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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

Schnauzer or ordinary small dog owners please come here!

29 replies

amberleynutmeg · 09/12/2016 20:02

Anybody have a Schnauzer puppy or dog? My mum's friend is a dog breeder and has two Schnauzer puppies left. We've reserved the little boy. She won't let us take him home yet Sad and am actually really upset because we wanted to surprise the kids on Christmas Day. We know dogs are for life before anybody gets antsy which is why I want to make his entrance into our family go off with a bang Wink. Please post your pics of your Schnauzers or your other dogs. If we do get him, he will be called Alfred to be called Alfie or just Alfie. So, pictures, names and facts about your dog's behaviour! We've only ever had a gorgeous black Barbet called Simon before who was quite old and passed away. We've never had a puppy as he was a lovely rescue dog.

Thanks Smile! xx

OP posts:
missyB1 · 09/12/2016 20:08

Hi we have a 6 month old miniature schnauzer called Pippa, she's very loving and friendly oh and very stubborn!! They make great family pets as they are brilliant with kids, they love to be cuddled and fussed and don't take up too much space! They can be stubborn though and ours is (just my luck lol). Basically that means if she doesn't want to do something or walk in a particular direction then she will just lie down and refuse to move! Bit embarrassing at times Grin I will try to attach a picture of when she stole the toilet roll yesterday.

Schnauzer or ordinary small dog owners please come here!
Original poster
amberleynutmeg · 09/12/2016 20:15

Aww she is gorgeous! Lovely to know they're great family dogs and she looks like a Pippa! Stubbornness would be embarrassing but hey what are DH's for Wink?

OP posts:
TrionicLettuce · 09/12/2016 20:23

To be honest, unless you have a super quiet, just-like-any-other-day Christmas Day it's a terrible time to have a brand new puppy around the house. It would be so much extra work for you and far too much to expect a puppy to cope with.

No reputable breeder would allow a puppy to go early just for the sake of it being a surprise on Christmas Day.

Original poster
amberleynutmeg · 09/12/2016 20:26

Do you think maybe Christmas Eve or a couple of days before hand would be better? Still in the Christmas spirit but with less antics.

OP posts:
Floralnomad · 09/12/2016 20:32

When is the pup actually 8 weeks old , so the usual age to leave ?

Original poster
amberleynutmeg · 09/12/2016 20:33

She is 8 weeks old this week.

OP posts:
TrionicLettuce · 09/12/2016 20:35

Puppies need almost complete supervision when they first arrive home and toilet training requires you to be taking them out regularly. On paper that's about every 30 minutes or so but in reality there'll be times when you're up and down like a yo-yo desperately trying to catch the puppy so they'll do a wee outside. Your sleep will be interrupted as the puppy will need to go out during the night. There's all the extra dangers the Christmas brings for dogs (toxic foods, packaging materials and decorations that can cause blockages if swallowed, common seasonal plants that can be poisonous) which you need to be aware of and keep the puppy safe from.

I think the breeder is being incredibly sensible keeping the puppies until after Christmas.

Floralnomad · 09/12/2016 20:35

Then I would want to bring her home now so that you can get on with the socialising etc

viques · 09/12/2016 20:36

Do you really want to add cleaning up puppy accidents or comforting children whose favourite Christmas gifts have been chewed or weed on to the general stress of Christmas Day ? Not to mention the vets bill if the puppy swallows a tree bauble or a chocolate ....... Wait until after new year, the children will still have some holiday days to enjoy the new puppy and the poor dog won't be so anxious or stressed.

Your kids will have plenty of fun over Christmas, they won't miss having a puppy. You could do a puppy advent calendar with toys,leads,blankets, treats ,collars etc etc to anticipate the countdown to puppy day .

Secretspillernamechange · 09/12/2016 20:39

Sounds like you've found a decent responsible breeder if she won't let you bring the puppy home just before Christmas, it's a terrible idea.

Original poster
amberleynutmeg · 09/12/2016 20:41

I like that idea viques. She does seem really firm on this but more puppy/dog pics from everybody please. DS wants to see!
So, maybe no surprise puppy for Christmas but a New Year puppy?

OP posts:
idontlikealdi · 09/12/2016 20:42

The breeder is completely right. The chaos of Christmas plus a puppy would be a complete nightmare.

When ddog (small terrier) came home we kept everything quiet and calm he would have been terrified otherwise.

PossumInAPearTree · 09/12/2016 20:43

I do understand her reasoning about not wanting puppies to go just before Xmas. But on the other hand that's two weeks/three weeks of socialising your puppy is missing out on.

reallyanotherone · 09/12/2016 20:46

I thought the recommendation these days was 10-12 weeks rather than 8?

Breeder at least seems vaguely sensible. I agree though, having a puppy around at christmas is a terrible idea. If i were the breeder i'd have doubts about you wanting to take a puppy on christmas day.

reallyanotherone · 09/12/2016 20:48

Surely the puppy will socialise with the breeder/mum/siblings as much as with the new owner? I don't see that argument.

We got our last puppy at 12 weeks and he has been the easiest as he had learned all his manners from his mum and other adult dogs. Knew to wait for food, was all but toilet trained etc.. it's easier for them to learn from adult dogs than humans...

PossumInAPearTree · 09/12/2016 20:50

I read somewhere about my 12 weeks a puppy should have had 100 different experiences/people? Might be bollocks but they're less likely to be exposed to different stuff if still at the breeders. I was taking mine to the vets, round to friends houses, etc.

Floralnomad · 09/12/2016 20:55

That would be my thought possum

idontlikealdi · 09/12/2016 20:57

Christmas Day is a bit of an extreme example to bring a pup in to though unless it was a very quiet day.

TrionicLettuce · 09/12/2016 21:06

Socialisation is about quality more than quantity. Yes, you want expose a puppy to new people/things but you want all those experiences to be positive. It's better to have a smaller number of great experiences than endless ones where they're worried or even frightened.

It's also not just about meeting new people/dogs and experiencing new things once they've gone to their new homes. The breeder should already have been putting a lot of effort into introducing the litter to new experiences.

It's not really ideal having a litter at this time of year but if the breeder is responsible enough to not want the puppies going to their new homes just in time for Christmas then I'd hope they're also responsible enough to be continuing their socialisation whilst they still have them. If not then I wouldn't be getting a puppy from them at all.

PossumInAPearTree · 09/12/2016 21:09

Taken from the blue cross website;

By the time your dog reaches about 12 weeks of age, anything not yet encountered is approached with caution and trepidation. Therefore it is vital that, between three and 12 weeks of age, a puppy meets a wide variety of people, situations and other animals. If not, your dog will be anxious and fearful of them. How much socialisation is done at this early age will determine how confident your puppy is around people and other dogs later in life.

Has the breeder said how she's ensuring all the puppies are meeting a wide range of people and situations?

I actually think a good breeder would have ensured she didn't have 8 week old puppies just before Xmas.

GinIsIn · 09/12/2016 23:03

Christmas is very loud, busy and overwhelming - it absolutely isn't the time to bring a puppy home and the breeder is right not to let you have the dog yet - it will be better for both the dog and you to settle them in quietly once the festive season is over.

Also, puppies as surprises are a really bad idea - children are excitable, puppies more so. If you want an introduction of a puppy into your home to go smoothly, you really should be discussing it with your DC well in advance and setting down ground rules so they know how to behave once the puppy arrives. It being a surprise will be overwhelming for your DC, and the puppy, and far more stressful for all of you, which is why it isn't recommended.

Floralnomad · 10/12/2016 00:24

I like the way everyone is assuming that the breeder is going to have a lovely quiet ,calm Christmas with no children and no risk of the pup eating decorations / chocolate etc . I can see why getting a pup on Christmas Eve is a bad idea but I fail to see why 2 weeks before Christmas is a major issue or any different to New Year actually .

GinIsIn · 10/12/2016 03:02

You can't see why a puppy would be more comfortable in the familiar environment where it's spent its life so far, with its mother and siblings, and people that it knows would be quieter for it and less stressful than a strange house with excitable marauding children it doesn't know?

pklme · 10/12/2016 06:55

The breeder's Christmas may well be busy and exciting, but with people and an environment the pup is already comfortable with. To take a pup away from everything he knows and surround him with lots of new people and chaos would be overwhelming, and could slow down his socialisation and settling in.

I understand the excitement for the people, but don't underestimate the amount of work and attention a puppy needs. Someone needs to watch him constantly, and the more people there are, the more likely you are to get distracted.

So many dangerous things around at Christmas, and so much distraction. Just to give you an idea of what you could be facing, my pup chewed to destruction, my mobile, the tv remote, several shoes, a chair leg and loads of other stuff. Oh and the skirting board. That was with lots of supervision, and no distractions.

My friend's dog has just run up a vet bill of £1k having eaten a tray of cupcakes. Chocolate and chewing gum are both poisonous. Will there be any of that hanging around unguarded at Christmas?

GinIsIn · 10/12/2016 07:00

Also poisonous for dogs - anything with raisins in like mince pies or Christmas cake, and anything containing onion or garlic. None of which you would be explaining properly to your DC if you try to surprise them. We aren't trying to rain on your children's parade, just explain why it's best for all of you not to have a surprise Christmas puppy, and to wait and explain first.