24 Weeks and 5 Days Old

October 15, 2008:

Wow. It has been a LONG time since I last updated.

Pandora is 5 1/2 months old now. She is quite a bit bigger than she was when we first got her. When we first got her, she was roughly half a foot tall and weighed 5-6 pounds. Now she has more than doubled in size (About 1'2) and weighs around 14 pounds. She got a haircut at 22 weeks and 3 days old. We think she is housetrained (But we are not entirely sure) because she never has accidents in the house anymore and she cries at the door whenever she has to go out.

As for the mouthing, she was getting a lot better, but now she is hitting the 'teenager phase.' The mouthing is back...and worse than ever. We are getting her fixed tomorrow because we hear that helps.

Pandora is getting better in terms of her dog manners. We have been taking her to the off-leash park every day. We take her to a park that is about 10 minutes away from our house. It's great for small dogs, and mostly really friendly dogs that come there. It's also fenced, which is awesome because her recall is not great.

Here are all our nicknames for Pandora:

Pan
Panny
Pansy
Pandosy
Dosy
Doser
Missy Moo
M. Moo
Moo
Moo-er
The Destroyer
Pandorkus
Dorkus
Hamster Brain
Goat Girl
Pit-Schnauzer
Pup
Pup-Pup
Her
Little April (April is her mom's name)

-Kate

11 Weeks and 5 Days Old

July 16, 2008:

Today Pandora went to a cafe. We got some really tasty gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and they gave her a little water dish complete with ice (It was a hot day). Right now there is a storm outside and she is sleeping in her box.

Pandora does not appear to be afraid of rain, which is good because sometimes it rains here (Yes, even in July).

Tomorrow, we plan to take her to the pet store to buy some food and perhaps some treats.

That's all for now.
-Kate

11 Weeks and 4 Days Old

June 15, 2008:

Yesterday was a big day for Pandora. She had two puppy playdates, one with Oliver, who is also a Miniature Schnauzer, and one with Jewels the Havanese (Pictured). She also had her first vet visit, which went quite well.

Today was also sort of a big day. She met Monty the Standard Poodle and a Miniature Poodle whose name I didn't manage to catch. At first she was afraid of them but after a little while she came out of her shell. We also bought her some real bones (Not cooked bones - never give your dog cooked bones!) for her to chew on, which she liked. And we brushed her teeth for the first time. She really likes the toothpaste so that went good.

Here's a tip: Before you feed your dog, make him/her perform a simple command such as sit. If he/she does it, he/she gets his/her food.

-Kate

11 Weeks and 1 Day Old

July 12, 2008:

Guess what? We got Pandora! I would have updated yesterday (The day we got her), but we were quite busy with her. Already she is learning to walk on a leash and letting us know when she has to get out of her crate. I'll try to take a picture of her sometime.

We took Pandora for a walk this morning. She met her first dog that was not a Miniature Schnauzer. She was scared to death of him/her. Which is to be expected, as it was a big dog and she's only about 7 inches tall.

Pandora is definitely a mischevious one. But you'd never suspect, especially if you looked at her right now. As I am typing, she is sleeping like an angel in her box (Pandora's Box. LOL).

-Kate
P.S. My brother is back home now. He got back from Japan on July 8.

9 Weeks and 4 Days Old

July 2, 2008:

Here is an update on the Ol' Roy situation: The breeder switched her dogs to Actrium. We went out and got some the other day.

Can you believe it? Only 9 days before we get Pandora! I can hardly wait!

Do you have any puppy training tips you could share with me?

-Kate

9 Weeks Old

June 27, 2008:

Pandora is now 9 weeks old. She grew so quickly!

I've decided that until Pandora gets here, I'm going to update every once in a while instead of every day. So don't worry if I don't post for a while.

I probably didn't mention this yet, but my brother, Ethan, has been planning to go on a trip to Japan for quite a while. Today Ethan left for Japan. I'm very excited for him.

We also got Pandora a crate and a Kong today. The crate has a divider so when she gets bigger we will not have to buy her a new crate. And guess what? We refer to the crate as Pandora's Box! *ROFLOL*

Here is an update on the Ol' Roy thing: The breeder switched her dogs to either Iams or Actrium. I am going to ask her which one she chose.

That's all for now!
-Kate

8 Weeks and 4 Days Old

June 24, 2008:

OMG I forgot to update again! Sorry, I've become addicted to this site called www.furry-paws.com and I've been on there an awful lot.

Look at that little face! "Who? Me? I didn't make a mess on the carpet! It was Runty! Runty did it!" Nice try, Pan. Runty's a good little pup. You, on the other hand...

I think I'm going to stop posting until Pandora actually gets here. Ooh, the wait is soo hard!

The other day we bought Pandora dishes and a 'pee post' to mark the spot where she's supposed to use the toilet. We've also bought her three toys and a dog bed. She's not even here yet and already she's spoiled.

-Kate

7 Weeks and 6 Days Old

June 19, 2008:

Pandora will be 8 weeks old tomorrow. I can't believe that already it's been over a month since we saw her!

Just look at the picture. She's getting so big! The breeder says that she is mischevious and a lot of fun. She sure looks like it! Hmm...what have you been up to, little Pandora? Hopefully not unravelling the toilet paper or chewing up the brand new couch!

If you go on the breeder's website (I think I posted a link to it) and go to the page about their females, there are some pictures of Pandora's mother, April, and her (Pandora's, not April's) grandmother, Cleo. They look like twins! It looks like Pandora has the same beautiful dark fur as her mom.

I'm so excited, I think I'm going to explode!

-Kate
P.S. Yesterday was my birthday. As well as Ruthie, I got a purse...and a cellphone! *Squeals in excitement*

7 Weeks and 5 Days Old + Happy Birthday to Me

June 18, 2008:

I'm sorry for not updating yesterday. I was so excited I must have forgotten.

Guess what? Today is my birthday! I got the American Girl Ruthie doll. She is best friends with Kit, one of my other dolls (Kit is the blonde one and Ruthie is the dark-haired one).

Pandora will be 8 weeks old soon. I hope she's having fun right now.

I'm going out for a birthday dinner. I'm also going to get a pink extension in my hair. *Squeals in excitement* Cool, huh?!

By the way: The breeder sent me an e-mail last night. She had previously been recommending a dog food called Ol' Roy (The Walmart brand) but now recommends Iams or Actrium. Apparently the main ingredient in Ol' Roy was beef and is now fat. Ick! So if you are feeding your dog Ol' Roy you might want to switch him to another food.

-Kate

7 Weeks and 3 Days Old

June 16, 2008:

The Bowview Outdoor Pool opens today! Too bad they don't allow dogs. If they did, we could take Pandora there.

My birthday is in two days. I'm very excited about it. And who wouldn't be?

The picture on the right shows three of the puppies that were in the same litter as Pandora. I don't think she's in the picture though.

Does anyone know where I get those banners that say "So-and-so days until so-and-so?" I want to make one that says "__________ days until I get a new puppy."

Thanks!
-Kate

Happy Father's Day to Pandora and Klaus

June 15, 2008 (Again):

Oh my gosh! I just realized something...today is Father's Day! On the right is a picture of Pandora's father, Klaus. Isn't he just the cutest little thing?

I hope that Klaus and Pandora are having a good Father's Day. Hopefully Sampson, Pandora's grandfather, is also having a good Father's Day.

By the way, I want to tell you about this dog naming website. It has some very cool and unique names and is where I got the name Pandora from. Here is the link to it:
http://www.nextdaypets.com/directory/dogs/names/

-Kate

7 Weeks and 2 Days Old

June 15, 2008:

All the puppies from Valor Kennels (The breeder we're getting Pandora from) have been sold. Wow! They sure sell fast! I wonder if somebody's bought the runt, Runty, yet.

The breeder says that Pandora is mischievious as well as a pretty good jumper. She sounds really cute. I'll have to get everyone to call her Little Miss Personality.

I've read that when introducing dogs that don't know each other yet, you should introduce them in a neutral territory, never in somebody's home. I don't want to take Pandora to the off-leash park because she would probably not come when called. Where would be a good place to introduce two dogs? I am thinking about this park that allows dogs but is not an off-leash park. But I'm not entirely sure.

I've also read that it's a good idea to put a stuffed animal in the puppy's crate that is about the same size as they are. Apparently they will think it is one of their littermates. Do you think that might work?

-Kate

7 Weeks and 1 Day Old

June 14, 2008:

Sorry for the delay. I was at a birthday party.

I am soo excited about Pandora! I can hardly wait for her to be 11 weeks old!

Just wondering, have you ever picked out a dog and had to wait a while before it was ready? If so, how on Earth did you survive the wait?

The breeder told me that in the first few days, Pandora will cry a lot because she's going to miss her mom and brothers. I read in a book that in the first few days, you should keep the puppy's crate in your room because she won't want to be alone. Do you think that is a good idea?

I heard that until Pandora gets her second set of shots, we can't let her go anywhere where she might pick up germs. Especially feces because she might get parvo *Shudders at the thought of a poor little puppy getting sick*. How old will she be when she gets her second set of shots? I think around 13 weeks but I'm not sure.

-Kate

7 Weeks Old

June 13, 2008:

Did I tell you about the runt of the litter, Runty? Oh wait, I didn't, did I? I'd better!

When we were deciding which puppy we wanted, the breeder took out all the female puppies (We decided that we wanted a girl). One of them was Pandora. After a while, Pandora started crying because she wanted back with her mom and her brothers. So the breeder put her back in.

As I already told you, April was really nice. As soon as she realized there was a new person, she rushed out to greet us.

When the breeder put Pandora back with her brothers (She is the only girl in the litter), she told us about the runt, who was about half the size of the other puppies (We dubbed him Runty). He was soo cute!

The picture shows Pandora, Runty, and their brothers. Pandora is on the far right and Runty is on the near right.

Now the litter is 7 weeks old and eating commercial dog food. Runty is the only one who still needs milk from April because he's so small and he needs to gain weight.

I am very excited about getting a puppy. Does anyone tips for going through the first couple of days with a new puppy and coming out alive? (LOL)

-Kate

6 Weeks and 6 Days Old

June 12, 2008:

Pandora will be 7 weeks old tomorrow. Wow! (The picture shows her at 5 weeks old)

The mother, April, did not have the trademark Schnauzer beard because she had to have a C-section and they had to shave some of her fur. And it looked CUTE! I heard from a fellow dog lover that if you have a dog that has a beard (Like a Schnauzer), you shouldn't trim the beard until the dog is older. Apparently when it's just a puppy, it squirms lots and you could accidentally cut the skin - ouch! I think that Pandora would look cute if she didn't have a beard (Like April). Maybe when she's older I'll ask the groomer to do it.

About what age does a puppy have to be before you can trust it to come back when called 100% of the time? I don't really want to take Pandora to the off-leash park and have to come get her because she won't come back to me.

Here's another tip I heard: When the pup is young, touch their paws, rub their tummy, and other things like that. So when you take them to the groomer's or the vet, they will be used to having those areas touched. Hmm, I should try that with Pandora.

Here is a really great page on raising a puppy: http://dogbreedinfo.com/bruno/puppyraising.htm

-Kate

6 Weeks and 5 Days Old

June 11, 2008:

We are a family who is getting our first dog ever, a Miniature Schnauzer puppy. We visited the breeder and picked her out and decided to name her Pandora May, Pandora or Pan for short.

We are picking her up July 11 (Exactly one month from now). She will be 11 weeks old so we are more than halfway there. Times flies, doesn't it?

My name is Kate and I have been reading about dogs for quite some time. The reason we couldn't get a dog before was because we thought my brother, Ethan, was allergic to them. We had an allergy test in May and were excited to learn that Ethan is not allergic to puppies.

We are going to crate train Pandora and we are also thinking about housebreaking her with a bell. Has anyone done that before? If so, how did it work?

When we first saw Pandora, she was 3 weeks old and roughly the size of a guinea pig. The mother, April, was very friendly. The father, Klaus, was also nice.

Here is the website of the breeder we are getting Pandora from:

http://www.freewebs.com/miniatureschnauzersofalberta/index.htm

That's all for now!
-Kate