Welcome to our blog! I am a small hobby breeder of Schnoodle puppies. My Schnoodles are a cross of the White Schnauzer with a Red Poodle. These dogs do not shed, are great for allergy sufferers, are friendly and easily trained.
We have 4 breeding females and sell our puppies face to face as required by APHIS rules for hobby breeders.
Our breeding dogs are from purebred Akc lines and the Schnoodle puppies are registered with ICA (the registry for Designer breed dogs.)
They will be vet checked, have their first set of shots, and they have been using a Ugodog Potty tray from 4 to 8 weeks. But this is just the beginning! Read through our posts to see the special care and attention we give our litter. You will enjoy watching our Growing Puppies!
We sell our puppies through our Waiting list. To reserve your spot on the Waiting List requires a $250 deposit. If you have any questions please email me at GrowingPuppies@gmail.com
Visit www.SchnoodlePuppy.weebly.com for more information on buying a puppy.
It is widely understood, that human contact in the early days is important for puppy development. It is part of what distinguishes a feral pup from a domestic pup. In these early days, human handling is still a mild stress on a puppy. The pictures taken on Day 4 capture the pups in a pose of quiet tranquility... but don't let that fool you! It took several shots of each puppy to get the right pose. They were squirming around so vigorously! They were not so ready to sit quietly in the palm of our hand...small as they may have been!
We certainly would not allow any traumatic experience to the puppies, but a mild stress of this kind is suppose to be very beneficial. I love to read The Art of Raising a Puppy by the Monks of New Skete'. This order of monks raise very highly sought after German Shephard puppies and are well known for their expertise in raising puppies. Concerning early handling of puppies the monks write the following,
This puppy is so much more tranquil at 10 days old.
" Puppies exposed to mildly stressful experiences from a very early age (1-6 weeks) usually develop into dogs possessing superior problem-solving ability, with less emotional imbalance than their counterparts raised without such stimulation. In the young pup, in addition to raising the heart rate, stress causes an involuntary hormonal reaction in the adrenal-pituitary system, a help in resisting disease and handling stress. The overall effect of this is to prime the entire system, building it up and making it more resilient to emotionally challenging experiences later on in life. We find that at each specific stage of growth, specific types of handling enhance the development of pups and orient them in a positive manner to later life." The Art of Raising a Puppy, The Monks of New Skete
At 11 days old the puppies still spend most of their day sleeping.
It certainly would be easy enough to ignore the puppies early on, as the mother doggie sees to all their basic needs. However, based on the monks advice, we are conscientious to keep a presence in the puppies lives, and especially holding each puppy every day.
The puppies are doing very well! Cute little hamster-things! The first day Dixie gave me a scare...she didn't move from her whelping spot for about 12 hrs after the birth. She looked like she was glued to her spot. We couldn't coax her toward the food or water. I read my books through, and couldn't find any reason that she should be experiencing any postnatal problems...so I tried not to worry. Finally, late that day, she jumped up and ran outside for a whole minute. Then hurried back to the brood as fast as she could run! She had no physical problems....she was just that serious about watching her brood!
Now that the puppies are a week old I am definitely breathing a sigh of relief...I think Dixie is feeling more relaxed too. My vet told me that if you can get through the first 48 hours without any visible signs of trouble, then the puppies are usually going to be just fine. Dixie is now leaving her puppies for longer lengths of time. The puppies are eating more and therefore, sleeping for longer stretches. Dixie doesn't leave until the pups have fallen asleep on a full stomach, and then they seem to sleep quite nicely until her return.
The puppies are presently in 'the nursery' a large guest bathroom in our basement. Its the quietest place in the house. This is not so important for the puppies, but more for Dixie's peace-of-mind. Her protective instincts are so acute right now, that she gets very uptight if the children hover about too much. I do make a point to run down and look the pups over a few times throughout the day. I also pick them up and check them over head to toe. I need to keep close eye on their progress to make sure they continue to grow well. This is also very important for the puppy development. The human touch from the earliest days will have lasting effects in their personalities throughout their life.
At this point in life the puppies are blind and deaf. The must rely on their sense of smell to find their Mama and food. Their ears and eyes do not open until around 12 days old.
Our little puppies lost their little tails and dew claws yesterday. (Lost is the nice word for it.) It sounds so cruel, but it really is done for good reason. The natural tails of the Mini Schnauzer are so long and whip like that they run the risk of breaking their tales over and over. By removing the tail early in life, (when they have little if no developed nerves in that area) we save them a lot of hurt later on!
Look at these gorgeous salt n' pepper markings. Little Chloe will look like her dad, Toby, when she grows up.
Look at little Max! He has the tiniest tuft of white on his chest. So adorable!
Look at little Lola. Her pink nose is starting to turn black. All of the white puppies are equally precious!
Dixie delivered 5 puppies between 12 am and 5 am this morning, Friday, July 30, 2010. Puppies will be ready to go home Sept. 24, 2010
This is a first picture of all the puppies with their Mama. Dixie is still so exhausted, that we have not been able to bathe her yet...so please excuse the yucky beard and furnishings.
Here's the little family in birth order:
2 white girls, 1 white boy, 1 black boy, and 1 girl salt n' pepper.
Here was our first puppy, getting acquainted with her Mama.
This puppy wins! She was our first born at 12:00 am, July 30, 2010
This is our only pup that is not a solid color. She is a salt n' pepper and will eventually be lighter than this first puppy coat shows.
Dixie is only one week away from having her puppies!!! We cut the fur off of her belly to make it easier for her puppies to nurse when they are born. She is normally a very slim build...but just look how round she is now!
Several folks have asked about sending a Puppy Reserve Deposit. I think that now is a good time to do so. Because the birth is coming up quickly and I do not know how big the litter will be. A deposit is half down for your payment. It will be first come first serve. (Deposits are fully refunded if the litter is too small to accommodate the demand.) So please email me soon so that I can have personal contact with you and receive your current contact information. I have also begun to receive internet inquiries, so the puppies may go quickly.
We have been looking at Dixie's tummy this past week wondering if it was 'pooching' out a bit....well today it was quite evident! She is definitely starting to look pear shaped. Those puppies are growing fast. Its hard to believe but in less than a month the puppies will be born. It is so good to see evidence of their growth at this time!
Just like clockwork, Dixie stopped eating her meals on June 19...one day before the 'Pregnancy Calendar for Dogs' predicted this to occur. Alas, she has been whining, looking very pathetic and even gagging at times. It is so sad...but happily this is a very short stage. Already, just 5 days later, she is looking a little better. She's still not eating much, but she appears to be less miserable.
The 'Pregnancy Calendar for Dogs' chronicles all the events that are taking place inside and out of the expectant dog. June 20-27 states that "Morning sickness might occur due to hormonal changes or stretching and distension of the uterus. Dam may appear a bit apathetic. She may be off her feed for a while and vomit from time to time."
As sad as it is to see our sweet Dixie feeling so pathetic, it is very exciting to have the positive signs that she is indeed expecting puppies!
I am sure you will appreciate an update on Dixie's stud visit. The breeding looks to have been successful. Based on the actual mating dates, the due date will be Aug. 2, 2010. Mark your calendar!
Dixie won't start looking pregnant until the beginning of July....and then she will grow rather round rather rapidly and by mid July there will be no ambiguity as to her gestational state of being! We will keep a close eye on her to so we can notify you of any positive signs of pregnancy at earlier dates. For instance, dogs can also have morning sickness and other changes in appetite and disposition just like people.
Dixie was 2 days early last year. We certainly will be watching her very closely for that week prior to Aug 2, since that is considered a normal and healthy delivery time frame. If all goes as expected, the puppies will be ready for their homes around the last week of September.
Dixie and I took a drive to Luray, VA to visit Toby the stud. It was a long 2 hr drive, and we got stuck behind a line painting truck! But it was a gorgeous peaceful day, and there is no better place to be than driving through the Shenandoah Mountains on such a day as this! Dixie, seemed to know we were taking her away for a few days. She did not look thrilled!
Toby lives on a beautiful farm with many other dogs, horses and chickens.
Here are some of the beautiful horses we met today....
This little foal was being shy.....
This little Yorkie is one of many dogs that Lynn owns....
along with a Great Dane, English Bulldog, and several Mini Schnauzers....
But this is the little fellow you really want to see. This is Toby. Isn't he a beauty. He has a really gorgeous coat. You call this color silver.
Its been a bit muddy on the farm, so Toby's furnishings are a bit yellowed, but rest assured, they are naturally white!
Toby was the most beautiful of all the Mini Schnauzers at the farm. He will produce some beautiful puppies.
As I mentioned before, he has a lot of white in his genetic background...so we could see a lot of white in this litter with Dixie...but there is no telling. I do hope we get at least one silver puppy that looks just like Toby.
I should also mention that one of my customers on the waiting list has specified that she would like a non-white Schnauzer .... so if we only get one colored Schnauzer, I will give Bronny first dibs.
So at the moment I am back at home, and Dixie will stay on the farm until Sunday. The male Schnauzers are kept in a kennel and only bred under supervision, so there is no ambiguity as to who the father is, or whether the breeding took place. Lynn has been breeding dogs for 20 years so she is very experienced and will take good care of Dixie. Now let's hope Dixie and Toby get along really well!
