New puppy questions.

[alleypalley]

We bought our puppy home on Thursday evening. She is 9 weeks old tomorrow, a mini schnauzer, she came from a breeder with other pets, and regularly visiting grand children (we have a cat and 2 dc). She certainly seems to have settled in very well, is playful and confident, & settles well in her bed at night.

I have two questions, firstly I haven't heard her bark, or make any noise at all yet. Is this normal? This is my first time owning a dog, and I was just expecting that she would be more noisy.

2ndly, when I put her food down at meal times how long should I leave it down for? The guide with the food that we were given from her breeder says 3x40g per day but if I put that much down she barely eats half of it, and even then I have to call her back to it if she gets distracted by something. I read that I should be clearing away the food and water after mealtimes, but I'm not sure whole long I should give her to come back to it?

Re barking - that will come and hopefully you won't look back and wish it hadn't!

Re food water - I would leave down for 20mins max but always have water available, never lift that.

Enjoy!

It's not unusual for puppies not to be that enthusiastic about eating during their first few days in a new home. All of mine have taken a little time to get going. If they've seemingly lost interest I'd leave food down for 15-20 minutes, allowing them free access and keeping distractions to a minimum, before taking it up. They should always have access to water, 24/7.

I've got a fairly quiet breed (at least as far as barking goes, whining is another matter altogether ) so I've no idea how long it takes for the bark to kick in for noisier breeds.

Thank you. You've put my mind at rest.

My dog didn't bark until he was way over a year old (and scared himself when he did it). He still rarely barks now and he's nearly 3. Although he is bred not too. I wouldn't worry :)

We have a 5 month old miniature schnauzer. He was about 13 weeks before we heard him bark for the first time and now we hear him bark a couple of times a day, usually when he can hear other dogs or when someone comes to the house or if he sees someone passing through the window. Schnauzers are pretty vocal so I'm sure you will hear her bark soon enough!

Congratulations on your puppy, they are a lovely breed although I'm biased.

Thanks Best, we love her already.

She's definitely got her appetite back, this morning she scoffed down her breakfast, then threw it up and then tried to eat it again. Nice.