Gerda the Schnauzer

Crates sound like a great idea, a den, a comforting smaller space for them etc. Our house is very open plan and echoey (is that a word?) so a private space sounds good. I Googled them... soft or carrier type?? LOL, I will have to start another thread soon for all the off topic questions. I had read the American site's descriptions.. they all just start to sound the same though, minis and stds, just because I have been reading so much about them all. I think I need to just meet some, its a much faster way to learn and understand their nature. The Stds that we met were so calm and mellow, after the initial barking when we arrived, they were so good with my daughter (who isn't rough, and just quietly patted them). The breeder said that is why they keep breeding them, their nature is so good even if the salt and pepper male didn't have the most amazing coat (compared to the black they had). Sorry, rambling now. I did read that they don't want clipping, but 'plucking' - does this mean that I can't do it on my own? I was hoping to learn how to clip to save on the costs in the long run (and I do hair quite well LOL). Hesapandabear - thanks for the link, that is the one I looked at. Will they all most likely have schnauzers there though? I haven't been to one before! anna

Thanks again everyone, this is really helping me. Spotted Devil - So the crates aren't like cages then? Just sounded awful when I first read it.. But not the way you describe it. I am in QLD, I looked at the shows lists and couldn't find one on soon.. but one will come up no doubt. 2 years! No... the timing would just be all wrong for the dog's life span etc too, but I can wait till May/July if I have to LOL. Poodle Wrangler, That book looks great, and is cheap LOL, the pictures will help. The triangle program looks very effective, and logical too. Thanks for explaining 'herding' too - not what I thought at all :rolleyes: . And exercise - its great that there shouldn't be too much too soon! I'm not ready for long walks yet myself! I am very interested - settrlvr - in what you think... I am going to look into finding a local mini breeder too, to have a talk/look. About the baby... (he will be 7 months in May, when we are thinking a littler will be ready), I know, it isn't ideal at all, but I think otherwise I won't have the time to dedicate to a puppy. By the time I need to leave the house for a few hours at a time on a regular basis I wanted the dog to be feeling safe at home and be mostly grown, if that makes sense. My daughter is very strict and stern (amazingly so), which I think will for once work in our favour. She will also be starting school in a year, so I want her to have her last year at home full time with a dog here too. I am not a softie - at all - LOL, used to teach, and do youth work, you get good at dishing out the orders in a nuetral but effective way! So I am confident about training. I plan on being the #1 in this pack, as I will be the primary carer it makes sense too. I would consider a grown dog to side step some of these problems, but other people don't seem so enthusiastic, what is the general opinion on here?? anna Edit to add: looking at the minis..... so they aren't as dominant? How else do they differ? They might be a better choice for us... I'm trying to get an idea of the size from the pictures... the head comes up as high as your knee? (Sorry to be so clueless, I really want to get this right though).

Thank you all so much, this is very helpful. I think I will order some of these books today. Do they all use 'crate training'? I'm new to the concept and I don't think we will do it... but will use some of the principles. We researched far and wide for the right dog... I'll give you my reasons and feel free to offer an opinion! My husband would like a dog (mostly to run with, so it needs to be big enough to cope with that) but is concerned that he may not always have time to run every day without fail - so I need to be able to be responsible for two walks a day myself (with children and pram, hence training the dog well!). I have a 3.5 year old daughter, and a 3 month old son... and I was hoping to get this puppy/baby stage all done in one go (haha) while I am at home the most often. The most I will go out to work in the future is a few hours a day, or work from home, so that should suit most dogs. We don't like tiny 'toy' sized dogs personally, and couldn't cope with a huge dog, so we were looking at medium sizes. DH also wants it to come inside, so I don't want huge wagging tails (like his previous retriever) or shedding madly type hair. He doesn't like Staffies (unfortunately!) which maybe would have been my choice, or a poodle, which he also doesn't think is manly enough LOL. You can see this has been a tricky decision! We considered the labradoodles etc for a wee while - but not for long LOL. The minatures I am tempted by, mostly for the size being a bit smaller than the male standard Sch. but I am concerned about the extra health concerns they have (from what I have heard) - not that they have a lot though! Female schnauzers are the perfect size for me though. Ther herding temperament suits me, I would want the dog to look out for the children at the beach, for example (obvioulsy not left alone or anything). We have a puppy school over the road, and a good vet there too, and a few dogs in the street to play with for socialising on a daily basis. We have a big yard, and a big house, so space isn't a problem. Am I on the right track? Its hard to get info from the breeders sometimes because of course they love their breed... anna

Hi there, We are after a good book (or two) on how to care for a puppy. At the moment we have our hearts set on a Standard Schnauzer and met some breeders yesterday (which was great) - should a book be specific to the breed o puppy? I have no experience in caring for a puppy, and as we have a little time before we get one I wanted to read up BEFORE getting one . I also want to train her highly, with small children I think obedience will be key. Maybe I need an extra book for my daughter (3.5years) to give her some basics with pictures etc. too. Any ideas?? Thanks a lot, anna