Oscar and Maya....Santa and Mrs Claus!

Hi Mary,  I just wanted to give you a quick update on Oscar and Maya.  I am happy to report that our very own 'Santa' and 'Mrs Clause'  won first place in the annual halloween dog parade on our street:)  They were so cute!   And actually neither one of them seemed to hate their costumes this year! 

They won some private indoor play sessions at the Zoom Room down the street, which makes great indoor play dates in the cold weather.  Out of all the fun things to play with at the gym, can you guess the only thing that Oscar wanted to play with....a tennis ball to play catch!   I tried to get him on the skateboard but he was completely uninterested.  I did get him to jump back and forth several times through the hanging tire jump, but only by moving a tennis ball back and forth through it so he would follow.  But hey, it worked!! :)

Two Schnoodle sisters, belonging to two very close friends!

Maya's mom is expecting their newest addition in Feb. (see baby bump above:)  Maya is looking forward to being a big sister!   I think Oscar is trying to drop me hints that he'd like a new sybling.  We were out walking a few nights ago and ran into a very cute toy poodle puppy.  Oscar just sat there and let the toy poodle jump all over him.  They were giving kisses and having such a good time.  When we finally had to part ways he cried, he was so sad.  It was very sweet!  

We had dinner over at Maya's house the other day and were both discussing getting another Schnoodle from one of your litters in a few years.  We wanted to know if you could put us both on your Miniature Schnoodle list, knowing it would be a few years, since your list keeps growing!  

Oscar and Maya are typical siblings.  They spend their first few minutes together fighting over toys, then argue over who is 'boss' (Maya is clearly the dominant of the two siblings!).  Then they spend most of their time lying quietly near each other, just being comforted it seems by the others presence.  Maya stayed with us over Thanksgiving.   The picture above is the two of them sleeping on my bed:) 

I also wanted to ask you something about Oscar's coat.  He has what I like to call his 'racing stripe', which is a strip of hair running down the middle of his back, that is darker and a completely different texture than the rest of his coat.  He's had his hair cut now several times and it always grows back in that way.  I was just curious if that is something typical that you have seen with this breed?   It's almost like that little strip is the straight Schnauzer coat surrounded by curly poodle coat.  I think it gives him personality:)  

Congratulations on your latest litter!  It must be so hard to say goodbye to your little babies.  Hopefully our picture will help put a smile on your face!  My little 'Santa' and I wish you and your family a very happy holiday and a new year!

Oscar and Jen

Hi Jen! 
Thanks for your letter and photos!   I am so thrilled to hear all this happy news...especially a new baby for your good friend!!!   I will be happy to place you both on our Waiting List.   

As for the 'Racing Stripe' phenomena, I actually have not seen that before.   ....Anyone else out there, have a racing stripe on your Schnoodle?   Let us know!

 ---Mary

Bazinga's Update

I recently received a great report from Bazinga's family that she is doing very well!  I am so happy to receive the good news!

Dear Mary,

I just wanted to let you know how much we are all enjoying Bazinga.  When we brought her home in the car the first thing she did when we set her in the pen was to go over and use the UGODOG.  She is now great about using the outdoors, but in a pinch will use the UGODOG.

We were prepared for sleepless nights in the beginning, but from day 1 she just settled down and slept at night.  We had the UGODOG, IRIS Pen, Snuggle Puppy and the blanket from your home.  Your recommendations really work!

She is unbelievably smart.  We were blown away when she learned to sit in just one session and learned her name just as quickly.  She loves to stay in one spot and wait for one of us to call her.  She flies at warp speed in our arms.  She is truly and absolutely amazing puppy.

Just thought you would like an update on Misty's little girl.  Have a great day!

----Bazinga's Mom

So long my sweeties!

Aren't these two puppies the cutest!   I miss them already!

We are now an empty nest!   Wriggley went to his home on Tuesday night.  It is amazing how a little puppy leaves such a big hole in a house when he leaves.  Good thing we sent our puppies home one at a time.  We were able to get use to the change slowly:)   We miss these little ones.   But we know they are happy and loved, and that is the most important thing.   . Be good puppies!!!!

Bazinga goes home with her family

Bazinga (Honey) went home with her family at the beginning of the week.  It was a great feeling to know that she was going to this awesome family.   I appreciate so much that they chose one of our Schnoodles to be their own. 

Be a good girl, Bazinga!   We will remember your first few months with fond memories! 

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8 week old photos of Bazinga and Wrigley

 Today I took the last photos of my puppies together.  Bazinga's family is picking her up very soon.  So I thought I'd get some photos at their 8 week mark.  

Me and my sweet babies

At 8 weeks old  Wriggley has a thick cuddly soft coat.  I expect he will weigh about 20-23 lbs as an adult.

Wrigley's coat is a straighter coat than his sister...but it will get curlier as he gets older.

Wriggley has a very confident personality.  He didn't even run when I turned on the vacuum cleaner!

Bazinga's coat is soft and curly like a poodle.  

Bazinga seemed to be the more dominant of the two puppies.  She was always first to the dinner bowl!

Bazinga will likely grow to 18-20 lbs.  She was 5.3 lbs at her 7 week check-up

Pumpkins and Puppies!

         Since we have left Halloween far behind us, and are fast approaching Thanksgiving, now is the time to stock up on Pumpkin.  " Pumpkin?", you say.  "Mine is already in the pumpkin graveyard aka compost pile."  Well, you may not have any pumpkins hanging around, but there is still plenty of time to  grab a can of canned pumpkin in the grocery aisle.   Pumpkin is a seasonal item in many stores...and can be hard to find the rest of the year.   So why am I reminding you to stock up on pumpkin?   Its not for pumpkin pie.  (though I will be making those as well!)   Pumpkin is actually a good medicinal item to have on hand for puppies and dogs.

Bazinga is not much bigger than a pumpkin, herself!

The Dog Whisperer, Cesar Chavez, says the following. "This festive gourd is a miracle food for dogs. Good for both diarrhea and constipation, canned pumpkin (not raw, not the sugary, spicy pie filling) is loaded with fiber and beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A." But as he warns, a little goes a long way. A few teaspoons for small dogs or a few tablespoons for bigger dogs is enough for one day. 

I highly recommend that every dog owner keep some pumpkin on hand just in case your little poochie has potty troubles.   Once you open the can and take out a teaspoon full for a little puppy, you needn't discard the rest of the can.  How about saving the leftover pumpkin in case you have some more trouble down the road.   One website suggested making Frozen Pumpkin Puppy treats.   Distribute 1 teaspoon of pumpkin into each cube of a silicone ice tray.  Then mix in a few teaspoons of plain yogurt.  Stir each cube and freeze.   When the tray is frozen, empty the pumpkin cubes into a freezer bag and store in the freezer.  Now you are all set to administer pumpkin to your puppy whenever it is needed.   This is just one method to help get a puppies digestive system back on track....the natural way!   

Have a Happy Thanksgiving! 

Dreams do Come True!

       Once there were two little girls who begged and begged their mother for a puppy.  Their mother was not keen on the idea  and told her daughters that puppies were an awful lot of work. The little girls begged and begged but to their dismay they could not seem to convince her.   Finally they decided they may have better luck asking for a bunny for Christmas.   Little did they know that their mother had a secret.  She wanted a puppy too, and had been following my Growing Puppies blog for a few years.  She had her name on the first place on our Waiting List for a Schnoodle puppy in 2014!

      So to continue the deception the whole family set out on a trip to attend a 'Fall Festival'.   Somehow their GPS mysteriously lead them to the end of the road in a small subdivision just outside of Fredericksburg, VA.   They didn't see any evidence of a Fall Festival there, so they proceeded up to ring the door bell of the house to ask for directions.  Who should come to the door, but little ole' me.   Having been informed of the plan in advance, I was able to share that I had no idea where the Fall Festival was taking place.  But I invited them in to search for the directions on my office computer.   Of course, while they are were here, they might as well enjoy my cute little Schnoodle puppies.  

      The girls ooed and ahhed at our cute little bundles of fluff.   But just to set the record straight, I told them that both puppies were already sold....... In fact I was waiting for a family by the name of Smith (ie. their family name) to come right now to pick their puppy!    The girls looked over at their mother and father with surprise....Could it really be true that I was waiting for their family to come?!?  The parents confirmed that indeed there was no Fall Festival.  The road trip was all about picking a puppy!

 You can imagine the utter surprise and excitement...two little girls beside themselves with JOY! 

As the reality of this wonderful gift began to set in, their mother, wishing to complete her clever prank, revealed that their new puppies name would be BAZINGA!

Honey is now Bazinga!

 This honey puppy, named Bazinga, will enjoy being spoiled and loved in a very happy family for many years to come!

Wriggley Meets his Family

So much has happened in the last few weeks and I have been so busy I am a little late in my updates. The puppies turned 6 weeks old on November 9,2014.    Two families came that Sunday to visit the puppies for the first time.

 The lovely couple below picked out Sparky for their puppy.  They are calling him Wrigley.   We are so excited for them.  Wrigley is a very sweet laid back puppy who loves to be cuddled.  He will bring them so much joy!

Sparky is the puppy on the left.  He is now called Wrigley.

This is the best part of breeding puppies, seeing the joy on everyone's faces as they hold their puppy for the first time.

Wrigley at 6 weeks old.

Enlarging the Puppy Pen

I am writing this post to show you how I enlarge our puppy pen when the puppies turn 6 weeks old.  I put two IRIS pens together to make one big pen.

I put a Dog Crate in one corner so the puppies can climb into it like a den.   Then I put the Ugodog pottys on the far side as far from the bed as possible.   (the Ugodogs are clean in this photo, but they are lined with Newspaper....so they look rather spotty under the grate.)

Now the puppies have a place to sleep, a place to play, and a place to potty.   It is getting so cold at this time of year that it is harder to take them outside to play.  I like the fact that they have lots of room to play in their pen now.
 

Candy Cat looks in from the porch window.  I think she's wondering why we fuss over these puppies so much! 

Puppies Chillin

I've got some boys livin in the puppy pen!

Can we keep him?

Please don't lie down in the puppy pen!

Best friends!

5 weeks old! Time is going by fast!

Sparky enjoys the smells of Fall.

The puppies get lots of cuddles!

Honey just gets fluffier and fluffier!

Sleepy time!

Honey, sleeping like a baby!

4 weeks old Schnoodle Puppies.... super cuddly!

Honey is 4 weeks old!

Sparky

Sparky has super soft plush fur

The puppies turned 4 weeks old yesterday.   The both weigh 3lbs.   We took them outside since it was such a lovely Autumn afternoon.  Honey was a bit more unsure of her new smells and surroundings.   Sparky was very relaxed about the change of environment.

Honey is growing a super wavy thick coat.

Honey

Sparky is a very laid back fellow.

Yum Yum! First solid food .....Weaning begins

A new milestone is here!  The puppies are now 4 weeks old and ready to eat solid food.  They are eating 3-4 small meals per day of mushy puppy food.

The puppies are definitely ready for their first puppy food meal.  They had no hesitation to dig right in.  It was as if they had been eating solids all their life.   I am feeding them puppy food that has been mushed in the blender with warm water to make a creamy consistency that is easy to lap up.  The puppies still do not have any teeth.   And they are using to drinking.  So I have to start with a food close to the consistency of gruel and gradually increase the texture over the next few weeks.

Misty is still nursing the puppies several times a day, but the time spent nursing is less and less.   As I increase the puppies food, I decrease Misty's food.  By decreasing the Mamas food, her milk will also decrease.  Weaning is a gradual process that will happen over the next 3-4 weeks.

Out of the Whelping Box into the Pen!

     Today I discovered my puppies had gotten strong enough to climb out of the Whelping Box/ Kiddie Pool.  That's the time when I move them to the bigger pen with the Ugodogs.   If they can crawl over the edge of the pool, they can certainly crawl onto the Ugodog potty to do their business.

      Every year that I have a litter I get something new for the puppies, and this year I decided to get an ISIS Plastic Pet Pen.   This is the Best Selling Puppy Pen on Amazon, and I definitely think it is worth it.   The pen is super easy to put together and is very sturdy.  I like the clean white look.  You can also buy add on Panels to make it bigger. 

I lined the bed area with cozy Sherpa fleece.  I put the Ugodog right next to the Sherpa fleece, so the puppies will find the potty tray as soon as they step out of their bed.   They have actually started using the potty already.   I lined the Ugodog with Newspaper to absorb the wetness, and also to give the Ugodog the newspaper smell.  Newspaper has a distinctive odor and it will help the puppies to know where to potty even with a brand new Ugodog.   Essentially the puppies will be Ugodog trained as well as paper trained.

  

As you can see there is lots of room for Misty to nurse her puppies, and the puppies will have more room to play and explore.  

Moving the puppies to their big puppy pen is another milestone in the puppies journey.  Now they will be developing clean potty habits for the future.   A clean pen is very important aspect of potty training.

Look how big these puppies have grown!!!

I think Misty likes the new space.  Hopefully the puppies love it too!