Food
We start our puppies on 4Health Wholesome Grains Puppy Lamb Formula dry dog food found at Tractor Supply and Freshpet Puppy Tender Chicken Recipe found at HEB, Walmart, Kroger, etc. By 8 weeks of age, our puppies eat about 1/4 cup of the dry kibble topped with a sprinkling of Freshpet three times per day.
Training Treats
We desire to give our puppies the purest ingredients possible. When training our pups, we use freeze dried beef liver as a reward. They LOVE it! We buy our beef liver at Costco, but there are many other options available. Depending on the size of each piece, you might have to break it up into smaller pieces while your puppy is young, which is what we do. Here are a few:
Chew Sticks
Puppies need to chew! Chewing cleans the teeth, soothes a puppy when cutting teeth, entertains dogs when alone, and helps manage anxiety. We never give our dogs rawhide chews. We provide collagen sticks or pig skin. There are a variety of brands. These are the ones we always have on hand in our home:
Food & Water Bowls
We finally found our FAVORITE dog food bowl at RTIC! It isn't plastic. It's incredibly durable. And it's great for travel too. If your dog doesn't eat all of its food, you can put the lid on. If you travel and pour water in their bowl, the silicon lid will cover the bowl and prevent spillage. You will never regret buying this bowl!
Dog Crate/Kennel
All of our dogs have a kennel. We use it while training our puppies, and our older dogs independently go in their crates for naps. There are several sizes. We prefer the 30x19 because it provides generous space for one adult mini schnauzer or adequate space for 2. There are a ton of options for lining the crate. We've had many kinds over the years and our dogs seem to prefer the foam egg crate pad with washable waterproof cover.
Grooming Supplies
Because they don't shed, miniature schnauzers require grooming. Grooming is part of the commitment of being a schnauzer owner. On average, groomers charge $60 per groom every 6-8 weeks. Our puppies come with their first groom, unless requested otherwise. It is very important to introduce schnauzers pups to grooming early in life, so they aren't afraid of it. In between grooming sessions, it's important to brush your dog's coat, clip its nails, brush its teeth, and bathe and blow dry. We use/have used the following products on our puppies and adult dogs:
Potty Training
We use the puppy box training method while raising puppies to prepare them for going potty outdoors. There are different options for lining the pan. We use alfalfa pellets, which are safe if chewed on and mimic the smell of grass. Puppy box training is also a great option for working families and apartment living.
For our own puppies and our older dogs, we use a potty bell. The dogs ring the bell to alert us that they need to go outside to potty, eliminating accidents in the house.