You’ve picked out your forever…now the wait time begins. Just what is your giant or miniature schnauzer puppy doing until “Gotcha Day?” 

Are you wondering what your puppies “day-to-day” at Happy Beard Schnauzers looks like? This blog post will give you a glimpse into the daily life of your giant or miniature schnauzer puppy. Undeniably, nothing can replace the most important aspects of your schnauzer puppies’ first few weeks- Interaction with mama, littermates, and consistent, careful, general handling and lots of love. But adding key components including ENS (Early Neurological Stimulation) and early training into your schnauzer puppies’ first months of life will set him up for a happy, confident future. These steps will allow him to bloom into his full potential!

Until week 6, your weekly zoom meeting with your schnauzer puppy will seem a bit boring! But there is so much going on “behind-the-scenes” which is why we feel this blog is so important. Similar to a human baby, puppies are growing and learning every day. Neurons & axons are synapsing at such an incredible rate the first 16 weeks of life, your little schnauzer puppy is becoming a furry Einstein . For those looking for scientific research regarding ENS, study outcomes can be found at Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS): Implications for canine welfare and management  . The studies were compiled by Purdue University-College of Veterinary Medicine, a reputable source. Anyways, off the nerd track and back to your schnauzers day-to-day! 

We’ve combined ENS along with Baxter & Bella’s  training program, and of course lots of love and snuggles to give your schnauzer the best start that we can. Baxter & Bella offer a training program for breeders that we’ve completed and feel is the best program for our puppies to learn, adjust, and grow with. Combined with ENS, and snuggles, your pup will be ready for Gotcha Day! 

Breeders are ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL in helping  puppies get started down the right path toward a lifetime of fulfilling healthiness & happiness! 

Happy Beard Schnauzers ENS & TRAINING Puppy Protocol 

1-2 Weeks using ENS with your schnauzer puppy

It is important to teach puppies early on that human touch is not only to be regularly expected, but can likewise be a very mutually enjoyable, worthwhile and rewarding experience. Human touch helps to form a strong foundational bond for the ongoing positive puppy parenting that is to come. From the very beginning, handling newborn puppies every day in a gentle and loving manner will do so much good toward their long-term healthiness & happiness! 

Minimum of (1-2) times per day during a 60-second socialization session with the puppies: 

• Begin by softly touching the puppy all over his body but don’t force it any more than what is comfortable

• Use  pinky finger and gently touch between the puppy’s paws and paw pads from above, below and all around.

• Lift each puppy up in front of you for 3-5 seconds, holding it mid-air.

• Lay the puppy upon his back in lap and carefully rub his belly and softly stretch out his legs.

• Place the puppy on both warm and cool surfaces. A good example is a washcloth, to help them get used to different textures and temperatures. This should be done subtly and without exposing the puppy to temperatures that are too extreme.

• Spend some time to simply love and adore the puppies!

3 Weeks ENS & Training with your schnauzer puppy

Puppies start seeing as early as two weeks old, and they begin hearing at around three weeks old. During this time, it is crucial to expose our schnauzer puppies to various sights, sounds, smells, objects, and people.. We spend  time  doing  the following activities, as well as other similar ones to help your schnauzer’s socialization sessions:

• Continue  the  daily  handling  exercises  as outlined above for Weeks 1-2

• Carefully clip puppy nails once a week

• Introduce (1) new toy or object everyday into the whelping box

• Add a potty area to the whelping box in order to begin the housetraining process. This is their litter box with pellets

• Practice startling the puppies in a friendly way and watch their recovery times.

Examples include tapping on whelping box ,rattling  keys, dropping toys, shutting doors, start vacuum, etc. Puppies may initially startle react but should subsequently investigate.

• Begin to separate puppies from the litter for 5- 10 minutes a minimum of (2) times during the week.  (This is when we practice the handling exercises from week 1)

• Begin introducing and socializing the puppies to other people making sure all interactions are positive

• Periodically add a pan of blended Diamond Puppy Food  softened with goats milk to the pen. Encourage feeding (3.5 weeks) 

4 Weeks ENS & Training with your schnauzer puppy

• Continue the activities of all previous weeks by strengthening and lengthening.

• Gradually wean puppies over the upcoming couple of weeks by separating them from their mother in ½ hour increments. At this point puppies are primarily still getting their nutrition from mom. This is the case until about 6 weeks of age

• Introduce new objects daily to them including the sound of clippers and scissors. (this will help them get used to the noises associated with grooming)

• Create random puppy challenges like food puzzle, or bridges and barriers to cross in order to obtain toys and treats.

• Use puppy call,  “HERE PUPPY, PUPPY!” when it’s mealtime – which will later become their  “COME” command

• Begin training the puppies on the “YES!” MARKER word 

• Wait for a puppy to sit, mark “YES!” and give a treat – repeat regularly. From now on, always expect a puppy to sit before any interaction. They will learn that sitting to be greeted is their way of asking politely for something that they want… Nothing in life is free. (4.5 weeks)

• Introduce the puppies to other household friendly pets (Our cat, dogs, and later, even a mini-pig!)

5 Weeks ENS & training with your schnauzer puppy

By now, puppies begin experiencing their first period of fear. It’s important to watch for the signs and symptoms of this, which may include the tucking of a tail, backing away, cowering, etc. Upon any sign of fear, we make it a point to slow things down and don’t overdue their training – it is most important that the new puppies are gradually and safely socialized to the world around them. 

• Keep on with all the exercises and activities from the previous weeks as more practice will undoubtedly make for all the better behaved puppies long into the future

• Continue introducing new things regularly and specifically watch for any signs of fear

• Add other thought-provoking challenges, as well as startling sounds to their daily life, again watching for any indications of fear and taking it easy as necessary for a few days.

• Increase level of people interaction and handling with each puppy daily and continue separating them from one another for longer periods of time regularly as appropriate.

• Allow the puppies to interact with things that make noises such as tarps, plastics, papers, sacks, etc.  

We NEVER leave a puppy alone with these items – safety first!

• Pay attention to the different surfaces that are around, introducing the puppies to concretes, carpets, shiny floors, tiles, wood, gravel, bark, grasses, etc… allow them to play and explore.

• Encourage the puppies to play with friendly adult dogs in our household, but provide an object like a chair for puppies to hide under if they want to escape.

• Grooming time! Around this age your schnauzer puppy will get his first groom

6 weeks ENS & training

It may seem as though suddenly the puppies become much more curious during this period and as it’s been said before, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure – so be it with 6 week old puppies! 

Your weekly zoom meetings might be a little more interesting at 6 weeks!

This week we work on transition and training

• Continue with each of the previously outlined exercises and activities

as practice makes perfect and it’s much easier to build better

behaviors than deal with breaking bad habits

• Gradually begin introducing the puppies to a crate and have them spend short amounts of time (5-15 minutes) inside of one with a littermate  providing a yummy treat on their way in, on their way out and in-between each time they are calm.

• Introduce your puppy to a variety of looks by playing “dress up.” To help facilitate this we use hats, glasses, wigs, goggles, hoodies, umbrellas, boots, winter coats, etc.

7 Weeks ENS & Training with your schnauzer puppy

As we prepare for our schnauzer puppies to leave our home and integrate into another, along with the other daily activities previously listed, it’s time to crate overnight.  

These key items will play a huge part in their transitions!  

• Continue with each of the previously outlined exercises and activities, as these will do so much good toward the long-term healthiness & happiness of the puppies!

• Spend some time one-on-one with each puppy walking backwards while holding their leash and encouraging them to follow with clicker & treat

• Wait for  puppy to sit to be greeted and once it does, enthusiastically mark “YES!” and reward with a yummy treat and click clicker

• Repeat this activity for each puppy as often and frequently as puppy patience allows.

• Start having puppies sleep in crates at night in twos. Keep the crates next to each other so the puppies can still smell one another. 

• Give puppies 1-2 potty breaks throughout the night, taking them out and bringing them right back into their crates with no playtime in between.

• It’s time for a final groom! Your schnauzer puppy will be getting all dolled up to go home!

8 Weeks ENS & training

As timing would have it, at 8 weeks, it is anticipated that the puppies will go through another fear period so it is best to be extra observant and cautiously work around introducing new people, places and things. 

We continue with each of the previously outlined exercises and activities, as these will do so much good toward the long-term healthiness & happiness of the puppies!  

So while it may appear that your schnauzer pup doesn’t have a lot going on, they are learning, growing, gaining confidence, and being loved everyday!  This isn’t all that goes on in our program, but at least it will give a glimpse into the life of your schnauzer puppy until “Gotcha Day!”  

Now that you know what puppy is doing to prepare for her big day, you may be wondering what you can do to prepare on your side. Knowledge is power! 

What you can do to get ready for your puppies “Gotcha Day”

• We encourage you to read through our blog posts and ask us questions while you prepare for puppy! A good place to start is preparing for your schnauzer puppy  and anticipating what’s to come . We’re  adding new information weekly! 

• Attend weekly zoom meetings if you’d like to visit with your puppy! schedule here! If these times don’t work for you, let us know and we’ll figure out a good time to meet

• Find a good veterinarian if you don’t already have one. Schedule your puppies first visit before they go home

• Explore training programs – There are many training programs available to you. You can find options on YouTube and other resources online that are completely free of charge. There are also in person options. Please keep in mind that puppies should not attend public places including dog parks, in person training etc until they are 16 weeks old AND fully vaccinated (the entire puppy series and an OK from your vet) 

We recommend the Baxter & Bella online program. What we like about the program is that it comes with  a lifetime membership. You can schedule one on one phone and video appointments throughout the life of your puppy. There are live courses, online courses, forums, and communities to learn from. Also you do not have to wait until your puppy is 16 weeks old! You can start training using their program as soon as you go home. 

If you find that Baxter & Bella is a good choice for you, use our code HB25 for their highest discount offered. This will bring the program from  $238 to $178.   Again there are several options out there; this is just the program that we recommend 

We’re  here to guide you through your schnauzer puppy journey, if you have any questions, please reach out! Sooner than you know it, Gotcha Day will be here!