his first show at 6 months of age. It was not a big show but still a very new experience and (although he had never done this before) he started barking as soon as he reached the show marquee and continued almost without taking breath it seemed for about 15 minutes. We were mortified and unable to do anything except try to calm him which he eventually did before having to go in the ring. With him it was sheer over excitement and he had no way of expressing this other than barking. Even humans at times of extreme excitement, joy, grief or fear may scream or cry or vocalise in similar way. My first feeling from your description of Milo’s barking at the crowded park is that this was just too much stimulation with a new experience of so many people, dogs etc. He is still very young and has so little social experience outside of the home that it just flooded him with scents, sounds and sights that he could not process mentally and which may have scared him or may just have overloaded him to the point that he didn’t know what else to do but bark.

Personally I wouldn’t try to compare Milo with anyone else’s puppy or dog. It is easy to fall into this and become discouraged that your puppy is not as well behaved, as quiet, as obedient or whatever but all that matters really is your relationship with Milo which will be a learning experience as individual personality and temperament are always there even with siblings. Milo may well have lovely traits which the others don’t so just focus on him and try to ignore the others.

I would try to step back a bit from taking Milo to places which are going to overstimulate him at this stage. Although it isn’t always possible to predict where and when certain places are going to be busy, if you go somewhere that is unexpectedly busy or that you sense Milo is getting anxious or barky, move to a place that is less crowded or just go back and return at a later time when the crowds have gone. If you can find places which have only a few people and dogs, see if you can take Milo and keep him at a distance he is comfortable with initially, find a seat if that is possible, where you can sit with Milo and watch the passers-by. You need to assess his comfort threshold and accept that for a while before trying to move him nearer to anything or anyone that scares or over excites him.

I would think that the biting incident was just a result of him being overstimulated rather than deliberate aggression. If you can keep Milo at a level where he is not too excited it should be easier to distract or calm him without him overreacting. Is he on a harness with a back strap which you could hold to keep your hands away from his mouth when calming him?

Some schnauzers may not bark but most do, especially as puppies. We have three mini schnauzers, Magic, her daughter, and her granddaughter and all three have different personalities and different situations where they will bark. It is just a question of getting to know them and their trigger points for barking and trying where possible to manage it so that it doesn’t get out of hand.

I know Julie recommended a good book to you on your other post- the Janet Finlay book which is excellent. Another book I would recommend is ‘When Pigs Fly’ which is also really helpful:

https://www.whenpigsflydogtraining.com/ ... The-Book/1

Make sure that Milo doesn’t get over-stimulated or over-tired, introduce him to new experiences gradually and try to recognise the point at which he is becoming stressed and move him out of the situation at that point. You do want to bring him on to a stage where he will be happy to meet and greet people and other dogs, but it may take time and patience and he is still very young. If you avoid getting into high stress situations for Milo for now, it will help you to feel more relaxed as Milo will pick up on your anxiety too and this won’t help. Even in the most trying situations it is better if you can act as though everything’s fine - easier said than done but it really will help Milo feel less agitated if you are calm and happy

[Carrie_Brosio]

Hi Leigh,

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I was literally crying reading your words. Thank you for all the tips and for the encouragement. And for sharing your experience! I've just downloaded When Pigs Fly! onto my Kindle and will look again to see the other suggestion from Julie.

**We are using a harness for walks. The bites came from us getting close, trying to calm him, which obviously did not work!

Thank you again! Believing today will be a better day!

(Perfect time to start as Milo is fast asleep!)