What to expect when you’re expecting a furry bundle of joy!

NEW PUPPY OWNERS…….

As puppies head to their new homes I wanted to touch base on a common issue that breeders come across with new owners.

Realistic Expectations

You see the breeders pictures and videos and The pups are all social. They are quiet in the pen. The breeder shows you videos of them being totally relaxed, happy, playful. All looks amazing and you bring your puppy home.

Then reality hits. The puppy may cry in the crate for the first few nights making you tired and agitated. The happy social puppy is refusing to greet the half dozen overly excited friends you invited over to see your new puppy. Or the overly excited playful children you have at home. The puppy refuses to walk on a leash. Many are wondering how did my perfect puppy turn into a nightmare.

So let’s discuss realistic expectations of when a puppy goes home. First of all the puppy has been in the breeders home since birth. They had their mother and often littermates. They had their routine, were taught expectations and were completely in their comfort zone.

Now suddenly they are taken to a totally new environment. Picture yourself being dropped into an unknown country, often in a different part of the world. You know only a few words of their language. Different trees, animals, smells, temperature and people. Now in the middle of this we are switching up your routine, decide to have a party with people you don't know, and ask you to do jobs you have no idea about. Overwhelming to say the least.

This is what every puppy goes through when going to their new home. Stress manifests in different forms. From not eating, reluctancy to play and greet people. Being apprehensive at the vet’s office or as strangers reach for them. Diarrhea, vomiting and depression can occur.

So what can you as a new owner do to help your little one acclimate?

- most puppies take 3-4 weeks to acclimate to their new home. Repeat after me THREE to FOUR WEEKS sometimes even Longer! Not a 1-2 days. I can’t stress this enough about how much time is needed for a dog or puppy to feel comfortable in their new home!

- limit guests during the first week. We understand you are excited to show off your new baby but they need time to adjust. Plan on waiting 1-2 weeks before inviting people over

- ask guest to sit on the ground and let the puppy approach them. No squealing and grabbing the puppy

- set up a good routine

- restrict the puppy to a small area of the house. This not only reduces them being overwhelmed but also allows you to watch them

- don’t expect a 8-13 week old puppy to walk on a leash. Instead work at home with a leash where they are comfortable. Let them drag the leash, use treats to encourage them to walk with you

- if your puppy is refusing to walk give them time. My first trips to town with puppies a walk around a small block took 1 1/2 hours. We only move when they initiate the movement as they need time to take in the different environment

- understand your puppy needs time to see you as family. Expecting an immediate bond is unrealistic

- train your puppy. This not only helps you to bond but the puppy to look to you for direction and input

-Children are also big stressors to tiny fragile puppies, please keep an eye on puppy at all times when around children.

- lastly be patient. Don’t declare “omg there’s something wrong with this dog”. Nothing occurs overnight. Outings should be planned at puppy speed. So while you might imagine a fun walk around the lake in reality your puppy might only be able to handle walking a short distance that day.

Most outings for me take a long time, as I am often just standing still as the puppy cautiously explores the new environment. Patience is key!

Remember if the puppy was wonderful at the breeder’s house but now is struggling, you as the owner, need to help the puppy adjust which takes time, patience and training. Have realistic expectations and give the puppy positive experiences. Each puppy is an individual, don’t compare your current puppy to past pets and judge their behavior based on how another dog handled things. Lastly, try to see thing’s from a puppy’s perspective and adjust situations accordingly.

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8-12 weeks - bringing your puppy home

This is an important time for your puppy, as what they learn and experience now will shape their future behaviour. Your puppy isn't fully vaccinated yet, but it's important to continue socialization by giving your puppy positive experiences like:

• Introducing them to other pets - let them meet other healthy, fully vaccinated dogs and cats within your home. 
• Carrying them around outside to introduce them to new people, sights and sounds. (Not outside animals till fully vaccinated) 
• Gradually introduce them to other experiences, such as the car, grooming at home, being handled and having their ears, eyes and other body parts checked.

You should also:

• Have scheduled their next appointment for 8-9 week vaccines.
• Begin to leave them alone for short periods to prevent separation-related behaviour. 
• Establish a consistent routine and rules - reward good behaviour and ignore bad behaviour.
• Feed them the same puppy food or mix to slowly transition to a large breed puppy food and keep the same routine with small, regular meals. ( we recommend soy and corn free) 
• Continue puppy toilet training by rewarding them when they go outside and designate a potty area. 

12 weeks onwards - puppy training and socialization

Your puppy can have their third vaccinations around now.

Around this age, you can also:

• Socialise your pup outside once they're fully vaccinated.
• Take them to puppy classes -puppy training is essential with giant schnauzers as they are extremely smart and can be bull headed.  These classes are a great way to boost their confidence and learn basic training together with their owners. 
• Understand what they like - knowing what your puppy likes (such as their favourite food or toys) can motivate them during training.
• Let them rest regularly - growing and learning is tiring, so let them rest regularly and keep training sessions short and fun. Giants should not be allowed to RUN long distances or periods as it can affect their growing bones and joints. If your puppy is crate trained, let them use it as a safe haven.

Tips/tricks:

Water bottle full of Pennies- bite/teething deterrent. Shake it when they want to teeth on you or something they shouldn’t to get their attention , say NO and then redirect it to a toy of theirs.  

Himalayan cheese bones- these are great for tough chewers. Once they get down to a small piece you can microwave it for a few seconds and it turns into a cheese puff treat. They love them. 

Deer antlers- these are great for heavy chewers. Watch to see how they do with them and if you think it’s too hard on their teeth wait till they get all their adult teeth. Some dogs are softer more gentle chewers than others. 

Potty training- All puppies are trained on puppy pads as well as a dog door. Many of our past owners recommended the Bells so we have now included them. We also have 2 small washable puppy pads in their take home bags as well. Consistency is key. Pick a designated outside potty spot, keep washable pad near the door closest to their potty area that they will go out. Take their paw or nose and tap the Bells, give a treat then take them to their designated outside potty spot. Tell them potty and do not play till they potty then tell them good boy/girl and give another treat. Then take them to another spot in the yard and tell them play time.  Make sure to take them back to potty area before returning inside and tell them potty again. 

They will quickly learn that they potty before they play and then potty before returning inside. It doesn’t have to be a long play time but most pups will pee and not poop right away but after some play time it gets things moving. 

Keep the puppy pads by the door incase if accidents but training them to use the bell to alert you is key. 

Giants are notorious for small bladders so frequent potty trips is important. 

Do not leave water out all day for free access. Limit it to after meals and after play time. They don’t need a lot of water but will drink and drink and drink if allowed. This will make potty training hard. 

Treats/supplements: 

We highly recommend starting joint supplements whether a liquid supplement or chew. This will help keep their joints strong and avoid arthritis in the future. 

We also recommend cranberry supplements for urinary health. You can even freeze cranberries as treats. 

You want you pup to be lean and muscled so we recommend small low calorie treats or using part of their daily kibble as treats.

Frozen green beans are great for treats. 

Feeding schedule: They are eating 3x per day (2.5 cups daily) of Purina Large Breed puppy food. If you change food, check the back of the bag for recommendations for feeding. 

Recommended schedule is: 

1 cup at 7am , 1/2 cup at lunch , 1 cup at 6pm

*our adult dogs eat 4 cups daily of high protein 28% protein to 20% fat. This keeps them lean and muscled. 

Puppies should remain on large breed puppy food till 1 year old.