Hi All

Poppy will be 5 months old on 20/5. I weighed her at puppy training classes last week and she was approximately 6.5 kgs. I think this is the usual adult weight of a mini S. Can anyone advice what they think her likely adult weight will be, based on this (she is a pet only, so we have no concerns re: her weight, we're just interested).

Just another point, most of her day is spent sleeping, eating, chewing, going on walks and the rest of the time she is in the house usually trying to nip us :-) We are quite used to this and it doesnt really hurt and often we can destract her with toys etc., but I do feel that it isnt improving a great deal. Am I expecting too much too soon??

You comments would be much appreciated.
Karen.

Hi Karen

Charlie (Lhasa Apso, 8 mths) was weighed at the vets over the weekend, and he was 8.5kg - considering the average adult wieght is listed at between 6 and 7, we were horrified :) He's had a thorough check over with the vets, who assure us that he is not remotely fat. The hubby has been relying in the wisdom of south park to explain Charlie's weight - "He's not fat, he's just big boned!" :D

We found that the best way to combat nipping was to give a really high pitched squeal - like another pup would - and to turn our backs on him for a few mins; i understand this is essentially what his littermates would have done to him, and it seemed to work really quickly:)

Good Luck!

My lab was starting to calm down by about 5 months.

They just seem to suddenly stop. The poor thing is teeething though at the moment so is gnawing on anything she can find, ususally my feet unfortunately.

Hi Karen,
Yes she is quite heavy isn't she? Considering my 5 year old mini is 6kg.
But on the other hand i have another Mini who is 7.5kg. He is a very big lad but not fat just heavy boned & over muscled.
A bitch will usually stop growing in height after her first season but as to her weight it depends on how much you feed her & the lines she is bred from as some lines tend to have larger heavier mini schnauzers than other lines.
I seen a beautiful mini schnauzer yesterday but he was far far too small & was more to the toyish type (which isn't favoured).
Getting the perfect mini schnauzer height & weight wise is pretty difficult especially when your buying as a pet, as most that are sold as pets are the heavier or taller pups in the litter.
My young dog used to nip my ankles playfully (thinks he is a sheepdog:D) but i started taking him to obedience classes & that seemed to do the trick for him. He is a calm obedient dog now ( i wish:)) just kidding but he has never done it since & he does everything you tell him, so they can learn but are slightly willfull sometimes so just keep persisting it'll pay off in the end.
Best wishes
Angela.

Dear All

Thanks for all your replies - their development really is interesting :-). I guess she is going to end up being quite a big girl a(which my husband will be quite plsd with - he was always worried about having a mini s that might look a bit toyish, probably due to his 6ft, 14 stone frame !!!).

Poppy was one of a litter of 5 and she was definitely the biggest at 7 weeks, when I first saw her. I'm sure she isnt over weight, as I can just feel her ribs when I run my hands over her sides, I guess I'll have to keep an eye on that.

She loves all people and in particular children (my daughter is almost 6) and a walk to the school is her favourite event of the day, particularly as there are usually at least 10 children willing to sit on the floor and let her jump all over them. I just stand there shouting 'remember she still nips' :-) I guess if we continue to tell her off when the biting gets too much, she'll get the message in time.

Angela, out of interest, how heavy is the biggest mini s you have ever met??

Thanks
Karen.

Hi, I have just weighed Oscar, he's exactly the same age as Poppy. He's 7.5 kg, and 13.5 inches. He's not big at all and when he stands next to his relatives that are regularly shown, he doesn't look big, although against his sister of the same age, she looks more petite. As for the nipping, I wrote a similar note on the board several weeks ago and I am pleased to say that in the last couple of weeks, his biting has got less. The high pitched yelps work with Oscar particulary when combined with keeping your hands out of the way whenever you can. I've noticed the bite inhibition working when he catches my hand when he thinks he is biting a chew or slipper. Ouch - that hurts. I have also found that after a walk she returns very excited and this is when the nipping is at its worst. So it hands right out of reach at these times until he's calmed down.

Hi Karen,
The heaviest mini schnauzer i have ever met was 25lb weight & 15" to the shoulder i used to groom him for his owners, he was a registered mini but looked more like a standard.
He was very very big but he was also neutered.
Bye
Angela.

Hi Scatergood, Poppy and Oscar are probably both quite big mini S pups, but I'd much rather that than a toyish dog! Bye the way, Poppy is Black/Silver, what colour is Oscar? Did we establish that they have the same birthday (20/12)?

Poppy doesnt bother us too much with the nipping and she definitely understands 'NO', it just seemed that she had stayed at the same point over the last month or so.... However, she has lost loads of teeth in recent weeks :-(

Angela, thanks for the note re: 25 lbs, that is huge

Thanks again for all the interesting replies
Karen.

Karen, Oscar was born on the 21/12 and he's a salt and pepper - he's got a semi toothless grin as well. :D

Hi Scattergood, Poppy has all new front teeth at the top and bottom and has quite a few gaps at the sides. I have had to remove a few toys from her as she can be so rought when she is throwing them around she has pulled the odd tooth out :-(

K.

Hi karen,
Teething stage is always the worst time to train a puppy as its mind is on the constant throbing pains in its mouth so she will try to be a bit unruly.
Has her nipping stopped or is she still giving a fly nip every now & then?
I had a word with a friend last night & told her how big your girl is & she reckons that she will probably make 7.5-8kg in weight but she may not be fat just have alot of muscle & muscle is actually heavier than fat i think she said.
Bye
Angela.

Hi Angela

Thanks for the estimate of weight - it'll be interesting to see what happens.

She does still give us the odd nip as she runs past, usually when she's having a 'crazy half hour' as we call it. This usually happens early evening. The rest of the time she will try to nibble when we are putting on her collar, or lead. Often the biting is much more of a chew of our hands. If my daughter sits on the floor, she will sometimes taking a flying leap at her and try to get her hair!! We can tell that most of this is when she is excited or full of energy, we are absolutely sure that it isnt in anyway aggressive - she is a v. high spirited dog :-) I think we are probably getting a little slack with telling her off and need to start being a bit firmer again.

Bye
Karen.

Hi Karen,

Really funny (maybe not to you) reading your posts.

I felt like I was reading about Rufus, he is EXACTLY the same.
But such a character - I can't help but laugh when really I know
I shouldn't!

Rufus loves jumping for my hair too (especially when its tied up).
He also just suddenly jumps up on our laps and clambers up
our chest and lick your face like its the last time he ever will!

We also have a problem with his nipping/biting, and like you
its not aggressive but think we might have to get a bit stricter!

Hope your ok anyway, sounds like your having lots of fun!

Louise x

Hi Louise

Yes, they are sooo funny arent they. If Poppy is having her mad half hour and she takes a flying leap onto our sofa (which she is not allowed on) I shout at her and look at her very crossly - her tail then tooks under and she runs around the room like a lunatic and will often on her way past taking another flying leap at the sofa. It's so funny as this sort of behaviour only happens during these crazy moments (and it isnt helped by histerical laughter from hubby and daughter!!!). Normally, if I shout she backs off and looks quite sheepish :-)

Another habit I think we will have to sort out is her over zealous greeting to all visitors to the house. It usually involves frantic tail wagging, little squeals interspersed with jumping in the air upto at least 2 ft ... :-)

Bye the way, how much does Rufus weight now?

Best Wishes
Karen.

Hi Karen,

Rufus is over enthusiatic to visitors too...he goes barmy
runs round at 90mph, squeals and jumps/bounds up to everyone.
He just thinks everyone is here at his disposal, and should
anyone ignore him... well he does his upmost to make
damn sure they know he is there!!!

But I love him so much, and everyone thinks he is that
cute that he often gets away with it. In fact, visitors
who should know better (i.e I tell them off :-) ) often
encourage his antics but picking him up and waving their hands in
his face!!

To be entirely honest, I have no idea how much he weighs
as we have had no need to go to the vets for quite a while
but I would guess around 9/10kg. Think he was about 7½kg at
5mths.
But he is not over weight at all, he is in lovely shape an very happy,
so thats all that matters!

Have you had Poppy to the groomers yet?

Louise

Hi Louise

Sounds like he's a biggish Mini S like Poppy. As I mentioned earlier she is now 6.5kgs at 4 1/2 months, so quite similar. She was clipped and bathed at the groomers 6 weeks ago - it was hilarious! I was so worried to be leaving her there for 90 mins on her own, but apparently she'd been pretty good for a first time pup. But, what did she look like ? :-) More like a true Schnauzer than ever, we couldnt believe how different she looked (even had a pink bow around her neck - yuk).

She is booked in again in two weeks and we have bathed her once in between (she's really quite nervous of being bathed, so it's a trick and very wet exercise). My hubby preferes her scruffy appeareance and doesnt want her clipped too often - how often to you have Rufus done?

Just another quick question - what is he like on the lead?

Bye for now
Karen.

Don't we all love our schnauzers. Oscar (5 months old next week) is due his second clipping next week, I couldn't believe the difference the first time. He went from a fluffy scruffy ball to a young adult. I have been bathing him once a week between groomings, partly to get him used to it. I also try to groom him most 3-4 times/week. He just about tolerates the bathing now but he doesn't like it at all - I think he thinks I am going to murder him. The grooming is a little better but that is because he knows he will get a treat at the end. I still have to use 2 brushes, one goes in his mouth and the other I use on the coat, it's then a swopping game for about 10 minutes until the job is done. Oscar is really good on the lead, I bought a small harness so that I could really pull him back if he wasn't doing what I wanted. With a normal lead, I just felt like I was hurting him all the time and it therefore affected my attempts to restrain him. I have also been letting him of the lead in the park and his recall (so far) has been really good. One minor irritating problem I do have is that as soon as he takes a foot out of the garden (on the lead) he barks to let the world know he is coming. Then when he takes his first step on the park he does exactly the same - even when there is no-one there. He also barks when he sees people or dogs at a distance.

Hi Scattergood

Poppy's not keen on her baths (which happen once every few weeks), infact when she hears our utility room sink filling and I go to pick her up she runs straight into her cage (and sometimes gives me a little growl - which I dont tolerate :-0). We groom her a couple of times a week and this is quite an ordeal, she needs to be quite sleepy and like you we need several brushes and combs, for her to chew + a nice chewy reward!

Going out for a walk is brilliant, but she does pull, so, I have today got her a Gentle Leader - tried it for a few mins today and she wasnt happy, but we'll persevere - I've heard such good reports about them. Like Oscar, as soon as she leaps out of the front door she gives a good 5-10 barks before we set off. Her recall is very good (I always have a few treats in my pocket :-)), but she doesnt come back if she meets another dog, so far this hasnt got us into trouble, but it's something we need to work on - I undestand this can be quite difficult. Also, like Oscar she barks as loud as she can if she can see another dog in the distance!

If we go out walking with other dogs/pups she can be quite boisterous and often gets a little above herself (with some serious growling), at this point I really YELL at the top of my voice and she is definitely learning that certain behavour is unacceptable.

This makes her sound like a terror, but really she isnt :-). To paint a very positive picure of her (and other Mini Schnauzers) She is completely house trained, sleeps 9-10 hours through the night (with no accidents), loves all children - her favourite walk is going to school at 3pm where all the kids make a huge fuss of her. She understands SIT, LAY, BED, COME, OFF and 'NO'. She never objects to being left and we are positive there is never a howl or yelp after we leave. She doesnt 'beg' or ask for our food at meal times and is pretty good at eating her own food. But, above all she has an amazingly funny character and such inquisitive expressions. And from the impression I get, Oscar and Rufus are loved just as much!

K.

As far as bathing I find mine are a lot happier when standing on a rubber mat, they seem to dislike feeling insecure under foot.

Hi Karen,

Rufus has improved a ton on the lead since we stopped off the lead/field walks
and extention leads for a few weeks. Basically, he became a nightmare on a normal
lead so we kept him on a normal lead for about 3 weeks (a bit unfair on him I know)
but it worked wonders.
He is now a pleasure to take out - although still on the odd times yanks we right back
to sniff something! :-)

We have been bathing Rufus once a week since we had him so bathing
is not an issue, he just stand there trying to lick my hands and drink the soapy
water!! Then when we take him downstairs to dry off he runs round like a mad
dog for 10 minutes solid, then cuddles up on my knee for a 1hour nap!

He is having his hair cut next saturday, it is about 12 weeks since the last one so well
over due, but we like his scruffy look and the weather hasn't been great so I didn't want
him to get cold!!
I remember the first time he was cut, I howled laughing for about 10 minutes as he just DID NOT
look like our dog - I could see his eyes!!! He just sat there looking so vulnerable as if to say
"mummy what have they done to me?"

We feel a bit mean today as we bought him a 'dog it' toy, a funny shaped stuffed thing and he
has ripped it open within 10mins!! All the stuffing was coming out, but I am not happy as they
should be a bit tougher than a normal stuffed toy shouldn't they?

Anyway bye for now, Louise

Louise

Pleased to hear Rufus is doing so well, it's amazing how similar they all sound in character. I will be using the Gentle Leader today for the second time (can only really use it on walks without my daughter/children) and see how she gets on.

Good luck with the second hair cut (when we have Poppy clipped I ask for the body clip not to be too shaved)!

Bye for now
Karen.

Louise, where do you bathe Rufus? At the moment, Oscar still fits into the utility room sink but he tries to sneak out one foot at a time really slowly, as if he doesn't think I will notice. He loves the bit at the end when the towels get thrown over him - the problem is I can't never get them back. :D

Hi Karen,

I have a mini scnauzer who is now 4 months old. I am new to this site so sorry if i am asking about something you have already discussed! I have seen a few of your earlier adverts about your puppy chewing your hands, and i wondered if she still does this? My pup (Merlin) is a lovely little thing, very loving, but completely nuts!! He chews my hand when he's pleased to see me, when he's playing, when i stroke him..... ha ha that sounds really bad eh? He isnt nasty with it, and there are times he just wants to be fussed or play with toys, and i have been told he will grow out of it, but as you seem to have also gone through this stage, i wondered if you could confirm this?
Many thanks,
Jeni

My Stan weighs about 10kilos and is 16-17 inches. He's bigger than the breed standard but he's a lovely dog to look at. I have to groom him carefully around the legs and skirt to make his legs look a bit shorter in the ring, 'cos he's got such long legs. I prefer him to the smaller ones, but bitches will always be smaller and lighter anyway.

I think your Mini's nipping has probably gone on long enough now, and you should be a bit firmer. I'm not an expert, but from my own experience and from what I have seen other owners do, give a really loud, sharp NO! Shock her a bit with your raised voice and SHOUT and sound very angry! You'll feel bad about it and her reaction, but she'll soon get the message. Don't hit her or anything...just really give her a bit of a shock...she's got to learn eventually. They can be unintentionally naughty dogs (but sooo sweet as well...as if butter wouldn't melt in their mouths). Harden your heart occasionally, because Mini Schnauzers need to be put in their place occasionally.

If she's teething give her toys to chew on (I found raw hide really useful but keep an eye on them and don't let them swallow bits they've chewed and pulped) and and ice cube to play with from time to time. This should distract them a bit.

Nicola

Thanks for the note. Stan is quite big isnt he? I didnt know you could still show them at that weight and height. It'll be really interesting to see how big our Poppy will get!

The nipping really is only playful and sometimes we probably dont reprimand her often enough (particularly my daughter who is almost 6 and plays with her like a sibling - v. sweet to watch:-)). We will have to start reigning her back in a bit I think.

Thanks for your note
Karen.

Hi Nicola/Karen

Very interesting reading..

Just a quick question..how do you measure them? As I would love
to measure Rufus as someone argued with me till they were blue
in the face last week in the street that he was a standard schnauzer.

I am taking him the vets tonight so going to get him weighed too (gulp) :-)

(He is not in any way chubby just substantial :-)

Louise

Hi Louise,
You measure a dog at its shoulders (withers). Some vets have proper measuring sticks (like being measured at school, with the vertical pole and the moveable horizontal bar). Otherwise the best way I've found is to get the dog standing calmly (ha ha ha;) ) beside someone, and mark the height of the dog's shoulder against the person's leg (preferably not indelible ink), then it's easy to measure from the mark to the floor. You do need to be prepared to do a lot of kneeling down for this!
:)

Hi Louise,

Well as you probably know Poppy is now 7 months, so I wrote this sometime ago. She is now approx 19lbs which is quite staggering for a mini S. female. Our puppy class trainer says she is also quite substantial, but that we need to watch her a little as she is v. solid for her age. However she eat no junk/human food and only has her two Nutro Puppy meals a day and a couple of snacks. I think I am going to switch her soon to Adult diet as this contains slightly less fat!

In terms of measuring her height it is a bit hit and miss. I tend to put the flat of my hand on her shoulders and then put it against my leg, so that I can measure down to the floor - it isnt particularly accurate, but I'd say she's about 14.5 inches. Again, on the tall side for the breed standard.

Looking at the breed standards when I was first reviewing different breeds, I remember that the Standard Schnauzer was considerably bigger the the mini - Rufus cant be a standard! When we found Poppy I was pleased to be given one of the biggest in the litter, as I actively wanted to avoid the more toyish looking minis.

Jeni, my mini is 7 months old now and I think he stopped the play biting phase somewhere between 4 and 5 months so just persevere with all of the tactics like high pitched yelps and it will pass. Karen, Oscar is 8 kilos and between 13.5 and 14 inches tall now. I changed him from puppy diet when he turned 6 months. He is also on two meals a day.

Hi all,

Got Rufus weighed at the vets last night - he weighs 10.3 kilos
which is about 23lbs!

I am also going to measure him tonight - I think it will be quite large!
As you said Karen, nowhere near standard size!

I think the woman who argued with me is a bit daft anyway! :-)

It is interesting that a few of you have mentioned changing to adult
food, this is something I will consider if it is ok to do so. I thought they had to stay on puppy food until 18mths???

Louise

ps Just in case your wondering YES the vet DID say I have to cut his
tit bits down a bit...tut tut slap my hand :-)