Important Information

VACCINATIONS AND HEALTH CARE: Your puppy is current on it's vaccinations as of the date it was shipped or handed over, details of which are on the Sales Agreement & Health Guarantee provided in your puppy pak. However, you will need to consult your Veterinarian for his/her recommended future vaccination schedule. Please treat your puppy as if it has had no shots at least until the next booster is given by your Veterinarian. Please refrain from taking the puppy to the Pet Store, park, groomer, etc. until absolutely necessary. Parvo and Distemper are airborne diseases and puppies that have not had their shots are very susceptible to being infected, possibly resulting in death.

FEEDING: Dry puppy food is recommended, one of high quality with the appropriate combination of protein, fat, vitamins, etc. for a new puppy. These ingredients are essential in order to maintain a healthy pet with a nice shiny coat, and strong teeth and bones.   You have been provided a sample of the food the food your puppy is currently eating. You should keep your puppy on that food for a few days until it is settled in and stress free. If you decide to change food, mix 1/3 of the new food with the 2/3 of the old food for 2 days, then 2/3 of the new food with 1/3 of the old food for 2 days, then 100% of the new food on the 5th day. If you change the puppy's food rapidly without an adjustment period, the puppy is likely to get diarrhea. Do not feed the puppy ANYTHING other than dog food! Feed the puppy 3 times a day if possible, but no less than 2 times/day. Do not leave the food down for your puppy for more than a few minutes. At the end of his/her "mealtime", pick up the food until the next scheduled feeding. Do not feed only soft or canned food.   If you do, you could possibly have an adult dog with poor teeth and gums, and bad breath! Remember, your puppy's eating and drinking habits directly relate to his/her potty training habits, so please read the articles YOUR MARVELOUS CRATE and HOUSETRAINING, which we have provided on this page, to help minimize problems associated with house training.

RECOMMENDED DOG FOODS: With the Schnauzer breed, it is important to feed your dog with quality dog food. Specifically one that is grain-free and labeled human grade. We have found that our dogs have no issues with tear-stains and they are relatively free of the "schnauzer bumps". We also supplement our dogs food with veggies like shredded or mini carrots, green beans, peas and fruits like bananas and raspberries. There are some really good brands of dog food that we have found such as Stella & Chewy's Freeze Dried or Frozen foods is the best we have used so far, SmallBatch Dog food is also freeze dried and is terrific, but hard to find in our local area, Honest Kitchen's Embark, Sojo's Grain Free Series, Only Natural Pets' MaxMeat and Orijen all seem to keep the tear stains away. All of the above can be used for all stages.   Note: Stella & Chewy's, Only Natural Pet and Primal are hormone/antibiotic free and animals are free-range, Orijen also specifies their products are free-range as well.. They also use only organic fruits and veggies. Stella & Chewys has been very helpful in combating allergies and yeast related skin issues.

TREATS: If you want to feed your dog treats or use them as training aides, the again, make sure that the treat is grain-free. We have used shredded carrots as a treat for training, broken up banana chips as well. There is 1 product line that we continue to buy - Smokehouse brand - Made in the USA and USDA inspected. We also like the sweet potato treats, Sam's Yams or Vitality are two brands that we like. Please be very cautious of products made in China!   Please be cautious with any amount of treats you feed your pets.

TEAR STAINS: Sometimes this will happen no matter how careful you may be with both grain-free food and treats, they can contain beet pulp from sugar beets which causes the staining. The best thing we have tried and it seems to help keep the tear stains at bay is bottled water and a little Apple Cider Vinegar. One thing I have noticed with my light colored schnauzers, is that when they are teething or the females are pregnant, they will have more of a tear-stain problem no matter what you do. One last thing that helps is keeping the eye hair trimmed. I have recently tried Angel Eye's Natural. It does not have the antibiotics in it and seems to work but not as quickly as the original version. I will continue to update this page as I look for ways to naturally treat and reduce the appearance of tear stains.

SKIN/EAR ISSUES: I have found that no matter what I feed my dogs, especially the girls, some are more prone to allergies/yeast infections. My girls are most susceptible due to hormonal changes and pregnancies. The larger the number of litters or as my girls get older, both play a factor in increasing their chances of this flaring up. First and foremost, I am by no means an expert and I always recommend you seek out your vet first!! For natural ways to aid in clearing up yeasty ears/skin issues, I have found that a small dollop of plain yogurt once a day is helpful along with washing the ears out with a good ear cleaner, daily if needed. The ears are where it all starts. Wash the paws and areas of the body that are showing signs of yeast, armpits, groin, etc, with Witch Hazel, then wipe area with Tea Tree oil on a cotton ball or cotton pad. Your pet will scratch their ears with their paws, then lick their paws as well as scratch other parts of their bodies. Between the tongue and paws, the yeast will spread, especially in those damp areas, that is why washing the paws with witch hazel and then treating with tea tree oil will aid in disinfecting and clearing those secondary spots. Recently, I have started using OLEWO products. Both the Organic Beets, from red table beets, and the Organic Carrots. They are significantly improving the skin condition of my dogs along with keeping any stomach issues, tear staining and overall vitality of my dogs. My momma dogs are not experiencing any skin issues during their pregnancies and looking forward to their continued healthy coats after whelping.

UPSET STOMACH: Puppies will get into things that will upset their stomach. Any kind of stress can also cause a loose stool. If your puppy is vomiting and/or has diarrhea, it is VERY IMPORTANT that it be stopped as soon as possible - consult your Veterinarian IMMEDIATELY! You should not let this condition go unattended, as it can easily result in dehydration and can be life threatening to your puppy within a very short period of time. Make sure you have no poisonous plants that your puppy can chew on. Be cautious of any plant that produces a white, milky substance when it is cut or you snap off a leaf. These can cause the puppy to become very ill, and if he/she has ingested enough, even die. Watch your puppy outside, he's very curious and can get into everything.

TEETH: Puppies start to lose their baby teeth, ("milk" teeth) around 4 - 8 1/2 months, but not always. Toy breeds are notorious for keeping them longer. So first off, don't panic, but be aware that the longer the teeth are "retained" the greater the problem is with the adult teeth not coming into their correct space as well as bacteria and plague forming, causing future health problems. Just like humans, they can develop heart and kidney problems from poor hygiene. So, what to do, by the time a dog is 8 months old, they should have lost their baby teeth. If the teeth need to be removed, plan to have them 'fixed' at the same time. One way to help this process along is to make sure that you provide lots of good chewy toys to help loosen and lose the teeth naturally. Hooves, rope chew toys, sweet potato treats, pig ear strips will all work to help loosen the teeth. What you want to avoid giving your dogs are things like rawhide and greenies. Rawhide is not digestible, plus it makes their beards gummy, and can get lodged in their intestines leading to surgery or death. Greenies don't have the best ingredients in them and they don't get digested sufficiently either, causing blockages. Keep your dogs teeth clean. Brush them, let them eat green beans and carrots (raw), natural plaque busters, chew toys which make them salivate, a natural cleaner and raw knuckle bones, which will help scrub the teeth. For Adults Only - I have recently tried a kelp based product to get the stubborn plaque off teeth without 'brushing'. It is called PlaqueOff by ProDen. Used once a day added to their food, it is easy and you do see results within 3 weeks time.

LOVE: Most importantly, give lots of love and praise. this puppy really, really wants to make you proud of it and a little love goes a very long way. Remember, a dog's love is always unconditional - don't take advantage, and give them all the love they deserve. This means praise them when they do something you want or is good behavior. They will learn to obey with that "love".

HOUSE TRAINING

Buy a crate and during the first few weeks, keep your puppy in it whenever you are not playing, holding, or watching him explore his new surroundings. Spend as much time as you can with your new pet, but when you can't watch him, crating him can prevent mistakes from occurring. In addition to providing the safe, secure refuge your dog needs and wants, crates are critical to house training because as den animals, dogs are naturally inclined to not soil their bed. The most important thing learned by house training dogs in a crate is that they can control their urge to eliminate until the proper time and situation.

Establish a schedule or routine and don't deviate from it! Remember they are much like children with needing a set routine. The "when" and "how" you house train needs to be consistent so make sure all family members follow the same guidelines. Pick a soiling spot in your yard and take your pup there on a lead when it is time to eliminate. The odor from previous visits to this spot will stimulate the urge to defecate and/or urinate.

Many new owners confuse their pup by using different words for the same command. In the housebreaking process, it is a good idea to use the same word like "outside" every time you take the puppy out to eliminate. Consistent use of a word with an activity will help to build a level of communication between you and your pup. Later, while you are watching television and notice your pup staring at you, you can say the word "outside" and your pup will go to the door.

Be patient. Dogs may urinate or defecate more than once in an outing, and not always right away. Don't distract your pup from the job at hand. This is a business trip, not a social time.

Praise them for their success when the job is done but don't overdo it. Just patting them across their shoulders a few times will do the trick. In a dog's language, that means more than constant rubbing across the head or repeating "Very Good Dog". Some people prefer to use a consistent phrase to encourage the pup to eliminate, such a "Go Potty". The pup soon learns this is a signal to eliminate, which h is very useful when traveling or when time is short.

Don't mix business with pleasure. When your pup has finished, take him back inside, even just for a minute or two. When you come back inside, spend some time with you pup. You know there is little chance the pup will have to eliminate for a while so play with him and have a good time. the more time you spend with the pup, the better.

Remember, they are still young and need to act like a pup, developing and learning about their new situation and environment. When you're finished, take one more trip outside and then place the pup back in it's cage or crate. After every meal and playtime, remember to take them outside before placing them back in the crate.

The key to house training is you. Spend as much time with your puppy as possible during the first two to three weeks your puppy is home. e consistent, patient, praise when appropriate, and be willing - for however long it takes - to invest the time and energy necessary to make this important training time a success. The effort you put forth now will be well worth it for the lifetime of your pet.

Establishing a schedule is important. Dogs are creatures of habit; they like to heat, sleep and relieve themselves on a regular schedule. Establishing and maintaining a schedule is easy to do and gets easier as your puppy grows.

Pay attention to your dogs behavior so you can develop a schedule that works for both of you. First learn when your dog naturally defecates - in the morning, at night, 30 minutes after eating, etc. Look at your schedule and determine what compromises need to be made to make this workable for everyone.

If you catch your puppy in the act of having an accident, tell him "No!" forcefully and pick him up and take him outside. If you don't catch him, simply clean up the mess and scold yourself for not being available. Do not scold the puppy.

Until your pup is 14 weeks old, take him outside frequently and watch him very closely when he is in or out of his crate. As soon as you see him pacing, sniffing around, turning around in circles, or trying to sneak away (if he's out of his crate), take him outside. These are telltale signs that he needs to relieve himself. Say "outside" each time you take your puppy out so you can develop communication and understanding between you and your pet.

THE MARVELOUS CRATE

Any wild canine will secure a small snugly fitting space to call it's own. This space represents security to the dog. If it's den, it cannot be attacked or bothered, so it is able to relax fully. This instinctive desire for a secure den is the basis of the psychology behind using a crate as a training aid. Once the pet owner has overcome his own prejudice against "caging a pet" and accepted the sound reasoning behind crate training, he and his dog can begin to enjoy the benefits of the marvelous crate.

To accustom your dog to it's new crate, prop open the door and allow the dog to explore the confines of the crate. Placing food or a favorite object inside will encourage it to step in. When the dog is comfortable, close the door and keep it confined for about 5 or 10 min. When you let the dog out, do it unceremoniously. Releasing the dog should not be a major production.

Each time you put the dog in the crate, increase the time it is confined. Eventually the dog can be confined for up to several hours at a time. If the crate also serves as the dog's bed, it can be left crated throughout the night. Don't overuse the crate though. Both you and your dog should think of it as a safe haven, not as a prison.

Many dogs will learn to go directly to their crates when they are ready to call it a day. Often the use of the crate will convince a restless dog to stop howling at the moon or barking at every little sound, allowing their owners to sleep through the night undisturbed.

Many dogs receive their meals in their crates. Finicky eaters are made to concentrate on the food that is offered and, as a result, overcome their eating problems. For the owners of more than one dog, the crate serves as a way to regulate the food intake of each dog. If dogs in the same household have different diets, crate feeding is almost essential. It can also make mealtimes less stressful if you have a dominant dog that tries to keep the others in the household away from the food bowls.

Housebreaking is made easier when the wise owner relies on the help of the crate. Until the dog is dependably housetrained, it should not be given the opportunity to make a mistake. A healthy dog normally will not soil it's den - the place where it sleeps. If the crate is the right size for your dog, allowing just enough room to stand up and turn around, it will not soil it's crate. If you purchase a crate for a puppy based on the size of the mature dog, you may need to block off one end to keep the puppy from sleeping in one corner and using the other for elimination.

Any time you cannot keep a close watch on the puppy, kindly place it in it's crate. When the dog eliminates at the proper time, reward it. With the assistance of a crate, house training can be almost painless for you and your puppy.

The crate is a safety seat for a traveling dog. You may know that shipping a dog requires a crate, but do you realize that the crate in your car serves as a seatbelt would to protect your dog in the event of an accident? A dog thrown out of the car through a windshield has little chance of surviving. Also, in the event you or a passenger need medical care during an accident, a crate will keep the dog from "protecting" or "guarding" you from paramedics.

If you need to ship your dog by air, the task will be much easier if the dog is already accustomed to it's crate. A crate-trained dog is relaxed and less likely to need sedation for traveling. Avoiding sedatives removes one of the major risks of air travel for dogs, and your dog will be alert and happy when it lands.

When you travel and have to leave your dog behind, the caretaker will have a much easier time caring for a crate-trained dog and she might appreciate being able to confine the dog for rest periods. Your dog will also enjoy being able to take it's crate (and a little bit of home) with it if it must spend time in a strange place.

No untrained dog should be given the run of the house while it's owner is away. This is not only foolhardy from the standpoint of protecting your belongings but also from the standpoint of protecting the dog. An untrained dog could chew through an electrical cord, get trapped under a piece of furniture, or be poisoned or choked by a piece of trash. Use a crate to protect the untrained dog from itself. Of course, this means you will have to limit your time away from home. A puppy must be taken out at regular intervals to exercise and take care of business.

If you dog becomes ill or needs surgery, confinement in a crate means better care for your dog. It reinforces consistency in training. It helps the dog feel more secure. It makes having strangers in the house less hectic. It makes travel safer and more comfortable. It makes bringing up a puppy as easy as can be. Once you have experienced the benefits of create-training your dog, you will question how you ever lived without The Marvelous Crate.

CRITICAL PERIODS IN A DOG'S LIFE - DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES

0 to 7 Weeks Neonatal, Transition, Awareness, and Canine Socialization	Puppy is with mother and littermates. During this period, puppy learns about social interaction, plan, and inhibiting aggression from mother and littermates. Puppies must stay with their mother and littermates during this critical period if possible. Puppies learn the most important lesson in their lives - they learn to accept discipline.
7 to 12 Weeks Human Socialization Period	The puppy now has the brain waves of an adult dog, but his attention span is short. This period is when the most rapid learning occurs. Learning at this age is permanent so this is a perfect time to start training. Also this is the ideal time to introduce the puppy to things that will play an important part in his life. Introduce the puppy to different people, places, animals, and sounds in a positive, non-threatening way.
8 to 11 Weeks Fear Imprint Period	Avoid frightening the puppy during this period. Any traumatic, frightening or painful experience will have a more lasting effect on the puppy than if it occurred at any other time in it's life.
13 to 16 Weeks Seniority Classification Period or The Age of Cutting	Puppy cuts teeth and apron strings! Puppy begins testing who is going to be pack leader. You must discourage any and all biting because such biting can be a sign of dominance. It is important that you are a strong and consistent leader. If formal training is planned, this is the time to begin. Such training will help you establish your leadership.
4 to 8 Months Play Instinct Period Flight Instinct Period	Puppy may wander and ignore you. It is very important that you keep the puppy on a leash at this time. The way you handle the puppy at this time determines if the puppy will come to you when called. At about 4-1/2 months, the puppy loses his milk teeth and get his adult teeth. That's when puppy begins serious chewing. A dog's teeth don't set in his jaw until between 6 and 10 months. During this time, the puppy has a physical need to exercise his mouth by chewing.
6 to 14 Months Second Fear Imprint Period or Fear of New Situations Period	Dog again shows fear of new situations and even familiar situations. Dog may be reluctant to approach someone or something new. It is important that you are patient and act very matter of fact in these situations. Never force the dog to face the situation. Do not pet the frightened puppy or talk in soothing tones. The puppy will interpret such responses as praise for being frightened. Training will help improve the dog's confidence.
1 to 4 Years Maturity Period	You may encounter increased aggression and renewed testing for dominance. Continue to train your dog during this period.

CHEW CONTROL
Puppies chew on whatever they can get their mouths on for any number of reasons: they're bored, they have a lot of energy, they're teething, or they're just curious. Dogs learn through their mouths.   It's their tool, it's how they receive a great deal of information. They are naturally inclined to use their mouths whenever they can. fortunately, most destructive chewing behavior can be prevented or controlled. To prevent problem chewing and to direct your pup's natural inclination to chew towards appropriate objects, follow these simple guidelines:

Puppy-proof the area. If possible, remove all items your puppy can chew on, including socks, shoes, furniture, plants, etc. Tape over electrical outlets and make sure electrical cords are out of reach.

Always confine your puppy in a crate or puppy-proofed area when you are away. Because puppies learn with their mouth, giving your teething puppy free rein in the house is asking for trouble.   Keep them confined, you don't want them to go to school on your expensive living room furniture. Always have a chew toy, like a Nylabone or hoof in the crate as well to keep them from destroying the crate parts or padding.

Closely supervise your uncrated pup. Not unlike caring for a toddler, you should always be aware of where your uncrated pup is and what he is doing.

Give your puppy a chew toy or natural product. The sole focus of your dog's chewing should be directed toward items you select. There are a wide range of safe long-lasting chew toys that are made especially for teething puppies that will keep them occupied and content for hours. One item to always have around in multiples is the cow hoof - one will last several months, even with daily chewing on it. Another good chew alternative is Pig Ear Strips. The strips can be cut into smaller pieces, if necessary, for the puppy to chew on - keeps them occupied for a long period of time and doesn't leave a gummy residue that rawhide does. Rawhide isn't digested so stay away from any treat or chew products with rawhide in them.

Before you leave, add your scent to your dog's toy. Rub the bone between your hands and give it to your pup as you leave. Make departures low-key to avoid causing separation anxiety, which is often expressed through non-stop barking, whining, or destructive chewing.

Correct chewing of inappropriate objects. If you catch your pup in the act of chewing anything but his chew toy, remove the object and replace it with an acceptable chew toy. If your pup then chews on the new toy, praise him. You always want to reinforce desired behavior with praise.

Teach your pup to ignore non-toy objects if he consistently chews on the wrong things. Place tempting objects on the floor along with your pup's chew toy and pretend not to pay any attention to him. If (and usually when) he starts to put his mouth over one of the forbidden objects, correct him with a firm 'NO" and point out his hoof. Once he learns he can only have the toy when you're in the room, it's time to leave the room for short intervals. If he chews on forbidden objects after you leave the room, your quick return will catch him in the act - the only time when corrective action should be taken.   Again, give him the hoof, and praise if it is accepted. If he is chewing forbidden objects but you don't catch him, he should be crated when unsupervised until he learns what is and is not acceptable to chew on, The obvious purpose of this training is to prepare your puppy for the day when he can be trusted to be alone in the house and not confined.

Give your puppy plenty of exercise to relieve boredom and burn off energy - significant factors contributing to destructive chewing.