WHAT TO EXPECT

CRATE TRAINING

EXPECT that all your friends and family will say that crate training is cruel.

DO not take the puppy out of his crate. The puppy must not learn that he can be let out of the
crate by barking or whining. Otherwise you will have a very noisy dog who will expect you to
follow his demands. Make sure you get something either a blanket or stuff animal with the scent
of the litter mates to take home with your new puppy, this will help him sleep.

EXPECT the puppy to sleep a lot.  At 7-8 weeks old, puppies only play for about 30 - 45 minutes
and then they should sleep for a couple of hours. As they get older the playtime will grow.

DO let the puppy sleep. Sleep is very important for the puppy’s growth, mind and body.

POTTY TRAINING

EXPECT to take the puppy outside frequently during the day, until the puppy is about 4 months old. All your friends and

dog be know-it-all's, will tell you that you will be up all hours of the night taking your puppy out for potty training.

DO not be surprised that Envoy puppies will not be doing that to you so sweet dreams.

DO take the puppy outside for potty breaks based on scheduled potty breaks when the puppy is awake.
Increase the time as the puppy gets older.   Do not give water after 10:00 pm and do get up early

 to take the pup out in the morning.  Watch for the signs of puppy signaling they need to go; just drank a lot of water;

circling and sniffing the area looking for that special place to go. Quickly ask them ..."do you need to go potty?" and whisk 

them out the door to the potty area. Give lots of happy upbeat verbal praising (people will think you lost your mind but who 

cares you succeeded in the avoiding the in home accident).

CHEWING & BITING

EXPECT the puppy to chew, almost anything, for the first 6 months to one year.

DO be prepared to remove many things from his mouth until he learns not to pick everything up.
Also give them good safe chew toys; things that squeak, crackle; rope or tug toys.  I suggest knee caps or 

knuckle bones that are smoked not raw. They can be found at most pet stores.  Only use them under your supervision.

EXPECT the puppy to want to use its teeth to nip. It will nip at toes, fingers, chins, faces, ears,noses…puppies play with their litter mates and mother by using their mouths. They will do the  same thing with their people unless they are taught otherwise. 

Some puppies take very little teaching to stop nipping while others do not get the message as quickly.

DO teach the puppy that this will not be tolerated…to do this you must be very firm and lower your
voice to almost a growl, saying “NO BITE” and hold the puppy’s face in your hands looking straight
into it’s eyes. Hold the puppy’s face until it is not moving then put it down and do not play with it for
a few minutes.

QUARANTINE

DO expect that for 8 weeks your new puppy should live the quarantined life style. Your puppy will be going home with only one

puppy shot completed and will need two more to complete their quest for proper immunization.  Listen to your breeder's recommendations. 

and follow close to ensure your puppy stays safe and healthy. The health records and protocols that your breeder sets out for you is sometimes breed specific and is helpful for you to convey to your vet.

EXPECT that the puppy will not always come to his name, even after the puppy knows his name.

TRAINING

DO train for recall...squat down to be more on the puppy’s level when calling him. Use a small
piece of a special treat and call the puppy to you in a playful voice, when the puppy starts to come
towards you offer the treat so the puppy runs to you. Do this several times throughout the day in
different locations. Continue to offer treats periodically when you call the puppy until the puppy is a
year old. Be sure to praise the puppy every time and never call the puppy to you for a negative
reason…to put it in the kennel or scold it for doing something wrong, etc. The puppy must
continue to be trained to recall for the first year. This is the first & most important thing to teach
your puppy.

EXPECT a clingy puppy when you first bring it home, it will not want to leave your feet. The puppy
will follow your every move. Get a small bell and attach to collar around neck.  This will help you to
know exactly the puppy’s movement and may prevent you from stepping on them or you falling
and getting hurt when you try to avoid stepping on them.

DO give the puppy time to get comfortable in its surroundings, possibly a couple of weeks, and it
will venture further and further away.  

EXPECT the puppy to be a little sensitive to noise.

DO introduce new sounds and situations to the puppy slowly.

EXPECT many little messes in the yard.

DO watch where you walk and clean them up!

EXPECT the puppy to need lots of training. He will not know how to be the well trained dog you
want him to be. He will do what HE thinks he is supposed to do.

DO take him to puppy kindergarten classes and some basic obedience classes as he gets older.
Also don’t let him do anything as a puppy that you will NOT want him doing as an adult dog. In
other words, any little quirks you dislike as a puppy will only get worse as an adult so train him to
be the DOG you want him to be.

EXPECT the puppy to want to jump up putting his front feet on you when he greets you.

DO train your puppy to “sit” instead of jumping up. To teach “sit” have the puppy stand in front of
you, hold a small piece of  treat over his head just out of his reach and move it backward over his
head as you say “SIT”. After you have taught “sit” you can use this to greet your puppy. When the
puppy approaches say “sit” and lower yourself to his level and praise and greet him.

EXPECT the puppy to find every little lint ball, twig, rock, leaf, carpet fringe, cord, button, cigarette
butt etc…and to put it in his mouth.

DO get down to puppy level and see what could be interesting to the puppy. Puppy proof your
home and check it frequently for new things that could cause problems. Get used to removing
things from his mouth and saying “NO”.

EXPECT to groom the puppy frequently.

DO a weekly grooming…a good brushing, trim the nails and trim the hair away from the eyes,
bottom, feet and ears. A visit to the groomer is required every 8-12 weeks for miniature schnauzers
and just a regular brushing.  Bath your pup once every  week until you have
owned it 4 weeks then drop down to every 2 – 3 weeks with a mild baby shampoo. Practice using
the hairdryer to dry them. Practice rubbing your fingers on their teeth in preparation of brushing
their teeth.

EXPECT them to be wiggle worms and train them to stand still. Refrain from saying "good boy or girl" during the grooming session. Praise after you are finished. This is the only job they have to on a regular basis and they need to learn quickly what is expected of them. 

EXPECT a happy, loyal, affectionate, intelligent, and playful bundle of energy. One who will love to
be held and cuddled.  A wonderful member of the family.

DO enjoy your new pet.

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