For The Love of Schnauzers

Only One More Day!

Only one more day until we pick Riley up!  We'll be driving down to Berea at 9 a.m. on Friday morning to take him home.  We're more than ready!  So, keep watching this space for more Riley photos and videos!

Riley & His New Haircut

Riley got his first grooming yesterday.  Julie, our breeder sent us photos last night.  (She is great!).  Take a look.

One Week Until Riley Comes Home!

On Friday, May 1 Riley will come to live with us!  He already has quite the fan club and we have a long list of people who "must see Riley" when we get him.  So, just a few more days and he'll be here in the flesh!

Julie has told us he's getting his hair cut tonight and we'll get new photos of him tomorrow!  So, stay tuned . . .

Riley at 6 Weeks

Exciting news for us!  A new picture of Riley!  It seems that he's doing well and will be coming home with us on May 1!  Take a look.

Should We Buy TWO Puppies?

What's better than one Mini Schnauzer?  TWO Mini Schnauzers! 

Heather and I could easily convince ourselves to get Riley and one of his puppy friends.  We had actually set our minds to do that very thing when we started down this road to get a new puppy.  After we'd had Zack for a number of years, we felt a little bad that he was always "solo" and never had another Schnauzer friend to play with and get in trouble with.  So, we determined we'd do things differently this time.

Our first step was to explore how much more money a second puppy would cost just so we could make sure our budget could handle the additional expense.  Heather talked to our beloved groomer and she let us in on a little secret we didn't know - two puppies purchased together will bond with each other and not as much with their adult family.  That wasn't news we wanted to hear.

Not being one who is easily deterred, I contacted our veterinarian and told them of our plans.  Unfortunately, they told us the exact same thing:  two puppies will bond to each other.  We also learned that it's more difficult to potty train two versus one and training in general will be more challenging.  They recommended we wait a few months before purchasing a second puppy.  Good advice.

With all of that said, I suppose we're going to take the advice of our groomer and vet.  For now, Riley will be flying solo but I have a feeling he'll get plenty of love any way!

Riley, The Moviestar

Julie, at Snowbound Schnauzers, sent us a video of Riley and a couple of his four legged friends yesterday.  Pretty funny!

Check it out.

Zack and the Girl Scout

Early in 2009, our door bell rang one evening. Thinking it was likely to be one of the many salesman that make their way through our subdivision, I quickly opened the front door with Zack barking at my side. He knew from experience that someone was wanting to invade his turf and he never took kindly to that. He was prepared to protect his family and their property!

When I opened the inside door rather abruptly, I expected to only startle the person at the door since our glass screen door was also shut. I learned I was mistaken. A young girl scout was at the door and she had opened the glass door which was the only barrier between us and her. What this meant for this young lady was that she quickly had an angry sounding Schnauzer at her feet barking and baring his teeth. She didn’t sell any cookies and I bet she’ll never open someone’s screen door again!

More Pictures of Riley

We received new photos of Riley. Enjoy!

More Grooming Tips for Your Miniature Schnauzer

On the last post, I shared a bit about finding a good groomer for your miniature schnauzer (or any other dog). I thought it might be helpful to share a few tips on how to care for your schnauzer in-between grooming appointments.

Our dog Zack went to the groomer every six weeks like clockwork. We learned along the way that he would be ready for a good shampoo and grooming by then. However, Zack had his challenges being a schnauzer. For instance, have you noticed those beards? They are beautiful and my favorite feature of a schnauzer but they also serve as traps for all kinds of foreign objects: leaves, dirt, left over dog food, dust (you get the idea). You just can’t let that beard go for six weeks! No, in order to keep your schnauzer looking great and healthy, a regular brushing is required.

Brushing: Make It a Habit
Give your dog a regular brushing. When Riley comes home, we hope to brush him daily to get him used to the idea. Brushing will help keep his coat tangle free and remove any knots or rats that may have developed. Your groomer will love you if you take a few minutes each day and pay attention to your dog in this way. It’s a good idea to make this part of the regular routine with you and your pet.

Tools of the Trade
You’ll need a few good tools to make this process the most productive for you and your dog. We’ve always used a slicker brush to keep our dog’s coat in good shape. It’s also handy in remove knots in the dog’s furnishings or in hard to reach places like the inside of his legs.

Cornstarch is recommended to help get those pesky knots/tangles out. The cornstarch helps the hair slide over top of itself and makes the brushing process a tad easier. Give it a try.

Of course, your dog will appreciate getting a yummy treat after his daily brushing. Keep treats on hand that your dog will love!

More Zack Photos!

We've added several new photos of Zack in our Photo Album.  We went through old photos and found a whole stack of Zack photos, like the one above!  He was a beautiful boy!  Plus, he sure loved being able to look outside and bark at neighbors walking down the street!