Friday, September 21, 2007

Boarding Services

We at Schnauzers of Taylor are not set up as a boarding facility. Occasionally I will board ONLY my past dogs to help out in certain situations.
You are expected to bring your own food for your dog and crate if possible. If I purchase food I will save the receipt so I can be reimbursed. Your dog will be well loved and cared for of course, walked and part of our family while here.
Please make sure shots and rabies are up to date before bringing.
 If your dog needs a vet visit while under my care you will be expected to reimburse me for that. I will never hesitate to take your dog to the vet if I feel things are not right. Accidents can happen while with you or with me. I will do everything in my power to prevent anything from happening. Price $45 per day



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Sunday, September 02, 2007

New Puppy? Start Puppy Off Right

For your puppy to grow into a healthy, balanced dog, you must demonstrate leadership from day one.

New puppy owners often make the mistake of endlessly worrying about finding the right puppy treats or bed. They spend little or no time worrying about how or what they will teach their new puppy.

Yes, a puppy needs nutritious food and a safe, warm place to live. But another equally powerful and important biological necessity is the need for a strong pack leader to serve as the dominant source of alpha energy in their lives.

Puppies are naturally hard-wired to follow a pack leader. A pack leader is, by definition, strong, stable and consistent; traits many new puppy owners forget around their dogs. I have had clients who are strong leaders in their jobs, but, when they come home, they turn to mush with their dogs. Then they come to me, puzzled as to why their dog won’t behave.

Puppies sense our confidence levels and will take control if they perceive us as weak. When dogs or puppies take control, bad behaviors, such as excessive barking, leash-pulling, or anxiety, will develop.

The most important thing you can do is to become your puppy’s pack leader. This role doesn’t begin when your dog is six months old or when he’s bad. For your puppy to grow into a healthy, balanced dog, you must demonstrate leadership from day one.

Here are some important points to remember in your role as pack leader:

When getting a new pet, make sure to set aside time every day to provide mental exercise by maintaining rules, boundaries and limitations. When these needs are met, the affection you give to your dog will be channeled as a reward.

Create a schedule that includes a daily 45-minute power-walk in the morning. This is critical for your dog’s health, both physical and mental.

Enlist your whole family in the process of bringing a new dog home. Discuss what their responsibilities will be before the puppy arrives.

Make sure you find a breed that fits your lifestyle. For example, more active breeds, like hunting and herding dogs, require more physical exercise to stay physically and mentally content.

Always walk out the door ahead of your dog when leaving the house. This will show your dog who is in the leadership role.

On walks, make sure that your dog is not in front of you, pulling you down the street. Instead, keep your dog to your side or behind you. This will also demonstrate to your dog that you are the alpha figure.

Give the puppy something to do before you share food, water, toys or affection. This way the dog earns his treat. For example, have your puppy perform the Sit or Down command.

Set aside a budget for unexpected circumstances, like medical bills and training classes. A healthy, well-trained dog makes a wonderful pet.

A puppy will be set up to fail if his new family doesn’t learn these lessons before he arrives. Remember, puppies don’t crave a fancy treat or bed; they need you to become their stable pack leader to demonstrate love in a way they understand.

from Cesar Millan website

Saturday, September 01, 2007

WHAT TO DO ABOUT THOSE MOUTHY PUPS!

Puppies are naturally biting machines. In a way, this is good because they learn to inhibit their jaw strength to exist with us fragile humans. Most mouthing is reflexive behavior. When a pup is touched, or even approached with a hand, the mouth is the natural means of responding. Puppies can be taught to inhibit this reaction. (It will help if you pet the puppy with long, firm strokes rather than quick pats.) Here are some ideas to help with this ouchy problem.


Grab a paw when your pup starts mouthing you. This distracts him from chewing on you-at which point you can praise him for being such a good dog. (Praising for good behavior is just as important as stopping the bad behavior.) Another idea is to holler “Ouch” in a squeaky voice and immediately leave the pup. After a minute, return and reward your pup’s good behavior by playing with him-immediately leaving if he starts biting again.


Teach your pup the “no-bite” or “stop it” commands. When he nips at you, take him by the jowls and lift his head up so you can look him in the eye for several seconds while you repeat the command. Release and ignore him. After a minute call him to you and praise him when he gets to you.


You can accustom your pup or dog to being grabbed and petted (valuable with children in the family) by giving a treat with one hands while gradually moving the other hand closer, giving a treat each time. Then start from the beginning with the other hand. Increase the speed of arm and hand and the squeeze (grab) of the dog. Another way to accustom the pup to hands moving toward his head or body is to scratch him on the chest or throat with one hand as your other hand moves into his visual field. This teaches the pup to inhibit his bite reflex when people and children grab at him.


If you have tried these methods conscientiously for a week or so with no improvement, you can move on to more negative methods. Try a solution of one part vinegar or Listerine to ten parts water in a spray bottle with a stream. When the puppy bites at your heels, you can squirt him in the mouth and scold in a low, growly voice to stop. Another method of negative reinforcement with a hard-mouthed puppy is to cause the puppy to bite himself. Put your hand under his muzzle and squeeze his lips into his teeth until he gives a squeak of pain. Then ignore the puppy for a minute and then call him over and praise him for doing a good recall.


These suggestions are successful with the normal mouthy puppy. A pup who bites with intent to hurt is an aggressive personality and is a different matter. Most pups, however, will try a nip or two and when they find out it’s not acceptable will stop such behavior.

Videos for help
http://www.perfectpaws.com/pupstuff.html

In Loving Memory

This is me with my very first schnauzer, Pepper. Pepper was purchsed from a pet store when i was 9 yrs old. This of course was a time when that was ok. He helped me through my teens years and lived a long life to the age of 14 yrs old. Love you Pepper and I will always thankful that you started my love for this wonderful breed.   Donna Irizarry
xoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
                                                            In Loving Memory of Beau 10/09 to 8/10




(Beau was out of Isabella and Cooper born 10/09/09, he was in a tragic accident and lost his life by being hit by a car. He is so missed by his parents and kids. Heaven sure did get a great little guy!!)
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 We have shared so much of ourselves with him and in who he was showed us how much love we had for one another. When any of us were down he was there to look at us with his puppy eyes and somehow the worries and pains we felt were not so bad. I remember when we adopted him that I was worried about how to train a puppy and what kind of food was best for him and all the hundreds of worries that I had, but after holding him in my arms for only a moment, I knew we would be right for one another.When we would be in the living room he would jump into our laps and curl up and it was as if he was meant to be there. My wife still unconsciously moves her legs over onto my side of the bed to leave room for him to curl up at her feet. The kids are thankfully still young enough that the full impact misses them, but they are saddened at times when they see one of his toys or something. When thinking back to memorable events and such, the first that stands out was during the Vacation Bible School this summer. We took Beau up to the local park with us when we took the kids, we were in summer classes at the time and he laid in the shade with me as I read some of my required reading. One of the ladies from the church came over and was petting him and he looked like he wanted to go and see the kids so we let her take him around the park. As she returned a little while later she mentioned how he only wanted to be near us or the kids and that as we walked if it was moving away from any of us he was not as happy to walk along. I found this to be very telling of his feelings for us. Thanks for talking to me and helping me cope.

Brad Sumner





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My best friend closed his eyes last night,
As his head was in my hand.
The Doctors said he was in pain,
And it was hard for him to stand.


The thoughts that scurried through my head,
As I cradled him in my arms.
Were of his younger, puppy years,
And OH...his many charms.


Today, there was no gentle nudge
With an intense "I love you gaze",
Only a heart that's filled with tears
Remembering our joy filled days.


But an Angel just appeared to me,
And he said, "You should cry no more,
GOD also loves our canine friends,
HE's installed a 'doggy-door"! jan cooper '95
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This was our Sassy. We got Sassy when Brandon was 2 yrs old and after Megan was born she began sleeping in her room nightly. Sassy continued to slept with Megan until the morning that we found she had entered through heaven's doggy-door.
Sassy was a prissy little girl. She never weighed over 10 lbs and was always very healthy. She loved her stuffed animals (babies)and our socks.She loved a fresh load of laundry, just to lay hidden in them. I baked her treats with peanut butter in them, they were her favorite. She never barked much or chewed up anything. She was just a perfect angel in our eyes! We still miss our little girl.
The Irizarry's
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Remembering Molly

We lost Molly Mischief on August 8th, 2007.

Since David and I have no children, she was our child.

She was the joy in our lives for 15 years.

She was very aptly named for she was "Molly Mischief" her entire life.

She was all the things that people talk about their pets being. Official home greeter, sympathizer when you were sad, and cheerleader when you were happy. And whether other people want to believe or not, she talked.... sometimes to much. Her greatest frustration in life was the "illiteracy" of her owners. Sometimes you could see on her face... "are ya stupid", and then she would repeat what she said again.

In one of the poems I have included, it talks about "hanging on for one more day"... Molly did that ... for David.

David's birthday is August 7th. You see David will not have happy birthdays anymore. He had a nephew that he helped raise. They were inseparable until David and I married. Josh was one of the best kids you could ever meet. Good manners, good looking, very well liked by everyone he met. Josh died August 9th, 1998 at 16 years of age... 2 days after David's 30th birthday. Now Molly had gone the day after his 39th.

She had been very ill for a couple of weeks and we did not think she was going to survive, but we hoped... oh how we hoped. We both finally gave her permission to "go" if she wanted. We told her we would do everything in our power if she wanted to continue to fight, but on that last morning, she stopped eating and David put her to bed. She went on her own terms, at home, in her own time. We took her to the farm in East Texas for her final rest. She is now among the pines to run and play in the fields and chase squirrels or just sit in the sunshine which was her very favorite pastime...

I’ll always love you baby,

Terri Allen



Below are my favorite remembrances of Molly and some poetry I like.

The Surcease of Sorrow © By Kelly L. Delaney

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am the sparkle in the snow.
I am the shredded leaves that blow.
I am the sunlight on growing grain.
I am the gentle summer rain. Molly.jpg

I am the quiet bird at night.
Circling about; Taking flight.
So do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.

May I go now?
Do you think the time is right?
May I say good-bye to pain filled days and endless nights?
I've lived my life and done my best, an example tried to be.
So can I take that step beyond and set my spirit free?
I didn't want to go at first, I fought with all my might.
But something seems to draw me now to a warm and living light.

I want to go. I really do.
It's difficult to stay.
But I will try as best I can to live just one more day.
To give you time to care for me and share your love and fears.
I know you're sad and afraid because I see your tears.
I'll not be far I promise that, and hope you'll always know that

My spirit will be close to you, wherever you may go.
Thank you so for loving me.
You know I love you too,
That's why it's hard to say good-bye and end this life with you.
So hold me now, just one more time and let me hear you say,

Because you care so much for me you let me go today.

Our Forever Pet

There's something missing in our home,

We feel it day and night.

We know it will take time and strength,

Before things feel quite right.

But just for now, we need to mourn,

Our hearts-they need to mend,

Though some may say it's "just a pet"

We know we've lost a friend.

You've brought such laughter to our home,


And richness to our days...

A constant friend through joy or loss,

With gentle loving ways.

Companion, pal, and confidante,

A friend we wont forget,

You'll live forever in our hearts,

Our sweet forever pet...