What do I need to have before baby comes home?
There are 12 items that I HIGHLY recommend that you have in preperation for your new little one.
We have done the work for you and gathered them all in our store. Since we use them, we thought that you might like to also. Tested and true! Just click the pictures and read about the product.
Initially, depending on how old your baby is when it comes home, you may want to consider a cat collar as they are lighter and less bulky. They also look stunning while you are out and about whether male or female.
A small harness/collar/leash. They prefer the harness to start with and then as they age, the collar becomes more practical. There are several to choose from.
This food and water dish helps keep food out of the water. Healthier for the puppy.
Your choice of shampoo is crucial. One that will do the job on tough stains but will still be gentle on eyes and skin. Being around a lot of animals, we need one that will be versatile on dark and light coats. We prefer White’n Brite shampoo as it is concentrated and removes stubborn yellow stains).
Keeping your baby free of tangles is important if you do not want him coming home from the groomers looking like a naked rat! A gentle comb through once or twice a week will make all the difference. We find that a comb does a better job than a brush as it gets down to the skin. We only use Greyhound combs like this one.
Toenail clippers (to clip his toenails every other week).
Plenty of pet approved things to chew on. If not, he may chew up your shoes/ carpet/ toes. We use and sell Antler Chews.
I cannot stress a dog toothbrush strongly enough. This will save you hundreds of dollars a year if you will brush his teeth instead of having to have the vet clean them. We sell finger tip toothbrushes for our young pups to learn to have their teeth brushed even before all of their teeth are completely in. We practice with them before they go home so that they are used to having it done. PLEASE continue!
A small wire kennel for times of crating is critical. We strongly encourage you to give your new baby time in his new “den” or kennel. It is not a punishment but rather a safe place for him rest. It needs to be large enough for him to sleep comfortably, but not so large that he can divide it up into a bedroom and a bathroom!
Keeping your baby calm in his new den can be as easy as the right bed. We highly recommend this bed as it is designed to give comfort and encourage being calm. Makes me want one in a human size!
Depending on the age of your baby when it comes home, it may have recently been using a heartbeat puppy to help adjust to sleeping without littermates. If so, you may want to purchase this little puppy that has heat and a beat that makes your baby think it has a sibling with it.
Giving your baby a safe place to “go” will help training go so much quicker. This will also make clean up easy as the poop will not be scattered all over the yard. We use a portable x-pen because we can take it with us if we need to. We also suggest using it if you are going to be gone a long time and baby needs a place to be outside of his crate. Check this one out….
While in the x-pen, this puppy pad holder and puppy pads are a great way to extend puppy can comfortably be away from you. It is also a lifesaver at night time. The x-pen provides a contained area with a place for sleeping in the crate, a safe place to play, and this provides a perfect place to “go”!
Lastly, when picking up your baby at the airport, you will need to have a carrier if you are taking him home with you on the plane. If we are delivering him to your airport, you will still want something to take him home in and we suggest the carrier that he comes in. It is an “airline guaranteed” carrier and will likely fit him for his entire life. It is our number one seller and we have been using them for years.
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Humans in a Schnauzer Body
Your new miniature schnauzer puppy will come home having been exposed to the sights and sounds of normal, everyday life. He will have been taken on car rides, played outside, and probably will have sat through countless hours of Netflix while being held by one of our grandchildren. Miniature Schnauzers are very social dogs and they do not believe they are dogs…they really think they are HUMAN. They are part of the family and so they want to be with you all of the time, whether you are going on a hike in the mountains or being a couch potato watching Sunday afternoon football. Basically, they want to be your shadow no matter what activity you choose. One of my first schnauzers wanted to be with me so much, while he was a puppy, that he would scratch on the outside of the shower until I would let him in! Later he loved to take baths so much that he would run into the bathroom and jump in the tub and wait for me to turn the water on.
Your miniature schnauzer baby will come home with several things that will help the transition go a little more smoothly for you AND for your puppy.
- Small Bag of Puppy Food (multiple brands for variety)
- Training Info (Kennel, House, Leash, Etc)
- 30-day Pet Insurance (AKC)
- Sleep Buddy* to ease the transition (*can upgrade to the heartbeat puppy)
- Domestic/International Microchip with certificate/transfer papers
- Toothbrush
We begin puppy pad training when the puppies are 4 weeks old. They learn to “go” on the puppy pad that is secured in a puppy pad holder at one end of their pen and in doing so, it teaches them to be clean and to never “go” on their bed at the other end of the kennel. This helps when it comes time to “Kennel” train them. At 4-5 weeks, we offer the puppies dry food and water. We develop the schedule early so that the transition from Mom to kibble is easier on them. By 6 weeks of age, the puppies are on a routine and are ready to go potty outside after having their vaccinations.
6:00am…Outside to go potty
6:30am…Offered food and water
6:45am…Outside to go potty
Play time…Play time…Playtime
Nap time…Nap time… Nap time
12:00pm…Outside to go potty
12:30pm…Offered food and water
12:45pm…Outside to go potty
Play time…Play time…Playtime
Nap time…Nap time… Nap time
4:00pm…Outside to go potty
5:00pm…Offered food and water
5:45pm…Outside to go potty
Nothing-Nothing-Nothing after this feeding (as long as they are old enough to go this long without food). Then, just before bed, take him out to go potty one more time. This will have given him time to get everything out of his system and make a more restful night for the both of you. Then, put him in his kennel with his sleep buddy and then place him where you would like him to learn to sleep. It is helpful to have him take his naps in his kennel in this place also, so he gets accustomed to it. If he struggles with being in his kennel, have him take short “time-outs” in his kennel where he can watch you do the dishes, or fold the laundry, or watch T V. This will help him feel safe and not so alone, but will also teach him to be content in his kennel.
Our next training is doggie door training. We open the flap of the dog door and teach them to go out the door to go potty. They get fresh air, plenty of room to run and play while at the same time, learning some valuable “house training” skills. This will make it much easier on you when you get your baby home. After about a week, we lower the flap and encourage them to go in and out. After that, training is a snap!
Your new little miniature schnauzer will also be microchipped with an AVID domestic/international microchip before he goes home so that if he would ever become lost, he could be returned to you. This is something that new owners sometimes forget to do, so we take care of that for you when he is about 3-4 weeks old. The microchip is currently registered to ROYALSCHNAUZERS but the chip can be registered to the new owner and so we will send the transfer papers along with his other paperwork.
We will also send his AKC registration along with him (or mail it to you).
Keep an eye on the website for new pix AND videos. They are updated weekly.
You will also want to keep your puppy current on his vaccinations and on his worming schedule. This is something you should discuss with your vet as to an appropriate schedule according to the age of your puppy and the area you live in. We use Drontal Plus Puppy Taste Tabs and PPM tabs. You can pick those up at your local Vet office.