Only a couple hours old Olive's fawn head really stands out.
A few days old
2.5 weeks old
4 weeks old
8.5 weeks old
5 months old, the fawn has almost disappeared and her beard is no longer black.
Lots of my puppy inquiries are for a 'light' pepper & salt, or a dark coat, or as dark a mask as possible. It's pretty clear from these photos that it is a bit of a crap shoot. Best I can do is ensure that the pups they get will be a grey (pepper & salt) pup :-)
My friend Andrea owns three Dinsdale Standard Schnauzers, we first met over 10 years ago when she and her husband were interested in acquiring their first Standard, which ended up being Quinte. A Madison daughter Quinte has always been a fun and naughty delight, as Andrea knows I adore Quinte, you just can't help but smile when you meet her. A little later I had a male returned to me and contacted them as I knew they toyed with the idea of a second, they happily added Harley to their home. Since then both Andrea and Stephen have done amazing things with Quinte & Harley including many MANY agility and Rally titles.
For a couple years Andrea has been thinking about about her next Standard and of course I was thrilled to have her take one of our Fiddle & Beamish pups. Meet Ryder, who although darker in colour is the spitting image of his fun loving daddy Beamish. Ryder is busy learning all the skills he will need to pursue an Agility career with Andrea and as he is such a handsome lad we are hoping to get him in the Conformation rings eventually.
Andrea has always shared beautiful photos of her guys with me and she has set up photo files on Flickr. These are just a couple of the gorgeous photos she has taken this year.
Check out more of her Schnauzer photos by clicking here.
A wonderful photo above of Harley & Quinte.
I just LOVE this photo of Quinte!!!
Really? Are my dogs the biggest wimps or what? Before I scrambled for the camera Olive was laying down between Hickstead & Clover. I can understand Token's obsession with the space heater, but WTF is with the Schnauzers???
Last weekend the temps dropped to an amazingly frigid -24Celsius so I brought the space heater out to warm my feet, half a dozen dogs promptly parked their furred bodies between my cold bare ankles and the heat source, didn't matter how often I shushed them away within minutes they would all migrate back to the heat. And let me tell you it is HOT in front of that heater, mind boggling. I keep waiting for one of their beards to spark up!
I am bad for never remembering the birth date of pups, but as I received an email this morning from an owner of Clover's sister reminding me, I thought I would wish all the Fiddle & Jett pups a happy first Birthday!
Baby Clover at 4 weeks of age
I generally split my dogs into two small groups/packs, this usually consists of the hooligans and the grown-ups. This way my little house maintains a little order amongst the chaos of living with multiple dogs. Lately with the pups in training, and females in season things have been split further and lots of micromanaging has been needed. With all the girls finally out of season I am mixing all the groups together to see who gets along best. This means things can get a little crazy as the dogs try to find their groove with dogs they don't generally hang with everyday. During all this ruckus Token wisely finds a spot to sit up out of the crazy play and position jostling to watch all the action.
Hickstead continues on as a Dinsdale resident. We have had some puppy ups and downs but overall Hickstead is a pretty neat pup. Super laid back, a very welcome novelty for a schnauzer pup. I think it is safe to say he is now house-trained, mind you I would NEVER leave him unattended in the house, as long as I am there and willing to get up and let the boy out 2-3 times during the hour for a quick whiz he is just fine, no accidents for almost 2 weeks now. He has weathered Daisy, Clover, Fiddle and now Token being in season, which has been more of an annoyance to me then to Hickstead whom I am sure would agree. I guess our biggest obstacle currently is keeping him and Olive entertained and teaching them both crate manners, they just don't get why they should spend any time in a crate, other then at night, and are very vocal with their complaints. Hickstead is a big howler and has set off the entire dog population in a full fledged pack wolf howl on numerous occasions. That has got to stop as there is one thing Lori likes and that is quiet dogs, I'm sure we will eventually get there.
Olive is such a super little shit that I cannot even bring myself to post recent photos of the monster, to all those that also have a Fiddle & Beamish pup, I feel your pain and I apologize :-)
Ha ha couldn't resist posting this photo sent to me from Joanne, the owner of Doc who resides in Nova Scotia. Schnauzers sure love the snow and if you are just about anywhere in Canada right now you have snow!
Everyone loves a puppy...for a time, eventually an owner hopes to have a fantastic, mature companion. Raising the two terrors Hickstead & Olive along with teenager Clover emphasizes how wonderful the breed is when finally grown.
I relish the couple of hours here and there when the pups are snoozing in crates and I can relax with my older dogs. Cutter agrees.
Just think, only another couple years before they emerge from puppy-hood sigh.......
I am lucky to have placed my pups into amazing & interesting homes over the years and am always thrilled to receive updates from their amazing & interesting owners. It hasn't gone unnoticed that many of my dogs live more varied and well travelled lives then I do!
Meet Kulfi a pup from Juno's litter sired by Cutter, he was the only Pepper & Salt in a litter of Black pups. Below is an email I received a few weeks ago from his owner about her adventure moving from Ontario, Canada to Hong Kong with her Schnauzer which she gave me permission to reprint here.
Dear Lori,
This email is long overdue and I thought it was time for an update about Kulfi and his new life in Hong Kong.
We moved back to Hong Kong in the beginning of May. He has been here for over six months and is well settled now. When we first arrived it was the start of the intense hot summer months and the humidity was something that we both had to get accustomed to. I have had to keep his coat very short and get him groomed regularly. As my family is based here I was well aware of the crowds and lack of greenery on the main island. So I made a decision to live in Discovery Bay, Lantau - one of the out-line islands around Hong Kong. This has allowed us to maintain a healthy and happy lifestyle while allowing me to get the work that I need to get done. There are plenty of hiking trails and water pools further up in the area, and down in the heart of Discovery Bay (DB) is the beach. Couldn’t ask for anything more. Among the Hong Kong community DB is known for catering to young families with children and families that have dogs.
I had hired the services of Ferndales Kennels to assist me with the move, because I didn’t want to take any chances with any problems that might occur due to an international move. Looking back I’m very happy that I made that decision, it gave me serious peace of mind in a certain sense (I was still very nervous about how he would get on). He arrived a day before I did and when we were reunited I think I had the best sleep in a long time. He was still very anxious and on high alert for a few days, but that quickly settled down once I chalked out a routine for the both of us.
So, what is he like? His salt and pepper coat is dynamic, when it is shorter he tends to be lighter. Last time he went to the vet for a check-up he weighed at 19.56 kgs, I don’t think he’s changed much on that front. His eyes twinkle and when he is mischievous his eyes glow (well at least that’s what I think). He is so very smart and very needy at the same time. He also has a very deep bark. You will be proud to know that he has been complete toilet trained since he was around eight months old. He has a lovely disposition and garners attention everywhere he goes. He is indeed a people person, but I’ve noticed that he also likes his space and time (he often goes to his crate to rest and recharge).
Thinking back those puppy classes were crucial and that really set the foundation for our relationship. I’m currently working on off-leash training and fetch which seems to be going quite well. He has an imposing gate and his agility is unbelievable, Juno certainly has a lot to do with that. He is able to turn at such high speed without making a misstep.
Most small breed dogs are popular here because of apartment living and lifestyle. The miniature schnauzer is especially a favourite. So when people see Kulfi he really throws them for a loop because he has the schnauzer look but his size isn’t what people are used to here. He has struck up many a conversation and has been informing the community of the wonders of his kind. Our vet has told me that there are two other standards around in DB, Oscar and Stoobie. I met Stoobie on a walk a while back, she’s eight years old and is from Australia so she has a full tail. She was very sweet and calm, nothing like my boisterous Kulfi. It seems strange to see an SS with a tail, but I know that’s because of my perceptual orientation with Kulfi in my life.
Kulfi has made many friends. A particular white standard poodle Connie is very partial to him. The two of them jump and run around in an open area near where I live. He tends to avoid the little yappy dogs that are around here. Often he looks at me and gives me a quizzical look that I read as ‘why are they so yappy?’
Lately we have ventured outside DB and have been going to Hong Kong island to visit my family. He’s now gotten used to travelling via ferry (it takes about 20mins by ferry) and is a big fan of the car. You will also be interested to know that Kulfi has converted my father and elder brother to the wonders of living with a dog. He gives endless love and entertainment. So much so that they have talked about the possibility of getting another. I have seriously considered it, but this decision will only happen after a few more years so that Kulfi hopefully will be open to the idea of a brother, but more importantly that I feel confident that I will be able to handle another.
I read your blog posts about the litters over the summer with much anticipation. I hope you are doing well and sending all my love. I have attached some few photos.
Proudly representing Dinsdale in Hong Kong!
NOT! Here are the two monsters that drive me crazy on a daily basis. Anyone contemplating raising two pups at once...think again! Every other day I fantasize about how wonderful it would be to have only one, no make that no pups :-))
OK today is actually a good day, which means neither has been placed on the website with a for sale sign glued to their forehead, but there is always tomorrow.
Big strides made with Hickstead this week, no accidental piddles in the house for almost a full week, finally it has dawned on him that I really do like him to use the great outdoors as the loo and that peeing inside does not make Lori happy. Hooray for Hickstead, double hooray for Lori.
Today the dogs look like I feel, too much food, too many sweets and please, no more wine...burp. I am sure I am not the only one that felt the need to over indulge through the holidays. Time to get back to normal.
