# Schnauzer pup cut?



## mimig613 (Oct 25, 2009)

I've got a new schnauzer pup, my second one, love the schnauzer. Well, she
is 5 months old,and very very small(1.8 pounds) I have her on IAM's small breed puppy food, and also give her Nutri-Cal twice a day. Her coat is really soft and cottony,dull and thin.The fur around her face is shiney but the rest of her, mainly her legs is not so pretty. She's never had a "real" groom, I've just kept her trimmed up a little at home, I feel she's to small to go the groomer just yet. So my question is would her coat improve if she had a full groom, maybe to get rid of that puppy coat? Or could it be the food I have her on? After the new pup came home my older schnauzer decided she wouldn't eat anything but puppy food too,(I know I probably shouldn't let her but she gets plenty of exercise) so there both eating the same food and the older one has the most beutiful coat I've ever seen. Any suggestions?



















Roxy was borm on the 4th of July, Heidi is two and weighs 13 pounds. The day I brought Roxy home, I had gone to look at a minature schnauzer, I saw Roxy and just had to bring her home with me, the breeder did tell me she is a teacup. I know that she has been sized down by the breeder, and there is no such thing as a teacup schnauzer, but this lil bit stole my heart. I did not adopt her for breeding, I brought her home to join our family, so please no crtisism about bad breeding. I was NOT in the market for a "teacup", it just happened that way.

Heidi had just had a spaz attack in the backyard in this pic,that lovely southern Texas dirt has stained her paws.











Just had to add one more pic of my girl Heidi, I love her gruff in this pic.


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## NRB (Sep 19, 2009)

I dunno, I've got my first Standard Schnauzer. So I don't have a ton of experience, so hopefully a mini owner or a groomer will add to this thread. And I keep my girl stripped, not clipped. But her puppy coat was gorgeous and lovely and her adult coat is stiffer and still coming in.

I am for going to the groomer for something small early on, letting the dog get to know the groomers before going in for the full work up. I had my girls nails trimmed by the groomer once a week for 3 weeks before she stayed for a full morning session. At 3.5mo she was clippered on her neck under her chin and on the rear by her breeder before she came home to me. Then at about 5mo she was stripped by the groomer, who left alot of puppy hair and undercoat on. She had her second stripping session at 6mo and looked fabulous a week before Thanksgiving. 

1.8lbs for a 5mo mini sounds tiny! I thought they grow to be 11 to 18 lbs at maturity so I'd have thought a mini at 5mo would be more like 8 to 12lbs. My girl is 31lbs at 6mo (I can feel but not see ribs and see a waist) and I'd expect her to fill out a bit more and top out just under 40lbs as a 2yo. But I'm just guessing.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

mimig613 said:


> I've got a new schnauzer pup, my second one, love the schnauzer. Well, she
> is 5 months old,and very very small(1.8 pounds) I have her on IAM's small breed puppy food, and also give her Nutri-Cal twice a day. Her coat is really soft and cottony,dull and thin.The fur around her face is shiney but the rest of her, mainly her legs is not so pretty. She's never had a "real" groom, I've just kept her trimmed up a little at home, I feel she's to small to go the groomer just yet. So my question is would her coat improve if she had a full groom, maybe to get rid of that puppy coat? Or could it be the food I have her on? After the new pup came home my older schnauzer decided she wouldn't eat anything but puppy food too,(I know I probably shouldn't let her but she gets plenty of exercise) so there both eating the same food and the older one has the most beutiful coat I've ever seen. Any suggestions?


That is very small for a 5 month old pup..and from the sounds of her coat added to her very small size, I would wonder if there isn't a health issue going on? How long have you had her? Has she been checked recently for worms? I would not recommend Iams myself, but a better quality food, like Nature's Variety, Acana, Taste of the Wild, etc. 

Aside from those thoughts, it could just be bad breeding. She may never have a "nice" coat. If (just guessing and throwing this out there) she was bred by a "breeder" to be small..then all thought about coat, temperment, and health is generally thrown out the window when a "breeder" opts to stray from the breed standard and go for a size/color/etc. type thing. 

Regardless, at 5 months, she should be visiting the groomer, yes! She may be small, but so are yorkies, chi, etc. Size is not an issue if she is healthy. She needs to be getting accustomed to the noises, the equipment, and the process of being groomed now, while she is still young and its easier for her to adapt and learn, rather than wait til she older and less moldable. That would set her up for a life of stressful grooming sessions.


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## Herrick's Mommy (Nov 5, 2009)

I have a 5 month old, soon to be 6 month old, miniature schnauzer and he weighs 14 pounds. Did you mean to say she is 5 WEEKS or 5 MONTHS? Maybe it was a typo? If your puppy is 5 months old and weighs less than two pounds, then like Graco22 pointed out, maybe there is also a health issue at hand. As for the coat, when we first got our puppy he was already groomed, but after 6 weeks of having him, we took him to the groomers and he loved it. We are currently growing out his fur in order to get his coat stripped, since I've read that if you keep clipping them, they tend to lose their genetic fur color. As for the food, he was on puppy chow when we first got him, but he had very dry skin and his stools were always soft. We switched him to Taste of the wild and not only has his coat gotten better, but his skin and his stools are normal.


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## HersheyPup (May 22, 2008)

I've heard that they are now breeding Schnauzers in a Toy size...maybe yours is one of those? The smallest female miniature schnauzer I know weighs about 12 lbs fully grown.
I have a Standard Schnauzer, she is just turning 2 years old this month. Is 35.5 lbs. and 18" at the shoulder. Average sized for a female according to the breed standard. I do keep her in a schnauzer clip, but I waited until she was over 6 months old for her first cut. I am a groomer and do the trimming myself.
You might consider a different food if her coat is dull, nutri cal is not a bad supplement for dogs that are sick or won't eat, but you are better off feeding her food as long as she'll eat.
This is a trimmed up Hershey









This is an untrimmed Hershey! lol


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## 0hmyd0g (Aug 18, 2008)

maybe mimi meant kilograms instead of pounds, which is what we use in Canada. 1.8 kg is 3.9 pounds.


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## bfoster (Feb 9, 2009)

No way can a five month old schnauzer pup be 1.8 lb.
They average about 5 lbs at 8 WEEKS.
At 5 months they should be somewhere around 12-14 lbs.
Are you sure its a schnauzer?/ Picture?

Hershey is looking beautiful by the way Hersheypup.


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## RaeganW (Jul 14, 2009)

After some Googling, it appears there are now schnauzers that top out at _four. pounds_. I think something has gone wrong when there are rats that outweigh a ratting dog.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

RaeganW said:


> After some Googling, it appears there are now schnauzers that top out at _four. pounds_. I think something has gone wrong when there are rats that outweigh a ratting dog.


Just more bad selective breeding..yorkies, shih, maltese, poodles, etc..have all had backyard breeders "downsizing" breeds, and unfortunately, the payoff is lots of money for mostly unhealthy (but cute) little dogs.


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## RaeganW (Jul 14, 2009)

Graco22 said:


> Just more bad selective breeding..yorkies, shih, maltese, poodles, etc..have all had backyard breeders "downsizing" breeds, and unfortunately, the payoff is lots of money for mostly unhealthy (but cute) little dogs.


I was being sarcastic  I mean, breeding out drive is one thing but the dog should at least _look_ like they could attempt their original purpose.


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## bfoster (Feb 9, 2009)

thanks for adding the pictures--she is cute. She is so tiny wow
I don't know what to tell you about the hair. It does not really look like schnauzer hair. Maybe after she looses her puppy coat you will have a better idea of what kind of texture it will have and you can decide then what to do with it.
The "wild" look now kind of suits her.


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## echo8287 (Jul 5, 2007)

My 2 girl Mini Schnauzies are almost 2-1/2 and they weigh 20 and 21 lbs.They are stout little bruisers. The vet always asks what I'm feeding them. (Wellness,Evo,Orijen) They are in top shape and I'd guess they can run 25mph in a short burst. They have caught several squirrels. A good food improves their coat. My daughter took in a Mini off the street and he looked rough with thin or no hair on his legs,belly and nose. After a year and with good food all his hair is back on his legs,back and nose. It is starting to thicken on his belly some too. It takes awhile for the food to take effect.David


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