What list is that? A list of all the Min. Schnauzers here?

If so, I don't think I've added my name Please add me too, Jason!

Scottie, Male, Salt & Pepper. DOB: 20th April 2007

Thanks!

Yes, lots of patience... You probably can start also now if Kenji can pay attention long enough to listen... No harm trying right? It's also a great way to bond with him...make it like play lo instead of a 'schooling' session thing

If the dog is vomitting bile because he refused to eat, do we still need to fast him/her? It would be like having gastritis and not eating wor...

A good recommendation which I have tried before is to give 100 plus (which has been de-gassed - meaning the 100 plus has been let to sit out for a while) little by little. Glucose (the powdered form) diluted in water also can give if he/she refused to eat. Give about a teaspoon every 10-15 minutes to let the stomach settle. After a while, if he/she can keep the drink in without vomitting again, can add more gradually. If he/she still continues vomitting, it's high time to send to the vet.

P/S: This method also works for humans with upset stomach or cannot keep their food in. I've personally tried this with my Mom who cannot stop vomitting. Even drinking water she will vomit She feels better after that,but I still bring her to the doctor to get some medication.

Yeah, it's not weird for dogs to eat grass to stimulate their bowel movement... My experience was not so good though. Kenji (my sister's Chihuahua) had very runny poop, then started vomitting until he had nothing else to vomit but bile. He became so sick he didn't even want to drink any water. It was during the first and second day of CNY too (can you believe it?! so 'ngam' la the timing ), and we were in our grandparents' house in Seremban. All vets were closed that time also, so...we kept him on that for 2 days. On the 3rd day, we found an Indian vet who was very kind to purposely open his clinic for us to give Kenji 2 jabs and medicine. He finally recovered after the injections

Aragon, I think it's better if you only bring Kenji out when he's fully vaccinated....it'll be risky to expose him to so many dogs when he's not fully vaccinated. You would probably need to wait for him to be about 3-4 months old before sending him for training

That would be a good idea... After training can socialize also But we would need to find someone who's really experienced and knows how to teach US to train the pups lo...if not,will be like the blind leading the blind

If you're staying near BU, MKA has their classes in Central Park. The fees is only RM180 for 10 lessons (this includes the MKA membership fees).

Me, I'm taking lessons with Puppy.com in Ampang. They have basic classes there as well as in Taman Desa. The fees is RM250 for 10 lessons (which includes their premium membership fee).

Another training center would be PetNYou, but I'm not sure where they conduct classes. Maybe a PetNYou member can continue this

If you're in Penang, check out the Penang Dog Agility Association. Although their association states agility, they do OB there as well

You should be able to see where the MKA classes are held in the park by the barriers they put up that are plastered with their logos. There is a booth nearby where you can sign up for the classes. I went to 'pat kwah' last week at the gathering Was told that their new intake starts on the 22nd Feb, so you would need to sign up before that Good luck!

Cool! Good luck with your classes... I'd like to say though that no matter how good the teacher is, it wouldn't be effective if we ourselves as handlers don't practise what was taught. We only go for classes once a week for about one hour. The rest of the week we need to continue the work by practising. If not,our dogs will forget wan So, must do our 'homework' after classes yeah? No need to do every single day for an hour la...can space out a few minutes here and there during the day to reinforce what was taught in class

---

Added on February 12, 2009, 5:17 pmNo la...where got old, we all also learning from each other ma Peers still when it comes to our pups

This post has been edited by Rayne: Feb 12 2009, 05:17 PM

If you're taking your pup in 4 weeks' time, does it mean the pup would be about 4 weeks old now? If so, you can't really tell much I think, as they change a lot from the 4th week to the 8th week. Like Waichee said, you could check the ears. The pups SHOULD be able to walk about already by now, so see if he/she is active or not during play with the siblings. Check for any abnormal discharge from the eyes.

Most importantly, if you're making the decision this week, you should ask to see the parents. If they have only one parent, it's still fine...have a good look at how the mother handles the pups and observe her temperament with the owner(s). Most of the time, the pups inherit temperaments from their parents. Also see if the size of the mother would be up to your expectations of the breed. If you're looking for just a pet dog, it should be up to your own judgement, but if you're looking for a show dog, that would be the MKA/AKC specifications (which I'm not clear about). I think though if you're looking for a show dog,you would have read all about showing and what specifically does a show dog need.

Keep in mind though that although the mother might be of show quality, the pups MIGHT NOT be of show quality. The breeder should be able to tell you which pup(s) are POTENTIALLY of show quality (and I stress POTENTIALLY because although a pup might look like a show quality pup NOW, a lot can change when he/she grows up) if the breeder shows his/her dogs. Hope this helps a little.

Rather than just relying on us, do a little Google search for choosing a pup. I'm sure there are lots of articles and references you can read up so you are more prepared for your new arrival

LOL! I'm not from 86 also... Me is 84.

For me, I feel that it is very important to send our dogs for at least a basic OB training so that we'll be able to get some control over our pups, especially when we're out and about a lot. OB is not so much of teaching tricks though (that would be in a different category), so it's mainly control over our dogs and teaching them to be good canine citizens. Basic obedience usually includes the CGC (Canine Good Citizen). I'm not sure about the other training centers, but Puppy.com has it. You can view their FAQ on OB training here: http://www.puppy.com.my/ob/faq.html

There you can see what is their lesson plans for their different courses and also answers to questions we always ask when it comes to OB training. Hope that helps!

I got quite lost in the discussion after 3 days of not being around. LOL!

I DID try Royal Canine for Schnauzers for Scottie for almost half a year. It was quite good, albeit a bit pricey (that time it was selling for RM70+ for a 2+kg which will last Scottie for about one month). But after those few months, the groomer that I bought it from told me that they are not going to carry it anymore because Royal Canine is increasing their retail price by about 30%, making it more than RM100 per bag Sooo...I stopped buying that naturally I switched to a raw diet for Scottie after that, and never looked back since

---

Added on February 16, 2009, 6:03 pm
Awesome! When will this happen? I want to join also leh...


This post has been edited by Rayne: Feb 16 2009, 06:03 PM

Yeah, it was quite expensive, but that time (in fact, until now) I'm only feeding Scottie, so it's still bearable. But now I feed raw, it's getting cheaper and I love the results that it has on Scottie

No la...not ALL Schnauzers are like that. I'm very lucky in the sense that Scottie has never been THAT mischievous with me, until now... He's a very gentle boy, and never bit any of our shoes even though we leave it outside scattered everywhere. There's only a few times that he shredded newspapers. 'Mouthing' (play biting our hands, toes,etc) is also minimum with him. He only does that to get my attention or during play time, and even then he would just bite once gently and sort of know that he's hurting me and stop

Maybe Kenji is like that too...you never know I have to say though that I've not let Scottie had a chance to actually go and sniff at our shoes/slippers/sandals when he was little (we always keep him in supervision when he was outside our house that time and putting up the shoes that time). Now that he's older, he seems to automatically know that he's not supposed to bite the shoes when he's out. 'Subconscious' training, maybe?

My Scottie would... If he wants to manja, he will come over, jump on the sofa and sit on my lap Sometimes, if he's tired, he will just plop down on my lap and sleep...haha!

Squat? I think I'm lost...LOL!

LOL! That is quite a cool way to sit!

Here's another interesting thing that I found...sounds cool, but I still think that raw feeding is the best However, for other dog owners who would like to know how to 'grade' their dog food brand:

Start with a grade of 100

1. For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points.
2. For every non-specific animal source (meat, poultry, meal, or fat) reference, subtract 10 points.
3. If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points.
4. For every grain mill run or non-specific grain source, subtract 5 points.
5. If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. ground brown rice, brewers rice, rice flour are all the same grain), subtract 5 points.
6. If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points.
7. If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points.
8. If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points.
9. If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points.
10. If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2 points.
11. If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources) subtract 2 points.
12. If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points.
13. If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog is not allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points.
14. If it contains beef (unless you know that you dog is not allergic to beef), subtract 1 point.
15. If it contains salt, subtract 1 point.


Extra Credit:
1. If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points.
2. If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points.
3. If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points.
4. If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points.
5. If the food contains fruit, add 3 points.
6. If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points.
7. If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points.
8. If the food contains barley, add 2 points.
9. If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points.
10. If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point.
11. If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point.
12. For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first one; count chicken and chicken meal as only one protein source), add 1 point.
13. If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point.
14. If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point.

Score:
94-100+ =A
86-93 =B
78-85 =C
70-77 =D
0-69 =F



Here is how some of the major dog food brands scored:

“A+” Rated Food Brands
Artemis large/medium breed puppy 114 A+
Authority Harvest Baked 116 A+Canidae 112 A+
Chicken Soup Senior 115 A+
d*** Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium 122 A+
d*** Van Patten's Duck and Potato 106 A+
Foundations 106 A+
Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables 110 A+
Innova Dog 114 A+
Innova Evo 114 A+
ProPlan Natural Turkey and Barley 103 A+
Royal Canin Boxer 103 A +
Royal Canin Bulldog 100 A+
Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult 106 A+
Timberwolf Organics Lamb and Venison 136 A+
Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken 110 A+


“A” Rated Food Brands
Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula 99 A
Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice 97 A
Solid Gold 99 A
Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold 97 A


“B” Rated Food Brands
Diamond Lamp Meal and Rice 92 B
Eukanuba Natural Lamb and Rice 87 B
Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold 93 B
Nutrisource Lamb and Rice 87 B
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy 87 B


“C” Rated Food Brands
Alpo Prime Cuts 81 C
Blackwood 3000 Lamb and Rice 83 C
Eukanuba Large Breed Adult 83 C


“D” Rated Food Brands
Iams Lamb Meal and Rice Formula Premium 73 D


“F” Rated Food Brands
Bil-Jac Select 68 F
Diamond Maintenance 64 F
Ol Roy 9 F
Pedigree Adult Complete 14 F
Pedigree Complete Nutrition 42 F
Pet Gold Adult with Lamb and Rice 23 F
Purina Beneful 17 F
Purina Dog 62 F
Purina Come-n-Get It 16 F
Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ 63 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies 69 F

Min. Schnauzers can be good watch dogs coz they alert you whenever they hear something weird, but not too sure about guarding. Scottie always likes to bark at strangers, but when people pat him he enjoys the pats! LOL!

Giant Schnauzers COULD be a guard dog I guess, but it also depends on the temperament, breeding and training of the dog...so far, I've only seen one Giant Schnauzer (a female) and she is as gentle as a lamb. Candy was originally bought for protection purposes (the owner wanted to send her for Schutzhund training) but she is a very shy dog, so it's a no go But she's very cute despite her big size... Here are some of Candy's photos with Scottie (sorry about the bad quality...I took it with a phone camera. If I see her again next time I go training, will bring along a better camera to capture):