(Not sure if this is in the right place!  But here goes)

I have a couple of questions regarding a Miniature Schnauzer Pup that we are getting in 3 weeks.

Firstly:  We have seen the pups twice now (one week old and four weeks old) both times we were impressed with the breeder, mother and the pups. We went to see the pups again this weekend (four weeks old) and i must admit i thought they would be livlier, out of the bed space and wondering around, but they were not.  Non of them could particually walk...There was no barking, wagging of tails or anything.  They were pretty much the same as when we saw them at one week old (only bigger and fatter)  Should i be concerned?  We picked one that we liked, he has been the biggest since he was born and he is beautiful, he did appear to be the most aleart but he could barley stand (the others just flopped when you put them on the floor) I have been reading up on development and apparently they should be out of the box, walking round etc...  What do you think?  She has said that the pups are very content and nothing really bothers them.  She does not seem in the slightest bit concerned, should i be?

(note about breeder: The Schnauzer club of GB has checked her name and also the pups line and everyhting is fine, she has bread aprox 10 litters, this is her first Schnauzer litter - im not concerned about her, the mother or the pups breeding just their development)

Secondly:  I have bought and have been reading The Perfect Puppy and over and over it suggests that you take the pup home at 6 weeks so they can settle with the new family.  I, like many others are taking mine at the earliest time suggested by the breeder of 8 weeks.  Is the 6 week thing because the book is older?

Thanks for your help and advice

Roxanne

Hi Roxanne,
If the pups had recently been fed then I would expect them to be sleepy - if however they were like this just before a feed I would be concerned. Go and see them again in a week or so, and make sure you go before they get fed - this should give you a better idea of their development.

And the 6-week thing is one of the few times I disagree with "The Perfect Puppy" - I won't let mine go before 7 - 8 weeks because they can learn a lot more about being a dog from their mum and littermates (interdog good manners, bite inhibition etc) than they can from a person at 6 weeks.

Good luck with him. :)

Thanx for that (are you a bowie fan by any chance! lol)

Yes the pups had been fed, I had thought that was the case but i just wanted to check. The Puppy book says allsorts and keeps informing me of things i took for granted, like the development stages, according to that they should be active and wandering, but i suppose like children pups have their own development rate.

Roxanne

By about 5/6 weeks they should be much more lively.
(Yes, I am a fan! I occasionally need to "let myself go!" as the song goes. ;) )

I have a 5 1/2 week old litter. Last week the new owners of teh dog pup who is full of charac er and cheeky came tro see him.

Well what a disappointment. The pups were sound asleep, I tried to rouse them and htey kept going flop. I put the half asleep lad in their arms and he just looked toatlly out of it, then when he realised they smelt strange he atarted wriggling (being held on his back didn't help). An hour after they left the monkey were scruffing each other barking and being hooligans.

My lot are real lively at the moment, but only in short burst about 10 minutes, and then back to sleep. This is why I can never agree with the puppy choosing advice based on behaviour when the new owner visits. The only way this can wortk is if the people spend a good few hours with the pups to get to know their character.

I try to point out the character of each pup to theowners, and try to steer them to one I think would best suit them, but leave the final decision (assuming their is a choice) to them.

So the answer is pups are like toddlers, live wires one minute and dead to the world and comatose the next!

Where can you get toddlers like that Brainless, I want to swap!!!!! :D