Here
is an update and a few pictures of Schnitzel (formerly Katie). She is
a great dog and is learning to sit and stay. She has discovered
retrieving is a great ploy to keep attention focused on herself so we
spend lots of time in the yard learning to "come" with a tossed toy.
She has been to the vet and has a clean bill of health as well as her
rabies shot. She has adapted with no issues to having her teeth
brushed daily and has learned very quickly that she is not the Alpha
in the house; rather her older, senior brother holds that title and is
treated as such. This weekend I groomed her and that too was easily
tolerated although she was a bit shy of the clipper noise at first.
Baths also do not bother her. She is learning to walk properly
on leash but needs some major lessons in socializing with other dogs
while on walks because the current squealing, whirling goof at the end
of my leash seems to invite aggressive behaviour from others. She is
also learning that the 4 birds that share her home are not to be
touched when they are let out of their cage - even when they land on
the carpet in front of her to explore the whiskers of the new dog in
the family. Oh - the temptation to chase is almost overwhelming!
She is a very loving dog and has settled herself into our family very
easily. She is well accepted by the other two schnauzers in the home
and they are playing well although she tires them out immediately.
She has been disciplined by the other two a couple of times cause she
seems to have no sense about dog manners and that trying to muscle in
on another's food dish is a no-no. Now she just waits patiently until
they are done to lick out the last few morsels. She did learn
one new skill from her pack - and I am not sure whether I am pleased
about it. Our other two Schnauzers howl at sirens -and we live fairly
close to a fire station - so there is a lot of howling going on
here. Yesterday, all three were outside in the back yard when
a fire
engine drove by a couple of blocks away. The first two dogs began
their usual routine and
of course Schnitzel sang along - soon all three dogs were howling and
yipping like a pack of wolves. It is really funny to watch outside
but not quite so funny inside,
especially at 2 am. Ear-splitting is
what it is!
Attached
are a couple of pictures from last weekend. Schnitzel in the
four poster dog bed that she shares with her Schnoz pack. At the
cottage - walking to the dock and taking in a bit of sun. Next week,
it may be a canoe ride. She will wear the doggie life-jacket for the
first session.
That is all for now, everyone is tired out from a busy day of walks,
fetch and running around at the lake.
All
the best,
Schnitzel and her pack
Update June '09 ...
Schnitzel has wormed her way into our home and hearts. She is a
crazy, lively and happy dog and usually noiseless. In fact, I have
never had such a happy dog - she gets up in the morning with an actual
dog smile on her face. Her more sedate brother and sister (Schnuffle
and Schandi) just sit and look as the whirling dervish begins the day
whipping some toy around and chasing it. Since arriving here, she has
only had two accidents inside during the first few days when
everything was new and scary. She particularly loves going to the
cottage where she has complete freedom and spends the entire day
chasing chipmunks, squirrels and birds and does not seem to recognize
that she will never catch one. We have been canoeing with all
three dogs several times and she stayed quiet and calm. Unlike our
other two, she seems to have a love of water and I am sure in the
summer, she will be swimming daily. She has learned to sit and
stay as well as down on command. She easily learned to always come
when called or whistled for. She is also learning that the four
inside birds are not to be touched when out of the cage. Like the
other two dogs, she is beginning to ignore the inside birds
completely.
However,
she cannot ignore the many squirrels that come daily to the squirrel
feeder in the yard or those two that come to the window for their
daily peanut treats. I am not sure what excites her more, the
squirrels or the peanuts because yesterday I discovered her stealing
and eating the peanuts I had given to the squirrels - she actually
managed to shell them! She loves to eat - anything and everything -
fruits, all vegetables, pasta of all kinds, seafood and anything else
that we might be eating. She can barely contain her enthusiasm as I
prepare the dog meals in the morning and evening. She eats her bowl
of food at terrific speed and then hovers close to the other two while
they take their time eating. She has very quickly learned to keep her
distance to avoid being growled at. When everyone else is done, she
cleans up any morsels that might be left. Because she watches so
closely and patiently for the others to finish, our older, male dog
who was always a difficult eater has now developed quite the appetite
and has put on some much needed weight. She almost seems eager in the
evenings to have her teeth brushed and to settle down with her pack in
the four-poster dog bed. What a life!
Schnitzel still has lots of socialization skills to develop when it
comes to meeting other dogs when out on walks. It is the only time
when she makes any noise and she then is vocal to the point of
screaming. I am not sure whether it is fear, excitement or
aggression as her hackles are raised - likely a combination of all
three. All her excitement soon gets the other two in a frenzy and I
quickly have three screeching dogs on my leash. The minute the other
dog passes, everything is forgotten and all is quiet once more.
We have purposefully encountered other dogs at the cottage or had
other dogs into our yard for a visit and her initial screaming noise
quickly died down to be replaced by crazy running and playing. We
will have to have lots of other dog visitors to help her get
accustomed to other dogs on leash. But, that is a very minor
issue in her life and she is a truly a joyful addition to our pack.
I will be sure to take some pictures this weekend to add to this
update. Cheers, from Schnitzel and her pack of dogs, birds and
humans.
Update July '09 ...
Hi there - attached please find a couple of pictures of Schnitzel
lounging on the dock on Canada Day. She spent most of her day
with her pack trying to catch chipmunks and birds and just running
around in the woods at our cottage. She especially likes to chase
butterflies and looks a little silly rambling through the yard,
chomping in the air trying to catch them.
She is being trained to come to a whistle blow and hastily emerges
from her adventures in the woods in response to the whistle. She then
immediately plops herself at my feet in a sit/stay to patiently wait
for the cheerio treat that she gets for a good return. She learns
very quickly and is getting very good at this trick. She also appears
to be teaching her Schnozz pack mates this new approach to getting a
cheerio. She now also automatically waits patiently in a sit/stay for
her bowl of food at meal times although we had to put a couple of golf
balls in with her food at every meal just to slow her down a little.
She truly holds the world record for "fastest eating dog".
We have discovered that she is not a great swimmer as she gets too
vertical in the water to keep herself easily afloat. She is
definitely not nervous or afraid of water, so we fit her into the dog
life jacket and took her into the water to try to teach her to swim a
little better. This was hilarious! With the life jacket on, she would
just hang in the water without moving her feet. The look on her face
was
pure bliss. Once she got the idea that if she moved her feet she
could actually move forward, it was not long before she swam back to
the dock. The lessons will continue. Hopefully, she will learn to
swim
without a life jacket as she is kid crazy and should a child be
swimming in the water, I am sure she will jump or fall in.
Schnitzel has also met several larger dogs from other cottages at the
lake and I was happy to note that she socialized well and did not run
off with them when they left to run home. The whistle and cheerios
appear to be more tempting!
That is all the news for now - all the best from the Schnozz pack
members, Schandy, Schnuffle and Schnitzel.
Update December ’10 …
Hi there - thanks for the good wishes. Schnitzel and her sister
Schandi are anxiously awaiting Santa Claus to see what he might have
left for them under the tree. Sadly, we lost big brother Schnuffle to
old age last November but he continues to watch over us from his place
of rest high on the hill above the cottage. Schnitzel and our entire
family of birds and dogs are moving in early January to a newly built
retirement home right beside the cottage in the Gatineau hills.
Needless to say, we are all jumping for joy. We have decorated the
new house and have our tree set up to welcome Santa. Schnitzel finds
her fun pulling the toy elves out from under the tree and throwing
them around to play.
She spends lots of time outdoors and seems to love the deep snow that
already covers everything. As soon as the lake is frozen solid
enough, we will begin making cross country ski tracks where we can
tire her out by chasing after us as we ski. She also has had her
first experience hurtling down hills on a toboggan (two weeks ago)
with our oldest son and grandson and this week she rode down on our
sled with John and I. I have never seen a dog laugh but the look on
her face was just that. It is hilarious to see her sitting in
the front, ears and moustache blowing in the wind as they head down
the hill.
Schnitzel's sister, Schandi, is starting to age now as she nears 13
years. She is losing her eyesight and sense of smell so she relies
quite a bit on Schnitzel's lead when going out and about. They still
play together but little sister tires more easily. When the playing
is over, it is quite the sight to see them both jostling into a basket
designed for one dog. To me, they do not look comfortable, but they
spend hours like that and seem to enjoy the mutual body warmth.
We have had several generations of miniature Schnauzers but I must say
that Schnitzel is certainly the happiest, human oriented of all. She
is our first Schnauzer lap dog - she loves nothing better than to sit
on your lap and make herself comfortable for a long snooze. She loves
to be loved and we love to provide it.
Thanks so much for Schnitzel!
Update February ’11 …
Here is a picture of Schnitzel waiting on the sled for her turn to
ride down the hill, and one of Schnitzel with her sister, Shandi.
Update
December ’11 …
We
wanted to pass on to you and the rest of the staff our best wishes for
happy holidays, from us and our Schnauzer pack. The picture attached
was taken at our new home in the woods of Val-des-Monts (moved in last
winter). It's a perfect paradise for the dogs. (And yes, it is
from this year: we had snow on the ground for a few days in
early December!)
John is holding Shandi, our 13-year-old schnauzer, and Diana is
holding our two adoptees from the Aylmer SPCA. On Diana's left is
Schnitzel (pound name was Katy), whom we adopted in 2009, and on her
right is Schneider (pound name Kenny), whom we adopted in May, 2011.
Both dogs are doing very well, and loving their life in the woods.
Schnitzel has the most personality of any dog we've had. She is
full of energy and loves running around outside, but is also loving,
affectionate and loves a good cuddle on our laps. Schneider (who was
a puppy mill rescue) has settled in to his new home, and is learning
everything about being a dog from his sisters. He is still
sometimes shy, but loves a good walk, fetches balls and loves the
snow.
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