At present, feed your puppy 3/4 cup of moistened dry dog food in the morning and again at night. Mid-day snack is 1-2 dog biscuits.
Moisten the dry dog food with approximately 1/4 cup of boiling water to the kibble. Mix so all the kibble gets wet then let it stand for a few minutes (allowing the water to soak into the dry dog food).
I recommend that you start adding 1 teaspoon of "Old Fashion Oatmeal" (Quaker Oats or similar) to the kibble before adding the boiling water (the oatmeal keeps your dog's cholesterol level in check and also acts as roughage for their intestinal tract). You will work up to 1 tablespoon of oatmeal daily. Do not use the Quick Oatmeal (i.e. NOT the five-minute variety). I highly recommend using ProPlan Chicken and Rice Formula (from Purina) as well. Just go slowly when adding something new.... so you will not shock your dog’s system and end up having a puppy with a gastrointestinal problem.
For now, the amount of dry food that you need to obtain is an 8 pound bag of ProPlan Chicken and Rice Formula Puppy Food. Go through from 2-3 bags, when you get down to the last 1/2 bag, purchase the Adult ProPlan Chicken and Rice Formula. Mix half ProPlan Chicken and Rice Formula (Puppy Food) and half ProPlan Chicken and Rice Adult Formula (this is not to shock the puppy's digestive system and avoid any diarrhea). When this is eaten, then go right to the straight ProPlan Chicken and Rice Formula from then on. When your dog becomes a senior dog, you will not have to change dog food because the ProPlan Chicken and Rice Formula has less fat that most senior dog foods. Approximately at the age of 4 months, you can start feeding once a day, of course, it depends on your puppy.
You can also give them "special" treats in their dog food such as: any vegetables, potatoes, chicken, turkey, eggs (REMEMBER NEVER A RAW EGG) rice, cottage cheese, cheese, noodles, etc. Just remember that they do not get a large amount. You will be giving no more than 3/4 cup - 1 1/2 cup of kibble daily, depending upon the size of your Miniature Schnauzer. These special treats that you add should measure no more than a heaping tablespoonful. Our dogs get a piece of banana every morning plus they love raw carrots!
Bathing Your New Family Member
Right now, while the puppy is small, use baby shampoo when bathing. I also use the baby shampoo on our older dog's faces because I worry about getting soap in their eyes. Any shampoo is good however. Do not use one with a conditioner. Head and Shoulders is good if you have a flea problem or you can use a mixture of 1/3 of a bottle of Ivory Liquid for dishes to 2/3 of a bottle of water. Always clean the ears first with a little hydrogen peroxide on a Q-tip before washing or pre-rinsing.
Your puppy will have a lot of leg furnishings (one of the physical traits that we breed for and makes our line so desirable). This will mean that he or she will have quite a lot of hair growth in the ears. It is important that you make the removal of this hair part of the regular grooming regime. Use tweezers to pluck this hair out of the ear canal (all the way down inside the “bell”). To make this process easier, lay your dog on it’s side and start plucking, they're used to it. I recommend doing this every other week. Also, any time you are cleaning your dog's ears or just doing some general grooming, use a Q-Tip dipped in hydrogen peroxide and swab the entire inside of the ear (don't be afraid to get down in there!). The removal of the hair from the canal and the swabbing will keep your dog from getting any type of ear infection due to trapped dirt/wax and moisture.
Remove the "sleepers" from the eyes daily. A professional grooming should be done approximately every six to eight weeks. A bathis given at this time and it should not be necessary to give a full bath between groomings. However, the legs and beard can bewashed as often as you like. The legs and beard should be combed thoroughly, at least twice a week, to prevent the hair from matting.
Toenails should be clipped at least every other week. The frequency of this depends on the type of surface the dog is on (i.e. carpet, concrete, etc.).
If you have ANY questions about the care of your new family member, do not hesitate to call and I will be happy to explain any of the aforementioned procedures...... and to keep us posted on how things are going!
We do encourage giving your new companion a vitamin daily, we use Pet Tabs.
Any questions that we can help you with, please feel free to telephone us anytime.
We are certain you will enjoy your new member of the family as much as we enjoy all of ours!
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