Meet our newest puppy....Misty!

Misty is 5 months old.

I have been wanting to introduce the newest member of our doggie family for some time .....finally.....
here is our adorable Misty!   She and Coco will be the future mama's of our Schnoodle puppies.  

Should have been named ANGEL!

Misty is a Miniature Schnauzer who comes from Schnauzer lines bred for AKC conformation.  So her adult shoulder height will be 12-14" and her weight will be about 14 lbs.   She is only 5 months old at present, so she has not met her full size potential....but she has already grown taller than Coco (our Toy Schnauzer).


So let me tell you about Misty!  In one word, she is a dream! 

Coat: Misty's coat is beautiful soft and wavy. The cost of the silky fur is that she does need to be brushed more often as this gorgeous fur does tangle rather easily.   She is a beautiful bright white...and she will produce lovely apricot shades when bred with the Red Poodle. 

By nature, Misty is laid back and easy going.

Temperament:  Misty is super sweet loving and docile.   She loves everyone, is super quiet...and so far, doesn't even bark when strangers come to the door.  That is unusual for a Mini Schnauzer.  This breed is typically characterized as a watch dog.  I am really happy she is a quiet example of the breed.  My Toby's barking is so loud, he is all the watch dog we need in this house!   

I have to say, I have never met a puppy that can do NO wrong.  But Misty is one in a million.  She has never had an accident in the house. She only chews on her own toys. When we go on walks she doesn't pull on the leash.  And when we walk off leash she follows close to us.   And I did not teach her any of this.  She was like this when we first brought her home at 11 weeks old.

Coco and Misty are best friends!

The only thing I am still working on his her COME command.  It is as if Misty is on a satellite.  I call her and it doesn't register for about 3-4 seconds.  She has to think about it...and then she comes running  at least she comes with great enthusiasm.  I am already seeing much improvement on this.   Coco, on the other hand, always beats Misty inside, because Coco ALWAYS has to be first....LOL!  But this really works to my advantage, because Coco is teaching Misty to respond quickly to the COME command!  (Ha ha!  Love that!)

Whenever I call the puppies inside the house, the routine is they run over to the treat cupboard and I drill them on their SIT, DOWN and STAY.  I never call them inside without their treat routine.  Some day I will be able to wean them off the treat expectation.  But for now, I just want to ingrain the right habits.   I don't ever want them to associate COME with a negative (having the door shut behind them).  I want them to get way past the door, and put their minds on something else.   By moving into training mode, it turns the negative of coming inside into the positive a fun time with Mom.  Since my puppies go outside a lot during the day, it helps me remember to work with them throughout the day....and it really takes very little time.    

Love having 2 puppies to expend puppy energy on eachother!

Coco was already about 9 mths old when I brought Misty home.  It is always easier to train one puppy at a time.  So this way, Coco was already potty trained and leash trained, and chew trained before the second puppy came home.  When you have two puppies at the same time, it can be especially more difficult to potty train.

When I brought Misty home that first day, Coco was thrilled!  Finally a puppy that was smaller than she was (though not for long!)   Dixie and Toby don't seem to care or notice the puppies if they can help it.  They mostly just hope they won't be jumped on...LOL!   So Misty and Coco run and play together all day.  It is nice.  They will always be good friends.   Of the two Coco is the bossy one.  If Misty is getting any attention, Coco is sure to push her way into the mix...and try to take over.  Coco is definitely my alpha female... a big dog in a little body:)





It is wonderful to have a few silly little puppies to bring our family laughs.  I so enjoy watching them wrestling with each other around the house....stealing toys from the other one....getting into a tug of war.  I love it when I sit down and feel a fuzzy little bodies curl up on my feet.  I sometimes think I am super lucky to have such fine little dogs....but then I remember how much time I spent in searching for the right puppy from a quality breeder....and I realize that quality is no accident.   Good breeding and a breeder who starts good habits from the beginning, makes a huge difference in the resulting puppy.