Walking mini schnauzers (Puppy thru to adult)

The Miniature Schnauzer is a smallest dog in the Schnauzer breed and originated in the mid-to-late 19th Century from Germany. The Miniature Schnauzer is a cross between the Standard Schnauzer and other smaller breeds such as the Poodle. A miniature Schnauzer is a spunky, but aloof dog who does things their own way. They tend to be good guard dogs without the tendency to bite.
Forum rules
Please feel free to post here if your topic does not fit into one of the categories under 'Caring for your Schnauzer'. There are sections for breeding, feeding, grooming, showing and many more that may be more appropriate than this generic section
Post Reply
TangoScarlet
Member
Posts: 193
Joined: 01 Mar 2013, 18:44
First Name: Sam
Dog #1: Poppy
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Born: 17 Feb 2013
Location: East Sussex

Walking mini schnauzers (Puppy thru to adult)

Post by TangoScarlet »

My family is the proud owner of a beautiful mini Schnauzer called Poppy - 12 weeks old.

We're not a doggy family previously so we're learning as we go along and will have many questions for this forum!

I would like to establish how much walking is right for puppies and when they are adults.

I have just started walking Poppy 2-3 times per week across a field (on a retractable lead) for 10 mins in, rest 5, 10 mins out. Please could soneone verify this is ok? She does sleep well afterwards.

Also when she's an adult (I believe her bones will set after a year?) will she able to do many miles? Im a bit of a hiker and would love to take her around a 13.5 mile reservoir (part road, mostly mud/tracks). Will this be too much?

Many thanks in advance

Sam
User avatar
hula-hoop
Member
Posts: 8822
Joined: 28 Jun 2010, 18:44
First Name: sara
Dog #1: Stanley
is a: P/S Mini Dog
Born: 04 Jun 2010
Location: Lincs

Re: Walking mini schnauzers (Puppy thru to adult)

Post by hula-hoop »

Hi Sam, congratulations on selecting a fab breed, and dont you know we would *love* to see some cute puppy pics of Poppy :D

I am no expert, but the general rule of thumb is 5 minutes walking per month of life, so at 12 weeks you would be looking at 15 minutes walking...to avoid excess strain on the joints. I believe this is per walk? When she is an adult she will be able to walk as far as you, and her wish to go, provided she has built up to the long walks gradually (think of an unfit adult trying to do 20 mile hike after only ever walking round the block :)) they need to build up the excercise tolerance first to avoid feeling knackered and achey :)) )
Stanley ratbag - s & p mini born 4/6/10
User avatar
Maty
Member
Posts: 11040
Joined: 10 Sep 2011, 21:27
First Name: Kate
Dog #1: Isaura Lucidus
is a: P/S Mini Dog
Born: 10 Aug 2011
Dog #2: Darksprite Finn Mac
is a: P/S Mini Dog
Born: 17 Mar 2013
Location: Hertfordshire
Contact:

Re: Walking mini schnauzers (Puppy thru to adult)

Post by Maty »

Sara is right, the rule of thumb is 5 minutes per month of age, a couple of times a day and gradually build up from there but.....

This is very important for large dogs who continue growing for up to two years but worth bearing in mind for small dogs which finish growing much earlier.

I kept to it with Rodders until he was about 5 months old and then he was allowed one longer walk every month for another few months.

Also as a tiny pup he was quite happy to just sit and watch the world go by so we would actually be out much longer than the 15-20 minutes but that time could be sent sat in town with a cuppa or in a park. Great way to wear out a puppy is to let them experience new sights and sounds :D

The brilliant thing about mini schnauzers is they will take as little or as much exercise as you like. Rodders is happy with a 15 minute walk in the morning during the week if we are in a rush but would also be happy if we were out for an hour. He loves busy days when we are out and about visiting friends and family, especially of it involves a long walk, but is very happy to get home and crash at the end of it ;)
Maty

Rodders the Mini Pup, born 10/08/11, came home on 09/10/11
Creggan the Mini Pup, born 17/03/13, came home on 01/06/13

Proud of my Scottish Heritage
User avatar
jentucker
Member
Posts: 2291
Joined: 01 Aug 2011, 16:49
First Name: Jeanette
Dog #1: Flint
is a: P/S Mini Dog
Born: 21 Jun 2011
Location: Poynton, Cheshire

Re: Walking mini schnauzers (Puppy thru to adult)

Post by jentucker »

As a pup, we stuck to the rule. Once he was 9 months old, we started taking him for longer. Now, he regularly goes on 4-6 hour hikes, the other week, hubby took him out for 12 hours and he walked for about 10 of that, but it was flat and slow paced, they covered 25 miles. He's climbed mountains etc, but we didn't put that strain on him until he was over 1. Flint loves it, but during the week, I walk him for a max of an hour a day, if he's looking a bit unimpressed, then he'll have a 30 min round the block.....
"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." (Unknown)
Cat M
Member
Posts: 1691
Joined: 09 May 2012, 15:28
First Name: Cat
Dog #1: Lola
is a: B/S Mini Bitch
Born: 13 Mar 2012
Dog #2: Pixie
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Born: 21 Feb 2014
Location: Birmingham

Re: Walking mini schnauzers (Puppy thru to adult)

Post by Cat M »

I agree with what the others have said. I think minis bones stop growing by 9 months.
If you are planning on walking Poppy off lead on your hikes, I would encourage you to let her off now for at least some of her walks. When they are pups they will stick by you like velco and won't wander too far off. Later on they become bog-off dogs so good to get some ground work and recall in right from the start. I started walking Lola off lead at 14 weeks as we were going on our first schnauzer walk when she was 16 weeks and I wanted her to be off having fun with all the gang. Find somewhere safe & take lots of treats or part of her daily food allowance. It does feel scarey at first. You could always use a long line to start with if it helps build up your confidence.
User avatar
AmandaN
Member
Posts: 538
Joined: 08 Mar 2013, 20:18
First Name: Amanda
Dog #1: Freya
is a: White Mini Bitch
Born: 06 Feb 2013
Dog #2: Abbie
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Born: 11 May 2011
Location: New Forest

Re: Walking mini schnauzers (Puppy thru to adult)

Post by AmandaN »

I was sticking to the 5 minute rule but Freya has other ideas - frankly she tears about so much I think she walks twice the distance Lucy and I do (she's 14 weeks) LOL. She does do about 25 mins in the morning and then about 15 mins in the evening and she's still hyperactive I have to actually make her go to bed and sleep and even then she whinges and fusses for about ten minutes and then finally dozes off....

With the older minis I've had - just like people they are all so different. Carla's idea of a 'walk' was actually a plod (and she was like this from age 6 when she came to live with me) she liked to amble about sniffing the plants, admiring the view, we used to have a little sit on the grass in the summer half way around (about half hour/40 min stroll) and admire the view - that was her idea of bliss. Lucy on the other hand would prefer to go further and faster (although she's slowing down in older age - now 12).

I really believe in just knowing your dog - as they get older you start to figure out their personality/likes and dislikes - I'd hate going out running but other people love it - same with the doggies - each to his own....
Have fun with the pup :)
Schnauzer parent for over 20 years RIP Carla, Lucy, Pippa, Daisy, Pepsi & Lucy

Pocketpark Biala Cloud - Freya
Brumist Too Hot To Handle - Abbie
LittleSherlock
Member
Posts: 124
Joined: 28 Jan 2013, 14:41
First Name: Karen
Dog #1: Sherlock
is a: P/S Mini Dog
Born: 12 Nov 2012

Re: Walking mini schnauzers (Puppy thru to adult)

Post by LittleSherlock »

Sherlock is 6 months old and he's out for at least an hour at a time - but its all off lead and he can stop and rest any time he wants and he loves it. He gets a walk every day - its a 5 min lead walk to the forest then we let him off and he spends an hours sniffing things and playing with his puppy friends. I have heard the 5 min rule only applies if its enforced lead walking were the pup can't stop when he feels the need - I could be stood in the same spot with Sherlock running around, then he'll come sit with me for a while for a rest for about 5-10mins and then he's up again running around sniffing. Then its 5minutes on the lead back home. I think its one of the reasons his recall is so good, and why he is so good with other dogs - he has no shortage of socialisation :)
User avatar
LouiseH
Member
Posts: 381
Joined: 09 Jun 2012, 21:42
First Name: Louise
Dog #1: Kili
is a: B/S Mini Dog
Born: 11 Feb 2012
Location: York

Re: Walking mini schnauzers (Puppy thru to adult)

Post by LouiseH »

I did some research on this when Kili was little because I couldn't understand how there could sensibly be one limit for puppies of all breeds. I looked in online vet manuals and at research papers on joint problems and none of them cited puppy walking as a risk factor for anything.

There were papers suggesting that a lot of high impact exercise for large breed puppies- jumping for balls, that sort of thing- might be related to joint problems later, and the vet's manuals recommended that if your puppy showed signs of a joint problem then you should cut down on exercise until it was improved, but absolutely nothing to indicate that simply walking a dog of any breed for any length of time could cause joint problems later. So I didn't worry about it. Kili was regularly out for a couple of hours (over 3 walks) when he was young. I tried not to take him for long pavement walks when he was little but that was a matter of him not enjoying them rather than anything else.

I did hold off on teaching him to jump on and off things until he was over 1, and we taught him to chase rolled frisbees rather than jump for high ones, just in case the high impact thing might be relevant, but I never worried about the jumping he did naturally.
User avatar
LouiseH
Member
Posts: 381
Joined: 09 Jun 2012, 21:42
First Name: Louise
Dog #1: Kili
is a: B/S Mini Dog
Born: 11 Feb 2012
Location: York

Re: Walking mini schnauzers (Puppy thru to adult)

Post by LouiseH »

Oh, and when she's grown up, provided she's been kept fit and used to covering distance, she'll definitely walk as far as you do. Kili's 15 months and I've just started to do some longer walks with him- we did 10 miles in the hills with plenty of brief stops a few weeks ago; the last half mile was through a park and he rushed off to play with the other dogs as if he'd only just woken up! Got to the hotel, slept like a log for 3 hours then wanted his evening walk...
User avatar
Firefly
Member
Posts: 85
Joined: 13 Apr 2013, 20:32
First Name: Judith

Re: Walking mini schnauzers (Puppy thru to adult)

Post by Firefly »

Sadly, the problems of over exercising puppies before the bones have stopped growing come later in life. Of course a puppy will go on long walks, and will seem to suffer no ill effects. And an occasional long walk will probably not do much long term harm, but unrestricted exercise for longer than the 5 mins per day per month could. The reason why it is the same for all breeds is that all breeds need to be carefully exercised until they have reached maturity. For small breeds it is about a year, for an Irish wolfhound it would be nearer 3 years.
Exercise is like food, we are responsible for making sure the dogs in our care get enough, but not too much.

Short leads and harnesses are ideal for puppies when you are not formally training lead walking, although I would agree that off lead and recalls are a must from an early age. Puppies don't need to walk for miles to make them tired, new places with lots of mental stimulation, new people, new smells, new tricks all work wonders. :)

As many others have said once mature, no problem with very long walks, although a 10 mile walk when they are used to only doing 1/2 mile is probably not a good idea - think how humans ache when they have not excercised in a while. :o3
User avatar
jentucker
Member
Posts: 2291
Joined: 01 Aug 2011, 16:49
First Name: Jeanette
Dog #1: Flint
is a: P/S Mini Dog
Born: 21 Jun 2011
Location: Poynton, Cheshire

Re: Walking mini schnauzers (Puppy thru to adult)

Post by jentucker »

I think, build the dog up slowly once they hit maturity. Flint's hike length and difficulty has increased steadily, which has worked well for the kids as well, particularly the younger one, as we're training her at the same time! Flint goes power walking with me and jogging with my son and has done the odd 5k run with the hubby as well. On Tues he has a very very short walk, purely for toilet, as he spends 2.5 hours doing obedience, scent work, retrieval and agility and he's shattered after that, which proves that even an extremely active adult dog doesn't always need mega walks, as he sleeps from 1pm thru to the next morning practically!
"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." (Unknown)
TangoScarlet
Member
Posts: 193
Joined: 01 Mar 2013, 18:44
First Name: Sam
Dog #1: Poppy
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Born: 17 Feb 2013
Location: East Sussex

Re: Walking mini schnauzers (Puppy thru to adult)

Post by TangoScarlet »

Fabulous! Thanks to all - your contributions are excellent!


I took Poppy for a walk this morning and let her off her lease - and as 'Pat M' suggested, Poppy stuck like velcro. At one point I asked my daughter to walk 30-40 yards in the distance and then call Poppy.

Success! Poppy ran towards her - and did the other way round to me. Really pleased with her responding to her name.

Thanks too everyone's response again (the only downer: Poppy did seem to like eating cow poo..!)
User avatar
Gypsyeveyruby
Member
Posts: 73
Joined: 11 Mar 2013, 05:57
First Name: Michelle
Dog #1: Gypsy
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Born: 02 Feb 2009
Dog #2: Evey
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Born: 02 Feb 2009
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: Walking mini schnauzers (Puppy thru to adult)

Post by Gypsyeveyruby »

Better to eat than roll in it, which is what Gypsy loves to do! She sti ks and has a bath as so as we get home
http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/Gypsy ... t=3&page=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Post Reply