You Can Teach an Older Dog New Tricks

We all live in imperfect times. This, however, doesn't mean we can't change some things to make them more perfect. Having a dog in your household that disobeys your every word is a pain in the you know what. You can work, though, to change your disobedient dog into a more obedient dog, maybe not a perfect dog, but better than it was.

You too can teach your dog to sit.

At our home we currently have four dogs - one Pharaoh hound male (La De Da), two pharaoh hound females (Ananka and Missy) and one schnauzer female (Nena). Nena is the oldest of our dogs and Missy is the youngest. All of our dogs have some idea of what Sit! means. Nena always sits when she is told to sit, La De sits unless there is something exciting happening. Ananka sits when we insist, as longs as we can catch her and Missy is the same as Ananka (her mother).

Pharaoh hounds are quite different in their level of obedience compared to schnauzers. Pharaoh hounds are clever like cats, schnauzers want to do what you want them to do, as long as they understand what you want. It was relatively easy to teach Nena to sit a few years ago as a five year old dog.

La De learned to sit early this year, as a three and a half year old dog. He now sits before he gets his tea, and whenever I tell him to sit inside. If it's not tea time and La De is outside, his sitting is erratic if his sister and his mother are being crazy barking at birds (this is what they mostly do when they're outside).

But La De is getting better with his sitting, as long as all of us in the family are consistent - if we sy sit, we all make sure we make La De sit. La De is a good boy and he obviously wants to do what we want him to do, because he loves the reward of being told he's a good boy and getting fussed over.

Our pharaoh hound girls though get most of their rewards in life from the joy of the chase, and they love barking and chasing the birds. They are both works in progress, and I still hope that one day, their sitting will be as good as Nena's and La De's.

I hope you can get some hope or comfort from this little blog post. Or you may have a totally obedient dog and if so I am incredibly jealous! But I love my dogs, even if they're not perfect, and I know that they are as obedient as I have taught them to be - any failings are my fault, not theirs (except for Ananka - her failings are all her own doing!).

May your pack be a good pack!

What is Jebadiah looking for?

Jebadiah is looking for a new home, that's what he's looking for. Jebadiah is the last of out 'J' litter of schnauzer puppies to go to a new home. The only problem is he hasn't found that home yet.

We've been looking too, and we hope someone out there knows where his new home might be. He's a standard schnauzer, a lovely boy, just not as gorgeous as the boy and girl Holkschter Kennels are keeping for showing.

He is very cute though, but cute won't win, you need more than that. Cute can do protecting your home, playing with your children, sitting on your lap, if that's what you want. Jebadiah can do all of this and more! Obedience training for sure, maybe even trialling if that's what you want.

Jeb's sister Jenne is allowed to play with him now, she's feeling a lot better, still limping a little bit, but her eyes are looking good and the other symptoms are looking much better. We've all been worried about Jenne, but I think after our next visit to the vet on Monday, the news will be even better!

A schnauzer is a schnauzer is a schnauzer

When someone says I want a Schnauzer I immediately think of the Schnauzers I have at my house. We breed Standard Schnauzers, so called because they were the original Schnauzer - the standard or original breed.

One theory of how the Miniature came about is from breeding Affenpinschers with Schnauzers, bringing down the size. This happened in the 19th century and Miniatures have been bred true for over one hundred years.

The Standard Schnauzer was created well before then, and they were used as general farm dogs - guarding, herding, ratters, child minders. They still retain these instincts to this day. Schnauzers are used in herding trials, particularly in America, and some Australians can attest to their herding abilities.

Both sizes of schnauzer are nice dogs, but I prefer the Standard Schnauzer. I like bigger dogs and I prefer the slightly easier care coat of the Standard - not really much difference if you keep the grooming done regularly.

The Standard has a deceptively deep bark, and people can be surprised when the see the size of your dog if they have only heard it barking without seeing the dog. The Miniature Schnauzer has a much higher pitched bark which I personally don't like at all. Both breeds are good at obedience, and I certainly recommend doing obedience training with any dog you bring into your family.

Training will help you build a stronger relationship with your dog, as it helps you both learn more about each other. A well trained dog is a delight to live with. An untrained dog is not.

The Schnauzer is an intelligent dog, and learns quickly - good and bad! So it is up to you if you bring a Schnauzer into your home to decide what you want your dog to be allowed to do. Things that are cute when a tiny baby pup does it can be a nuisance if an adult dog does it.