Schnauzer and birds

[RoseHunter]

Well, I got the date wrong previously, she's 8 weeks old today so collected her. Will share picture later, she has what's called owl eye markings too so is very cute. Mother is a silver grey and petite but father is a darker grey and on the tall scale for males so she has quite the range in possible genes.

But wondering if this is normal but she could not care less about birds, which is good for me since I have a flock of wild birds I feed and also a few pet ones (Budgie, Cockatiel and Hawk) but wondering if this is normal. it's her first day back so she's a little tired, loves her garden already (she bounces around in it), but when it comes to the birds, particularly the cockatiel who whistles, she looks at him and then goes 'Oh ok' and ignores him. Again fine with me but wondering if this is normal.
I praise her every time she ignores him as well to reinforce the 'ignore the pet birds' behavior.

She's settled well, eaten a meal, drank water, played with her new toys (favourite so far is a squeaky blue kong ball and a puppy kong chew stick) and napped a lot.

[RoseHunter]

This is Leyna, very cute puppy and currently napping. Thought I'd add the picture here since might as well but am curious to hear what others think about the bird thing.
She's also rather fearless, got a fright once from a hawk and after that nothing bothered her.

[zeta1454]

Leyna is beautiful

It is difficult to judge whether a puppy's behaviour on the first day or even week is going to be the same going forward as she becomes more familiar with the home and the people and creatures that live there. Often a puppy can be cautious initially until they feel confident they understand their new environment and how it and those in it will affect them. However, it is not unusual for puppies of any breed to accept other species that live within the family unit and treat them differently than they might do if they encountered them outside the home. We have had cats, guinea pigs and hens with our puppies and dogs and, if they grow up with them as part of the family, they are unlikely to treat them as prey or as they would if they met a strange / wild creature of the same species.

There are also individual temperament differences in dogs and Leyna may just be very laid back when it comes to birds but I would always be careful to supervise her when there are birds around as all kinds of things can trigger a more deep seated prey drive in any dog however domesticated it may seem.

Look forward to seeing more photos of Leyna as she grows and reading about her progress

[RoseHunter]

She does seem to be laid back, breeder said she's more outgoing alone but quiet with her littermates. Her personality is coming out big time already (She has springs on her feet at times I swear) and she's been eating well so I feel she's settling in rather well. Also looks like she might be a very light silver like her mother.
She's also currently following me around like a little duckling (or rather bouncing at times).

Will say my goal is for her to understand the bird are pets and not to be touched, harmed or sniffed just like my family's previous dog. Previous dog was a jack russell terrier who was used for hunting in her younger years but learnt after strict training any animal in the house is a pet and is not to be harmed and is not prey.
The birds have high up cages with long legs anyway but they won't be 'playing' together, they'll be coexisting. I do know many say to keep separate however, i still feel such training is important because if a door is left open to the room and the bird gets out for instance (not happened yet with the type of cage my bird has) then safer to have trained her to ignore him than not if you ask me. She will NEVER be left alone with any of the birds for even a second, rule we had with the previous dog too.

Also, i did know schnauzers were clever but Leyna seems to understand things to a degree, she knows outside is potty and gets a little upset when she has an accident (We tell her No and then take her outside) But gets bucket loads of praise when she goes in the garden which she loves like nothing else. Loved following me around while I checked my garden today. Don't worry she is still getting plenty of naps and such.

[zeta1454]

Sounds as though you are going to have fun times ahead

Re the accidents in the house, I would not even say 'No' or other reprimand certainly at this early stage. Puppies are reliant on being taken outside to toilet and if they have an accident it is really lack of vigilance or distraction on the part of the person watching her etc. I know how easy it is to be distracted, miss the signs that a puppy needs to go or be engaged in something that can't be suddenly stopped but my view is always that it is my responsibility to get a puppy outside in time and not their fault if I don't do it. We try to always have a puppy in a playpen when not being supervised so any accidents are contained if they do happen but it sounds as though Leyna will soon be fully housetrained anyway.

Lovely to hear updates on her progress too

[Oscar 12345]

Welcome and what a little beauty you have there.

[RoseHunter]

Ok then, will keep that in mind Zetta, but will say she's is really very clever, picks up commands fast, she's learning sit in small, short lessons (maybe 5 mins each) before play time and she's learning that pretty quickly.

She's learnt what 'In we go' means after going outside for the toilet I swear as she bounces towards the door to the house (she's currently going in the garden only right now until she's had her puppy vaccines.)

Also any advice on night time, she does cry a lot and I sleep in the same room as her but is there anything I can do to make it easier for her? I'm making sure to take her out to the loo and then right back in if she does whine.