Week 5

Saturday, after such a nice sleep on the comfy bed, as Mom calls it, we all had a great deal of fun in the yard. Dad and Mom let us out, but were not watching us. Dad actually left. No one knows where he went. While he was gone, Mom threw us a bunch of toys over the fence. We had a blast playing with them. Ever and Isee took theirs and ran around the yard a bunch of times. I could not decide which toy I liked best for a while. I finally settled on a dark brown one that was almost as big as I am. It grunted when I chewed on it! Ever tried to steal it, but I would not let him! This made the day better, since Mom was not able to spend as much time with us. She was playing with big toys outside dragging them around the drive. Then she started a fire! It was really hot and we had to back away from that side of the fence. She kept this up until Dad got home and then he helped her play with some more stuff. It looked like they were having fun. We followed them back and forth for quite a while. When Bonnet got tired, she lay on her side in the yard, sunning herself as it was not a very warm day out and she actually fell asleep! I went inside to see what kind of trouble I could get into, but Mom had kept everything up and I could not find anything to drag outside.

Sunday we had a relaxing morning until Dad and Mom decided to groom everyone! Dad and Mom shut all of us in the dog room, but would not let us get in our pens. They started with Ever, then Bonnet, then they got to me. I fought as much as I could. Mom started with stripping and undercoating me. She would not let me get up. Dad came to help her and he held me down so that I had no choice. Next, they did my ears, then my toenails. I fought as hard as I could because Ever had one toenail that was cut too short and he was pretty upset and told me it hurt. I did not want to be hurt, so I fought tooth and nail. Dad held my mouth shut and Mom held my legs still. They did not really hurt me and it was soon all over. Dad let me get back in my pen and I watched Isee and Ever get groomed. I felt way better after it was all done, but I really don't like not being in control! Neither do the others, but they put up with it because Mom tells them to. Ever got to sleep out with Dad and Mom. He loves it when he is allowed to do so and has decided that if he is going to be allowed, he will actually lay on the bed next to Mom and not spend hours sniffing around the room.

 

Monday Dad and Mom both went to Obedience class with Ever and Isee. Ever was disappointed because Dad took him from Mom again. Isee on the other hand was thrilled that Mom spent the whole class with her. She said up until the very end, she was happy to do what Mom asked. Then she got a bit nervous because some of the dogs were barking and she wanted to bolt for the door. When they got home, Bonnet again climed on Mom's lap and napped with her while Mom watched tv. Bonnet did not want to get off, but Mom went to bed early. Bonnet went back to bed with Mom. Ready jumped the gate and went back without permission. I was surprised not to see Dad throw him back over the gate, but Ready must have charmed his way onto the bed too!

 

Tuesday started like any other with Mom and then Dad going to work after feeding us. When Mom got home, she had a snack of something rather yummy that she shared with all of us. It was in a large bowl and very sweet tasting. Since I am the smallest, she let me get on her lap to taste this treat. The others then got a turn, but I wanted it all for myself! It was really yummy! Isee ended up with some of it all over her beard and Ever cleaned her up. Mom started doing this strange thing with Ever after that. She put him on this contraption across from where she spends a great deal of time when she gets home. She put a collar on his neck and turned this contraption on. It sounded loud and Isee and Bonnet ran outside. I followed them, but when I came back in to see why Ever did not follow, he was just trotting along on it. He did this for quite a while and then Mom let him stop. He seemed very happy about it, but I think it is strange!

Bonnet was right! Mom got me up at the usual time to be fed and after I ate, she started grooming me. She used this neat smelly stuff on my legs and face that I think is fun to lick back off. She does not think it is fun when I do that. Once I was wet, she rubbed my legs with a towel and then let me play with it when she dried my face. Then she got out that noisy wind maker to get the rest of my fur dry! I really don't like that thing, but she said I had to stand still and would not let me throw a fit. Dad would have let me, but not Mom. She stopped me before I even got started and I had to stay still the whole time until I was dry. Once I was dry, she put me back in my bed for a while and my siblings were mad because they knew I was going to get to go be the Show Dog and they weren't.
    A short time later Mom put me in the box in the car, but this time, I could sort of see out. As we started off, I complained that I could not see her, but she never give in when I do that. We were slowing down for some reason, and I saw some weird guy outside of the car. I started barking at him. My barking must have scared him because he went away, although not as quickly as he would have if I had a deeper bigger bark, but some day I will be a fierce guard dog! We started moving again, and after a while I started to not feel so good while I was looking out the window. My breakfast did not stay down about halfway to this place. I really don't like long car rides yet. All the others say they are the most fun, but I just don't see how. Anyway, a bit later, I got hungry and we still were not there yet, so I went ahead and ate my breakfast again. It tastes just a good the second time and I cleaned it all up! Mom thanked me for that later. She said she does not like cleaning up puppy barf. We did a lot of stopping and turning at the end, but we finally got to the place. I was not really in the mood to get out of my crate once we got there, but Mom offered me a drink and treat and I was ready to go! We walked around for a while and Mom wanted me to go Hurry, but she must be crazy if she thinks I am going to go Hurry somewhere other than in my own yard!
    Mom took me into a dark building where there were some other dogs. Most of them were bigger than I am, but that did not stop me from trying to say 'Hello'. There were a bunch of people there too and they all wanted to see me and pet me as usual. Mom ignored me while she spent time at a table and then talked to some lady on the other side, but I just looked around and wondered when we would get to have fun. Mom then took me outside and back in a bunch more times. She was trying to get me to go Hurry again, but she just does not get it! Hurry can only be done in your own yard!
    Mom finally sat down and let me get on her lap. She was next to a table and there was someone eating at the next table. I got a good look at the food, but she just would not let me get over there to taste it. She was nice enough to pet me for quite a while before we got to do the Show Dog stuff.
    We stood around for a while and then she said it was time to Show. We went into the big ring again and she asked me to stand pretty. I was rather tired by this time and did not really want to, but I am a natural at it, so it was not that hard to make her happy. Then she wanted to move around the ring and I tried to tell her that I was too tired to want to move in my happy gait around the big ring, but she insisted and around we went. We did that twice and then went to stand outside the ring again for a while. The next time we got to go in, there were some bigger dogs in there with us. I was still pretty worn out from waiting so long, but it was more fun following the others around. After that, I got my nap as Mom took me back home!
    When we got home, Mom made me go rest in my pen some more because Dad was playing in the back yard and we were not allowed to play with him. Bonnet told me that Dad did not let them out to play the entire time I was gone.Mom disappeared and came back a couple of hours later and insisted that Dad let us play with him in the yard. So, he did and we had fun playing with the grass that he had chopped up. It is fun to grab mouthfuls and run in the house to drop them off. Too bad Dad won't let us keep them in the house!

     Monday Dad and Mom took Ever and Isee to Obedience class again. Ever told me all about it when they got home. Ever got his wish to be with Mom for most of the class, but Isee said Dad was in a bad mood and she really wanted to be with Mom. She got all worked up and started shaking, so most of the way through class, Isee got her wish. At that point, Ever did not care, he knew Dad would give him more treats than Mom was anyway. Isee and Ever were both happy with their class!

    Thursday, Dad started washing Bonnet. She was in the bath tub for what seemed like hours! She was getting upset with him as he kept leaving her. Then, finally, she was done and Dad dried her. Mom clippered her and  trimmed her and they left the rest of us alone for the evening.

    Friday, Ever had his turn, but they put some weird smelly paste on his beard and feet. I don't think I would like that! He said it was no big deal and just got upset by how long he got washed. Mom did the same things to him that she did to Bonnet and we got to play outside for quite a while. I took everything I could find out side while they were busy with him! It is always fun to see their surprise when I do things like this!

   This portion of my blog is dedicated to Promise and is told from her point of view.

    Hi! My name is Promise. I am a standard schnauzer puppy who came into this world June 1, 2007. I was born in VA, and lived my first 12 weeks with my mother and siblings. I then moved to PA with my new mom and dad and 4 older siblings. I don't miss my mother or litter mates much anymore as I have a best friend and older sister named Bonnet. We like to pick on Isee, Ready, and Ever together.
    I spent the first few weeks in my new home getting in trouble all the time, but because I am so cute it is hard for Dad to yell at me. Mom, on the other hand, keeps me in line. She gives me love too, but she does not put up with my antics like Dad does. I get to spend a lot of time outside playing. I had a pond all to myself until Dad took it away the other day. I don't understand why? It was fun to run through! Ever and Bonnet thought so too. It is gone now and I really would like to have it back. Isee is the grouchy one of my siblings. She spends most of her day trying to avoid Bonnet and me. Ready likes to play on occasion, but can get grouchy when he gets tired, or he thinks Mom is watching. He really loves Mom. Ever and Bonnet don't like to let me get too close to Mom and Dad. They always push me out of the way when it is petting time. I just jump on thier backs when that happens and demand my own time! I can be stubborn just like them! Overall, life here is fun, most of the time.

    Last week, Friday, something new happened to me. Mom has always stripped my coat and did my toe nails and cleaned out my ears, but this was something new. Dad held me still while Mom clippered and trimmed me. When she was done, I was exhausted from trying to get away (I don't like to be held still for long), but I was cuter than ever and knew it! I pranced around the yard and showed off my new hairdo to my siblings, who were not all that impressed. When they ignored me, I jumped on them until we had a good game of chase and wrestle going. Chase and wrestle is my favorite game. Bonnet plays the most with me, but Ever often joins in and we can even get Isee to come play with us!
    The next day, Dad and Mom went out for the evening and everything was quiet. When they leave, we have to stay in our individual kennel runs and don't get to play together, but we can go outside and bark as much as we want! 
   When we got up on Sunday morning, Dad insisted on washing me (Like I can't keep myself clean!) and used a loud wind blower on me. It was loud and scary at first, but then I realized it would not hurt me and I was fine with it until Dad went to dry my beard and eyebrows. At that point, I threw a fit with all that wind in my face! It was not cool at all! Mom has to help hold me still while Dad finished drying my face. When Dad was done getting me dry, he rubbed some neat smelly stuff on my legs and then put this white powder on them. It tasted weird! Once he was done fussing over me. We got to go for a ride in the car.
    Now I like car rides, but I would prefer not to be cooped up in my crate while we are driving. I want to see all the neat sights and it is hard to see them from inside that small box they make me ride in! Mom says it is for my safety, but I think she just does not want me to sit on her lap and enjoy the ride! I cried for a bit, but then decided it was not worth the effort. We were in the car for a lot longer than our usual trips to the vet's office. It seemed to take forever to get there.
    Once the car stopped, Mom and Dad left me there so they could go do some paperwork and eat. I know they had eaten something becuase they smelled yummy when they came back. I waited patiently and quietly in the car until they came back. Then we got to walk around with a bunch of other dogs and people. There was so much to see! People were petting me and telling me how cute I am. It was a lot of fun! 
   Mom took me for a long walk away from everyone and asked me to go Hurry Hurry, which I did not want to do with all the fun things around. Then she insisted that I do Other Hurries away from home! It was not fun, but I eventually broke down and did it.
    Once I was done going to the bathroom, we got to go back and see all the people again. I really like people! Mom took me in a big ring and asked me to stand pretty, which I do most of the time anyway. Then we got to trot around the ring several times and a lady touched me all over. She was a very nice lady! She even wanted to see my teeth, but I did not mind because she was so nice to me. Mom then took a blue ribbon from the lady and we left the ring.
    A few minutes later, we went back in the ring with 3 other puppies. I did not like the big Doberman puppy behind me, it seemed very nervous and I was worried that it was being hurt by it's mommy. Mom reminded me that I am a born show dog and we went around the ring without me having to turn around too many times to check on that poor doggy behind me. Then the kind lady asked us to come to the middle of the ring and stand behind another smaller dog. She put a different dog behind me and I forgot about that poor Doberman. We went around the ring one more time and the kind lady gave Mom a red ribbon this time.
    I should mention that the whole time we were in the big ring, Mom was offering me treats to stand in my pretty stance that I love to do. It was well worth the wait! Those treats were excellent!
    When we came out of the ring, we headed home and I cried for the first few minutes because I wanted to go back and have some more fun. My crying did not last very long as I realized I was tired and curled up for a nap. Once we were home, I told my big siblings about my experience and they told me it was called a Dog Show. They said they all usually get to go and did not understand why they did not get invited to this one. They were all mad at me for getting to go out with Dad and Mom without them.
    On Monday, Isee and Ever got to go for a ride without the rest of us. They said it was not like going to a Dog Show, but they still got treats. Ever was confused by what Mom was asking him to do while he was in the building and Isee said it was not nearly as fun as a Dog Show. Mom is now telling everyone to Sit, Down, Stay, and Heel instead of Stand Pretty and we can't figure out why, but I am sure we will all understand in the end. Mom has not asked me to do these things too much yet because she is still trying to get me to stand still for more than 10 seconds, but I am betting the time will come where I need to know these things too. I will just have to watch my older siblings and learn from them for now.
   The rest of the week was spend relaxing and playing until Thursday. That was when Dad started washing Ever. He made Ever stand in the place where he had washed him for quite a long time. Then he used that loud blower thing on him and Mom spent a long time on the back porch with him while the rest of us were in our rooms. The next night, they did the same thing to Bonnet, but they groomed her in our big room while the rest of us were outside playing. I had so much fun tearing up paper and running around with Ever in the yard, that I was sorry when it was time for bed. I could have played for hours!

    I have noticed a trend on the Dog Whisperer lately. It seems that every episode has at least one dog wearing a prong collar. I never see Cesar change the collars to something more humane nor is he offering the collar that he sells on his web site. Instead, he is training with the prong collar on a lot of medium to large breed dogs.

    Instead of using a prong collar, there are many other choices available. One is a Halti. This is a collar that goes around the neck as well as the muzzle. If you have a dog that tends to snap at other dogs, one way to control this is by using the Halti and keeping an eye on your dog while walking. It does take some time for the dog to get used to walking on this device, but it works quite well because of 2 reasons. For snapping, it controls how far the mouth can open preventing a bite if the owner has a good hold on the leash and an eye on their dog. For pulling, it uses pressure on the muzzle instead of the neck muscles. A dog won't be as willing to pull if their muzzle is going to be controlled instead of their strong neck muscles.

Another good choice, and one that I prefer and use on a daily basis is the choker collar. This type of collar requires a bit of extra effort, but leaves the dogs muzzle available for them to drink and move their head as they choose. It is not a good idea to use this if your dog has a habit of snapping at other dogs or people while you are walking them. The choker collar must be put on correctly. The best way to put this collar on is to make a P with the collar where the end that the leash will be hooked onto is at the bottom of the P. Then, facing your dog, put the collar over the dogs head. Once on, keep the collar up under the dogs chin and don't let it slip down around the base of their neck. If it does get to the base of the neck, the dog will most likely pull as that is where all their muscle is and they won't even feel your corrections.

Proper corrections with a choker collar are quick gentle jerks to the side. Strong enough to unbalance the dog and for them to feel it, but not strong enough to cut off their wind or strangle them.

On my website, I have posted a video of the correct way to put a choker collar on a dog. It stars my loving husband, John, and our 14 yr old male, Ready

    Yesterday was Promise's first match. She got a group 2. She is my newest puppy and we are working on making her a great show dog. She already stacks naturally and is learning to watch the treat rather than grab for it. At 3 1/2 months that is pretty good. She loves to play with Bonnet and Ever. Ready and Isee don't much care for her little puppy teeth, but they won't tell her NO either. They just run to me and ask me to control her.
     With the 5 dogs and my ecelectus parrot, the house is a bit crazy, but alway fun! We are going to obedience class tonight.

    I am a standard schnauzer hobby breeder who has been owned by standard schnauzers for 28 years. I don't breed often (once every 2 years, if I am lucky). I only breed to improve my lines and have a new puppy to show. I am the president of the Greater Pittsburgh Standard Schnauzer Club and their newsletter editor. Many of my articles are posted on my website. I spend a good bit of time studying my dogs behavior and actions, not just training them. Their interaction with each other amazes me! I am willing to share any of my knowledge of the breed, dogs, grooming, or training with anyone who is interested.


     Today I went to a puppy match with my youngest, Promise. She got a Group 2. 2 out of 4 is not bad for her first time in the ring. I was going to let my husband take her in, but I just was not sure if his nerves would cause a disaster and I did not want her first time in the ring to be anything but extremely fun. By the smile on her face as we were going around, I would say I accomplished my goal.