6-wk old min. schnauzer

Question
Welcomed Tinkerbelle into our family last Saturday and want to make sure we are communicating the right signals. We want to paper train her as well as get her used to sleeping in her crate. Any suggestions? Also, food suggestions? wet or dry? bathing - too young?  I am sorry to bombard you with questions, but we really need help.
Thanks,


Answer
A six-week-old puppy is MUCH too young to leave its mother! One shouldn't bring a puppy home until it is 8-9 weeks of age as it needs that time with its mother and littermates to learn to "speak dog" and to learn how to inhibit its bite. Get the book, "How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With", by Rutherford and Neil; you will need it as you will have to be Mom and littermates all in one.

I don't believe in papertraining as I think doing that and trying to housebreak at the same time is way too confusing for a puppy. Here I start housebreaking at five weeks of age, weather permitting. If you don't ever plan to housebreak, then go ahead with papertraining. They have little pads now to help with that.

I feed Eagle Dog Food (the Original) and have done so for nearly 25 years. It is a terrific product and I highly recommend it. Any food you use should probably be fed wet right now as I doubt that your baby has very many teeth yet. Gradually switch her over to dry in the next few weeks.

Bathing is fine, as long as you don't let her get chilled. Practice drying her with a hand-held hair dryer, but keep it moving so that it doesn't burn her. Hold it away from her a bit.

Good luck! You will have your work cut out for yourself with such a young baby.