Bringing home our first standard pup!!! Need your feedback!

The Standard Schnauzer is a working or utility dog and is the original breed of the three sizes. Standard Schnauzers are generally a robust, squarely built, medium-sized dog with aristocratic bearings.
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dchichester
Puppy
Posts: 7
Joined: 31 Jan 2019, 02:19
First Name: Daniel

Bringing home our first standard pup!!! Need your feedback!

Post by dchichester »

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Hi All,

We will bringing home our first standard pup in two weeks :) We're so excited! So I wanted to have a little fun and throw out a short questionnaire. We've been doing a lot of research and kinda have a handle on things, but I just want to get a gauge on everyone else's personal preferences. And yes, I know a lot of this is dependent on personal preference, specific situations etc.., but I thought this would be a cute little exercise. So here we go.... Please copy and paste the questions & your answers.

Clip or Strip?
Do you groom your dog yourself, or take him/her to a groomer?
What specific grooming tools/manufacturers are currently in your "toolbox"?
Dry food or Raw?
If dry, what is your brand of choice?
What does your dogs activities consist of?

Please add questions and answers of any other pertinent topics that you can think of. Thanks!!!
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mikegoodson1
Member
Posts: 714
Joined: 31 Mar 2016, 11:52
First Name: Mike
Dog #1: Oscar
is a: Black Mini Dog
Born: 17 Oct 2015
Dog #2: Sasha
is a: B/S Mini Bitch
Born: 23 Sep 2017

Re: Bringing home our first standard pup!!! Need your feedback!

Post by mikegoodson1 »

Hi Daniel

Great choice of breed, the Schnauzer is a stunning/intelligent/loyal/stubborn dog :D

Clip or Strip?
We have our Schnauzers clipped BUT if you have the time/inclination I would strip. With clipping you lose the colour of the dog after a couple of years plus I believe stripping is better for them in terms of removing the dead hair, allowing better air flow so keeping them cool in the Summer and warmer in the Winter.

Do you groom your dog yourself, or take him/her to a groomer?
Groomer.

What specific grooming tools/manufacturers are currently in your "toolbox"?
Brushes to regularly brush them after walks. Nail clippers that have never been used but I now have an emery board type thing to try with their nails.

Dry food or Raw?
Dry but we now mix in a little of good quality wet food. We also add in chicken now and again.

If dry, what is your brand of choice?
McAdams - https://mcadamspetfoods.com/

What does your dogs activities consist of?
Daily walk (two walks per day in the Spring/Summer when evenings are light) / playtime amongst themselves / playtime with me / going into the garden whenever they need or want / agility training (April to Sept) - when puppies/younger they were both taken to puppy socialisation at a local large pet store, once a week for 6 months and also they both had obedience training for about a year each.
Oscar 12345
Member
Posts: 1592
Joined: 02 May 2017, 11:28
First Name: Julie
Dog #1: Oscar RIP Sweety
is a: P/S Mini Dog
Born: 21 Dec 2002
Dog #2: Otto
is a: B/S Mini Dog
Born: 04 Jul 2017

Re: Bringing home our first standard pup!!! Need your feedback!

Post by Oscar 12345 »

Daniel, what a lovely pup and it sounds like you are in for a fun and challenging time.

Clip or Strip?
1st MS I clipped the 2nd is stripped and so glad that I made that decision
Do you groom your dog yourself, or take him/her to a groomer?
Me, great for bonding and less stressful for dog
What specific grooming tools/manufacturers are currently in your "toolbox"?
All my scissors are Mars, curved, straight and thinning scissors are essential. Blunt end scissors. DK fine and coarse stripping knives, finger cots, Andis and Moser Arco cordless clippers, metal comb, cushion pin brush, slicker, undercoat rake, nail file, thornit powder, mushers paw wax
Dry food or Raw?
Raw
If dry, what is your brand of choice?
What does your dogs activities consist of?
2 good walks/day 2.5/3 hours total. Eating, snoozing, being groomed, playing in garden or house depending on weather, regular driving to parks, training, training and more training...

Wow, an incredible investment in our pets when you think about it....
Man cannot survive with wine alone...
we also need a schnauzer.
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Schnauzer Sam
Member
Posts: 743
Joined: 28 Sep 2017, 20:40
First Name: Sam
Dog #1: Rosie
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Born: 06 Jul 2017
Dog #2: Edie
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Born: 11 Jun 2018
Location: Guernsey

Re: Bringing home our first standard pup!!! Need your feedback!

Post by Schnauzer Sam »

Hi Daniel,

Phoebe looks great - much bigger than a mini pup :)

To answer your questions:

Clip or Strip?
My very first mini schnauzer was clipped and she went the palest of greys so my current pair are stripped, primarily to keep their colour.

Do you groom your dog yourself, or take him/her to a groomer?
I strip them myself.

What specific grooming tools/manufacturers are currently in your "toolbox"?
I have 4 pairs of scissors, curved, straight, thinning and a very small pair of human nail scissors I use to cut out knots and trim the hairs on their feet/from between the pads.
I have a pair of haemostats I use to pluck the hairs from their ears (a little ata time otherwise ouch).
I have Mars fine, medium and coarse stripping knives, Moser Arco cordless clippers with assorted combs (these are used for their butts/bellys/inside of the ears and the throat), thornit powder, metal comb, nail clippers (both my girls are great at having their claws trimmed), slicker brush, ear and eye wipes, toothpaste and brush (this is tolerated- but only just).

Dry food or Raw?
Raw - I use Nutriment complete

If dry, what is your brand of choice?

What does your dogs activities consist of?
4 walks a day totalling 2 hours. 1 is a long walk, 1 is about 30 mins and the other two are first thing/last thing to sniff/pee/poo. We have some agility equipment at home and also play hide and seek which they love. We hide small treats in a room, then allow them in to sniff them out. I also have puzzles which they have to solve to release the treats. I play with them every day - tug, fetch, throwing a toy and making them wait before releasing etc. Having two means they play with each other too. Watching schnauzers play together is better than the telly :)
Country Girl at Heart (Molly) 8 April 2003 - 22 December 2018

You're never alone when you own a schnauzer

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Rosie-and-E ... 872588622/
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Lou78
Member
Posts: 579
Joined: 13 Mar 2014, 21:08
First Name: Louise
Dog #1: Ollie
is a: P/S Mini Dog
Born: 26 Jun 2013
Location: Hyde, Cheshire

Re: Bringing home our first standard pup!!! Need your feedback!

Post by Lou78 »

What a beautiful pup!

In answer to your questions;

Clip or Strip?
We have Ollie clipped, and yes, i would say his coat has gone lighter over time. However, I am not too bothered about this!

Do you groom your dog yourself, or take him/her to a groomer?
We take Ollie to a VERY PATIENT groomer. He would be too much of a handful to do oursleves. We are at the stage where we can brush him and trim out any knots but that has taken nearly 5 years, he was so anxious. Whichever you decide to do, my main advice would be to get your pup being used to being handled and touched.

What specific grooming tools/manufacturers are currently in your "toolbox"?
We have some small scissors for knots and a Tangle Teezer brush (not specifically for dogs but gets out the worst knots!). We have got a set of expensive brushes barely used as he wont tolerate them (too scratchy?!)! I would recommend a detangling spray such as Demelex as this is good for any stubborn beard dreadlocks!

Dry food or Raw?
Dry with a little wet pate type on top. Sometimes he has a bit of chicken or fish in there too. As unpopular as this may be, I cannot get my head round raw feeding!

If dry, what is your brand of choice?
We have a dry food delivered called Trophy. We have to have grain free food as Ollie is very susceptible to allergies and doesn't stomach some foods too well. We have settled on this one after A LOT of trial and error! I was obsessed with the All About Dog Food directory and was adamant that i wasn't getting a below 4.9 score food! However, I realised that as he seemed to like this one so much and, more importantly, it suited his digestion, I should just stick with it! I don't know what the score is for this one! I also buy the pate style packs of either Forthglade , Harringtons or Vets' Kitchen - all grain free.

What does your dogs activities consist of?
2 walks, one short one (30 mins) one about an hour and a half to 2 hours (middle of the day). He is very easy going and would go out once a day, or 15 times! He isn't keen on morning walks! Prefers to snooze until about 10.30! They adapt very well to your lifestyle we have found and Ollie gets his "main" walk when my husband gets in from work. We also play with him through the day and have lots of chew toys, soft toys etc. Kong make the sturdiest ones we have found! He has "killed" cheaper soft toys in a day or so! He has some Nina Ottoson puzzle toys too that you can hide treats in. He figured them out very quickly but still enjoys them and they are good for training or entertaining him on days when the weather does not permit a very long walk!

Good luck with your gorgeous girl!
dchichester
Puppy
Posts: 7
Joined: 31 Jan 2019, 02:19
First Name: Daniel

Re: Bringing home our first standard pup!!! Need your feedback!

Post by dchichester »

Thank you all so much for taking the time to respond. I really appreciate all the valuable insight!
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