Dixie gets a Hair Cut

Dixie with her untrimmed fur.

With only 2 weeks to go until the whelping date, I decided I better get Dixie trimmed up.  If I wait any longer, it will be too uncomfortable for Dixie to jump in the bath tub or stand for the grooming process.  Her winter coat was getting pretty long, so it is better not to wait.  The birth is a messy event, and the more fur, the more mess.

It is especially important for Dixie's face to be trimmed as she will be cleaning herself and her puppies a lot once they are born.  The white beard is definitely not an asset during whelping time.  I can trim it short, but would never remove the whole beard...after all, that's what defines a Schnauzer!


 The eye brows, cheeks, and ears, will also look better once they are trimmed down.  Her underside also has to be trimmed short, since the pups need to find their food source and extra fur harbors germs and bacteria.

Dixie is not looking forward to her haircut!

After the haircut, we can see Dixie's eyes again!

So over the weekend I bathed Dixie and trimmed her face short.  I left the fur on her back a little longer than usual since it is still pretty cold outside.  She is a very obedient dog, and stands still for me without a special grooming table or leash.

You can see Dixie's round belly in this picture.

Combing the beard. 

Trimmed and ready to go, Dixie's side furnishings are just long enough to hide her tummy.

Dixie's got a 'Puppy Bump"!

You can barely see the bulging belly in this photo.

It is kind of funny.  Whenever I breed Dixie, I get a hold of the "Canine Gestation Calendar" (or What to Expect When You're Expecting Puppies) and mark all the important dates on the calendar.  So it is always kind of cool when things happen just when they are suppose to happen.  My recent post told how Dixie had morning sickness right on cue.  I had to breathe a sigh of relief...a positive pregnancy sign is pretty important when when you have lots of kids and families waiting on it!! 

So here's another interesting milestone.  I have been keeping an eye on Dixie and thinking that she was starting to feel fuller in the tummy, but yesterday when I looked at her, I could really see that her belly was getting round and protruding...just enough that I would say she was 'showing'.  I ran to the puppy calendar and loe and behold, I had written down 'ENLARGED ABDOMEN".  So cool!  She is coming along just as she should!

So Dixie looks well, but she is still finicky with her food.  When we hand her the bowl, she sniffs it and looks up forlornly.  I guess the California Naturals is just a little too healthy right now, to taste good.  So I have been mixing the healthy stuff with canned dog food....you know the kind with lots of meaty gravy!.  She gobbles it up with much gusto then.  I figure its better to spoil her right now, to be sure she gets the nutrition she needs for her growing litter.  

 The photos posted here are current, and yet because of Dixie's winter coat, it is hard to see that she is pregnant.  Believe me, if you look straight down at her from above, there is no denying it now!

At this stage the puppies growing inside of Dixie are a little bigger than a walnut.   Over the next four weeks the pups will grow very rapidly and Dixie will get very large, very quickly.  For my part,  I just want to be sure Dixie has all the nutrition she needs to whelp the healthiest litter possible.

To further assure a healthy Mama, we have been taking Dixie out for off leash runs through the woods whenever the temperature is tolerable.   Dixie cannot  resist the urge to stretch her legs in full gallop as she runs up and down the hills.  But no worries.  She is very safe.  There is nothing but silent woods for as far as the eye can see.  And Dixie is very closely bonded to us.  She always keeps within view....her white coat shines like a beacon against the woodland floor of fallen leaves.   I take great pleasure in seeing her circling back toward me and running up with a big grin as if to say, "Isn't this great!".  And I respond with equal enthusiasm.  "Yes, it is wonderful!"  It is the greatest joy for a dog to run through the woods sniffing all the wonderful fragrances.  And for me, I have the peace of mind in knowing she will be in top physical condition for whelping her puppies.

Potty Training Tips

1. Go Outside
Whether you will be home all day to let out your Schnoodle frequently or you work a full time job leaving your Schnoodle to "hold it" for 8 or more hours, a Schnoodle puppy is easy to housebreak.

There are going to be days when you can stay home with your puppy all day. This is when you need to pay attention to the signs and signals your puppy shows when he/she is about to "do its business".

The most common signals are constant sniffing, crouching down and the most difficult to notice...finding a "hiding" place so he/she won't get in trouble. The first two you will notice right away. The last one your puppy will start to do once you have scolded it a few times for going in the house. Regardless, as soon as you notice one of these activities, immediately grab up your puppy and put him/her outside.

2. Start a Routine
On top of knowing your Schnoodle puppy's "signals", you will need to begin to establish a routine as part of your puppy potty training.

Pick certain times throughout the day to always let your puppy outside. The BARE minimum should include 1) when you first wake up in the morning, 2) the minute you return home from work, and 3) before you go to bed. By always letting your puppy out at these times, he/she will begin to realize they don't have to go to bathroom in the house because their loving owner will let them out periodically throughout the day.

Remember though, your puppy will need to be let out more frequently for a while until they start to control themselves...until they grow up. This is the same thing a child goes through when getting off of diapers.

With that last thing said, expect accidents. Other good times to let him/her outside would be before you leave for work and after dinner. Puppy potty training is a process, not a one-time task.

Be patient. The next thing you know, your floors will be as dry as before your puppy came home.

3. Block off An Area
If you are training your puppy to "hold it" all day while you are at work, you may want to close off an area or crate train your puppy. I did not crate train either of my puppies, but I heard it works.

All I did was block off the kitchen for my puppy, "Rudy". The kitchen seems to be the best since it usually is the room that does not have carpeting. I made sure he had something soft to lie on. I also put down Puppy Pads in a few places around the kitchen. You could use newspaper, but the Puppy Pads are much more absorbent and cover up some of the smell. After a couple of weeks, Rudy began to go to bathroom less and less during the day.
You see, dogs don't like to make messes in the area they live in. Rudy eventually learned to "hold it" until I got home from work.

On the weekends, we started to let him have more and more free reign of the house by letting him roam around the whole first floor and then the entire house. We did this in steps to make sure he wouldn't start going in the house again.

4. Stain Remover
When your puppy does go on the carpet, the best product you could own to clean it up is Nature's Miracle. It is the best carpet cleaner I have ever had. There has not been a stain I could not get up yet.

The best part is it has some kind of chemical in it that kills the smell so the dog will never know it went to the bathroom there. Dogs will urinate in the same area over and over again if they smell it there and dogs have 10 times better smelling abilities than us humans.

I have used this product on other stains too, and it has taken those up just as well. It is great stuff!!

Preventing Injury

 A small dog has very delicate legs especially when they are puppies and their bones are still developing.  Please be careful not to allow your puppy to jump off of the furniture or other high objects.  In addition to leg injury, the small dog may develop what is known as an "acquired" umbilical hernia.  These usually go away by the time a puppy is 6 months old, but it truly is an injury that could be prevented by not allowing your puppy to jump or fall from the furniture.

Please be extra cautious of young children with small puppies.  It is so easy for them to drop a puppy or accidentally step on one.  Children must be monitored with dogs at all times.  If you are unable to supervise the children and or puppy, please put the puppy in his crate, or in a safe room.

Schnoodles in high demand!

Hi Friends,

Here we are still a month before the birth of my litter, and it looks like the litter may be claimed before they are born!   Today my sixth inquiring family asked to send a deposit.  As I have mentioned to most folks, our litters are usually between 5-8 puppies, with seven being the average.   I am really glad I decided to take deposits early.  It appears that there are not too many Schnoodle breeders in the Metropolitan DC and Richmond area.    I am thrilled to be able to share the excitement of this litter with some really great families.  I greatly appreciate everyone's interest.

For those of you who are just finding out about our Schnoodle puppies, feel free to contact me to be on our Waiting list for our next litter.    The remaining days of gestation will be going by quickly and the litter will be here before we know it.  ....  I hope we birth a dream puppy for each family who waits! 

----Mary

What is better, a male or female puppy?

The question I am often asked is 'what is better, a male or a female dog? "  My honest answer is that it is not the gender that makes one dog better than another.  But there are several important factors to focus on to assure yourself the best family dog.

The first is good genetics.  If the mother and father both have great personalities, then the puppies are also more likely to have great dispositions.  We have done that screening for you.  Both Dixie and Peter's Dugan are very sweet, compliant gentle dogs and come from a history of parents with great dispositions.

Secondly, good training is very important.   When you bond with your puppy and are consistent with expectations for him, you are setting the stage for a lifetime of reward.  Puppy Kindergarten classes are a great way to set yourself off to the right start for good training from the beginning.  Reading good books is another good idea to learn to train your puppy well.

Finally it is highly recommended that you spay or neuter your dog early!  Your veterinary will tell you what age he/she recommends for your puppy.  But certainly this is best done, well before the dog reaches sexual maturity.  If you spay/neuter your dog early, the problems that come with the breeding hormones in a male and female will not impact your dog.  The male and female will be very similar.  Both equally good companions.

Stereotypes:  Generally there is a higher demand in the market place for a female dog over a male dog.  For this reason we charge slightly more for females to encourage people to consider the question more seriously. People usually avoid a male because of problems associated with an untrained, unneutered male dog.  When the male reaches sexual maturity he will start lifting his leg to mark his territory, he will try to run away to find a mate, and other dominance issues can emerge.  If the dog was neutered early and well trained, he should not have any of these problems and should be an excellent pet.

On the flip side, people consider a female to be easier to handle, while in reality she will have her own set of difficulties if she is not trained and not spayed before she reaches sexual maturity.  An unspayed female will go into heat around a year old and she will have to be confined because of discharge for 10 days, after which she will have another 10 days where she will be seeking a mate and could become pregnant.  While she is in heat, stray dogs will come wandering to your yard from miles around.  Your unspayed female will sit at the door waiting to find her mate, and will pee frequently to leave her scent everywhere she can.  And because females are often alpha dogs in the pack, dominance issues could also emerge with an unspayed female.

There is one other valid rule of thumb, in choosing the gender of your puppy....If you already have a dog in your home, it is often recommended to purchase a dog of the opposite gender for best compatability with your existing pet.

So do consider this information when choosing a gender for your puppy.  Both males and females are excellent companions.  If you spay or neuter them at an early age, and train them well, either is a great choice.

Morning Sickness!

Hey folks, good news!  Dixie has been off her feed the last few days. Don't get me wrong,  its not that I don't feel bad for Dixie that she's feeling sick to her stomach. (Boy do I remember Morning sickness well!) But it is a sign that all is going well with her puppy gestation. She's right on schedule with the Canine Pregnancy Calendar! Woopee!