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having a ball!

We are doing good!

Sorry for the delay in the update! Mommy and Mama are in Florida, enjoying Disney and having a ball! They really needed a vacation. So we got a vacation of our own. We are staying with Nanny and Poppy M. and it's awesome. We get lots of treats and Nanny is really good at giving us our pills. You see, Rudy is still on the allergy pills and omega 3s, and in January, Izzy got a stoopid UTI and is now on antibiotics. It was pretty scary actually. She had some blood in her pee, so naturally mommy freaked out and took her to the vet, and they had to get a pee sample, and then send the culture to a lab. They even did an x-ray to make sure it wasn't stones. Luckily nothing showed up on the x-ray. We were so relieved.

Anyway, Poppy is giving us lots of belly rubs and taking us on walks. We miss Mommy and Mama but they will be back in a week.
love Rudy and Izzy

Holiday time of year

It's that time of year again! Mommy is getting her address book out, and planning our annual photo shoot for our Christmas cards! BOL, I can't imagine what she will think of next! If you want to get a card from us, we would love to send one, so please pawmail us your address. If you are participating in Schnauzers Rule holiday card exchange, we will already have your address.

Thanks and love to you all!
Rudy, Izzy and Angel Ben

Dog walking problems

I am so frustrated I could just cry. After nearly four years, I am still no good at walking the dogs. It seems like I am making every mistake, and no matter who I consult, or what I try, those two stubborn schnauzers do what they want. Even though I they both had initial training. I have multiple problems, and I’m begging for advice. I don’t always like walking my dogs anymore, and that breaks my heart. Here are my problems:

1. Izzy (4 years old) pulls like crazy. I switched from her leather collar to a martingale collar and at my session with the dog trainer, he showed me how to correct her when she starts to pull forward. So that’s what I do, and 2 seconds later she is pulling again. I have to correct her a least twenty times during the walk, and that’s a low estimate.

2. Rudy (6 years old) is incredibly stubborn, and could move concrete digging in her paws if she wanted to. If there’s something she wants to smell, then she yanks and pulls to get to it, or, digs in her paws and refuses to move from what interests her. This is really hard to deal with when trying to train Izzy.

3. I have Izzy’s lead in my right hand, because she needs more correction and I’m better with my right hand. I have Rudy with my left hand because she insists on walking next to the grass to get the good smells. However, on the way back, this doesn’t work (if I take the same route). Should I be switching sides of the road to make sure Rudy always gets the grass side? That seems a bit passive on my part, and then Izzy doesn’t get to walk next to the grass. If on the way back, I walk so that Izzy is next to the grass, then Rudy is constantly darting in front of or behind me to get to the grass. I’ve tried shortening their leads, but then they both seem to pull harder. Either way, their leads get tangled multiple times per walk. I’ve tried a double coupler, but Izzy just ends up dragging Rudy along.

4. The trainer said that I should walk Izzy separately, because she needs the corrective practice, and also because she needs more confidence. Right now I figure she walks twice as much as Rudy, because she tries to walk ahead and then if Rudy pees, she backtracks to pee right where Rudy peed. Then she tries to bound ahead again. However, walking Izzy separately is really hard for me, I have limited time, and not only that, I can’t imagine taking one on a walk and leaving the other home to look out the window! And no, I don’t have anyone to help me walk them.

What do I do? I realize most of these problems are probably my fault because I haven’t been pack leader, and all that. I try to be confident, and give them commands like “halt” when I want them to stop. That works probably 60% of the time. But the pulling is exhausting, and correcting her constantly doesn’t seem to be working. Izzy is not food motivated, so bringing treats to entice her doesn’t really work.

I am so sad, because I used to like walking the dogs, but it seems like it’s getting worse, and it just breaks my heart that I don’t even want to walk with them any more. :( I need help. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Mommy Sarah