As you may remember, I have Maisey for a 6 week trial to see how she fits into the house and our lives. Well we've just passed the 3 week marker and things are generally looking good. She's very loving and affectionate and she's introducing some much needed routine/exercise to my life. She's loving the house and seems to be bonding with my dragons, even my OH seems to be getting used to her.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v497/Geckoqueen/Maisey/DSC00170.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v497/Geckoqueen/Maisey/DSC00169.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v497/Geckoqueen/Maisey/DSC00171.jpg

There are a few problems though -

she barks at 7am and poos in the dining room but my partner has realised that both are reduced if I walk her later in the day (even though she is let out in the yard loads). Other barking / jumping on my laptop are improving now she knows she's end up sitting on the floor but I need to keep this up (thanks to people on the forum for that one).

Her lead work leaves a lot to be desired. She pulls and barks at other dogs - not because she wants a fight but because she can't reach them. She broke the (cheapo) extendable lead I bought so that it didn't retract, she then wrapped me up with it whilst playing with a border terrier in the park - it was like a cartoon! I eventually want to let her off but I've been warned she comes back in her own time - though I think thats changing (she came back when I called her from the neighbours garden - hole now blocked). She's can be very boisterous and barks (playfuly) at people, especially toddlers, so thats also a worry.

Finally there's the matter of us working. There's usually someone in our house but she's restricted to downstairs so that can make matters worse (i.e. she barks for attention). We're looking at ways of addressing this - educational toys, radio, TV, a walker service or (most extremely) a 4 legged companion but I still have the guilt.

I think my mind is made up - as long as she doesn't develop a really bad habit in the next 3 weeks - but its not just my decision. I've really fallen for my little girl.

Aw bless her!

You can combat all of those problems without resorting to a companion ;)
IMO what they say about two dogs being no more work than 1, although it may be true in some cases it is a very flawed generalisation!

She sounds lovely, and she will settle in.

What routine do you have with her as far as walks are concerned? When does she go out? (thinking on the poo thing here!)

I have PMed you the exact routine but I am not going to post the details here as its an open forum and I don't really want to advertise when the best time to get her in the yard would be.

No offence to anyone on here - its the ones that don't post but read that worry me.

I am glad you don't think another dogs the answer as my OH has said, given he didn't really want one, we definately can't have 2. Shame - I've developed a crush on Border Terriers too.

your dog is really nice sounds very playfull and giddy. he will chill with with time

your dog is really nice sounds very playfull and giddy. he will chill with with time

Thanks, I hope so. You'd think at 4 and a mum she'd be all grown up but no, she's like a puppy :-) Once we're decided I am getting her speyed, maybe that'll chill her some more.

There is another side to her, with all the giddiness, she likes nothing more to chill out on the sofa (I know its the one rule I'm breaking) and have her ears played with or back stroked. She's asleep at my feet at the moment.

Thanks, I hope so. You'd think at 4 and a mum she'd be all grown up but no, she's like a puppy :-) Once we're decided I am getting her speyed, maybe that'll chill her some more.

There is another side to her, with all the giddiness, she likes nothing more to chill out on the sofa (I know its the one rule I'm breaking) and have her ears played with or back stroked. She's asleep at my feet at the moment.

Geckoqueen, I too succumbed to the sofa thing early on- knew it would be the worst thing but to be honest, there's nothing nicer than to chill out on the sofa with my daft dobermutt - she loves to be stroked and have her ears faffed with and it feels very calming having the big daft mutt by my side resting her heavy head on my lap whilst I watch tv or read a book. If we're really lucky, we get a barmy bengal and the inscrutible Havana cat to curl up with us too.

Maisey sounds lovely - from what you say, she is testing out what she can get away with re: the attention seeking barking. If you give in, she'll know she's won and will keep doing it even more.

Stick with the suggestions you've been given so far, give her a regular walking routine, make sure she gets to play as well, not just walking all the time and hopefully she will tire herself out and go to sleep once back home.

I wonder whether she might be easier to walk if she wears a body harness (I dont know if this breed is suitable for a head halter, which I would normally recommend). A harness would give a bit more control to the walker and would allow you to let her have more freedom on a flexi lead if she's not yet ready to be let off leash.

I used to use the Lupi body halter with Ailsa when she was younger- she pulls for england and now shes at 6 stone it is not easy, hence I now use the dogmatic head harness which gives me more control - mind you, people always seem to think it is a muzzle and that she must be a nasty vicious dog, but never mind.

Schnauzers are one of the small breeds Ailsa has always responded well to- she can be a bit funny with small fluffy white/white mix dogs and other small breeds (this is embarrassing but when she was younger she attracted all the wrong attention and was attacked several times by small dogs including staffies, a welsh corgi, a boston terrier etc, so she is very wary of them now).

If you take Maisey to Jolleys or Pets at Home, they usually let you try out various harneses and collars to get the one that's right for Maisey. Good luck with her. xK

Thanks Katkin, I do walk her in a harness - she wasn't wearing it in those pics - in hind-sight she might not have minded being staked down if she had been. She tried to bite it when I put it on, but once its on she's fine with it and it easier to walk her.

Play is difficult. She loves her toys in the house and the yard but once there's grass and plants to explore she loses interest - won't even fetch a ball. I di try and run with her but I am woefuly unfit at the moment. We have lots of fun with toys in the house and she spent hours disemboweling her stuffed toy and removing every mm of fur off a tennis ball.

Maisey tend to bark at anything on a lead (because she can't reach them), though trying to take on a man with a rotty and alsatian - neither of which I have a problem with but which are 4x her size - was particularly silly.

I'd love to have my two on the sofa with me - there's nothing nicer! But unfortunately they shed buckets of prickly white hairs that get stuck in everything. Even with a blanket on the sofa, they manage to cover it in hairs and then they get stuck on your trousers when you sit down before work :rolleyes:

Not to mention, give Takara an inch and she takes 3 feet - she's ever so well behaved when on the sofa, but she gets too big for her boots and ends up badly behaved when she's not on the sofa!!

i love playin wi my staffi but after a while she gets mardy and tells her mom ( my girlfriend) tia is 18 months old and still loopy

I'd love to have my two on the sofa with me - there's nothing nicer! But unfortunately they shed buckets of prickly white hairs that get stuck in everything. Even with a blanket on the sofa, they manage to cover it in hairs and then they get stuck on your trousers when you sit down before work :rolleyes:

Not to mention, give Takara an inch and she takes 3 feet - she's ever so well behaved when on the sofa, but she gets too big for her boots and ends up badly behaved when she's not on the sofa!!


We switched to a leather sofa 4 years ago- just around the time we also decided to get our first 2 kittens after many years of owning old moggies, so not quite the wisest decision, but I can live with the frilly arms where tiny cat claws once got a purchase...It is very dog friendly though- Ailsa leaps onto it and barely leaves a mark and best thing of all- no hairs and no smelly upholstery! Otherwise, she would definitely be confined to the floor. I was suprised just how much hair dallies moult- and dobes, come to that. Our previous milkman used to breed dallies and he said he was forever sweeping tough white hairs up. You wouldnt think it to look at them, would you? (Still, I'd forgive the moults- dallies are stunning, arent they).

Thanks Katkin, I do walk her in a harness - she wasn't wearing it in those pics - in hind-sight she might not have minded being staked down if she had been. She tried to bite it when I put it on, but once its on she's fine with it and it easier to walk her.

Play is difficult. She loves her toys in the house and the yard but once there's grass and plants to explore she loses interest - won't even fetch a ball. I di try and run with her but I am woefuly unfit at the moment. We have lots of fun with toys in the house and she spent hours disemboweling her stuffed toy and removing every mm of fur off a tennis ball.

Maisey tend to bark at anything on a lead (because she can't reach them), though trying to take on a man with a rotty and alsatian - neither of which I have a problem with but which are 4x her size - was particularly silly.

I wish I knew more about the breed to be able to advise you- are they motivated by food, toys or something else entirely, I wonder? Maybe some of the things she's doing are typical schnauzer behaviour? I wonder also if she's sort of going through a second juvenile stage, having changed homes. She does sound a little love though. Terriers seem to have a thing about taking on much bigger dogs - they seem to think they are much bigger than their physical size - but schnauzers arent terriers, are they? (utility dogs?)

I've just taken this: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v497/Geckoqueen/Maisey/DSC00172.jpg, she has snuggled to the side of her bed so she has a night tight space.

I am so glad that MSs are a non-moulting breed. I have cheated in that my sofa's actually a sofa-bed with metal arms so less scope for ruining.

She is a gorgeous little dog....and we too allow Poppy dog on the sofa.....and in the bed (slap wrist)....

I wish I knew more about the breed to be able to advise you- are they motivated by food, toys or something else entirely, I wonder? Maybe some of the things she's doing are typical schnauzer behaviour? I wonder also if she's sort of going through a second juvenile stage, having changed homes. She does sound a little love though. Terriers seem to have a thing about taking on much bigger dogs - they seem to think they are much bigger than their physical size - but schnauzers arent terriers, are they? (utility dogs?)

Her main motivations seem to be attention and exploration - the latter is one of the reasons she can't be unleashed yet. Apparently when she was with her old pack she was one of two that wouldn't come back once until 'she felt like it'. I love watching her explore - she was digging yesterday.

She is defined as a utlility dog but a lot of her characteristics are more terrier like. Her breed are natural ratters but nobody told out house mice (but then they've lived in a house full of snakes for nearly a year).

The juvenile stage sounds very possible. It makes sense really, she's finally got the having kids out of the way, now she can kick back and have some fun. That was the logic of me having her really - her previous owner had had a couple of good litters from her and wanted to see her have her own life (and he knew I'd spoil her wrotten).

sooz22 - my OH has drawn the line at her coming upstairs, we have a gate, otherwise she would probably jump on the bed too.

She is a gorgeous little dog....and we too allow Poppy dog on the sofa.....and in the bed (slap wrist)....

OK confession time- Ailsa sleeps on the bottom of our bed- we made the mistake of letting her come upstairs once cold miserable night after we'd had some mmucky building work done and it wasn't fit for her to sleep downstairs...now there's no getting her back down again! She lets us sleep on the rest of it provided the cats don't get a look in. She tries to get close to us on cold nights but no chance - I tell he to stay 'on the sheet' at the foot of the bed...I swear by IKEA cotton throws- they are so easy to wash and throw over the duvet/bedspread. Of course,it would be nice to be able to see the duvet, but no chance whilst the dobermutt is taking up space on it... Good thing we have a steam cleaner.

We have a dog gate to keep her out of the living room (otherwise she would sit on the sofa all day barking at anyone who breathes on our road) and one in the attic to prevent her from sneaking up there and stealing the cats food - the only room we dare feed them as she is greed on four legs. Now she has figured out how to climb up and down stairs, there's no stopping her.

Yeah the house has its share of throws but my OH would point out that most were here pre-dog. There are three fleece blankets which are dfinately hers though and a friend is knitting her a crochet one too.

When we were housetraining Ailsa as a pup, it helped that it was the beginning of December and getting colder and colder- she soon learned that it was too blooming cold and wet to be hanging around sniffing and not doing what dogs ought to be doing out there!

We encouraged her by taking her out at regular intervals after she'd eaten, fed or slept and always told her to 'get it done' and 'be quick' (and if she wandered back towards the house she was told to go back 'all the way' to where she is supposed to do her business.

It worked- now, when our neighbour dog sits (or our friend Donna calls if neighbour is unavailable), they have the same script and routine.

Now, given that your girl was previously a breeding bitch, was she kept indoors all the time or was she confined to kennels? I'm wondering if that might explain why she is struggling with housetraining now. Hopefuly, with what you are already doing now, getting her into a regular routine, this should ease shortly.

Her behaviour does sound very puppy-ish, doesn't it? Maybe you are the first home she has known where she can really play and do all the things she may have missed out on previously.

Now, given that your girl was previously a breeding bitch, was she kept indoors all the time or was she confined to kennels? I'm wondering if that might explain why she is struggling with housetraining now. Hopefuly, with what you are already doing now, getting her into a regular routine, this should ease shortly

No. I can say 1st hand that we're not talking puppy farm here, she was one of about 8 very well looked after bitches. She definately had a run and regular access to a small field. Of course it wasn't as big an issue if she did poo inside when she was in the kennel but when she was pregnant, and just after, she lived indoors and was clean then.

Her behaviour does sound very puppy-ish, doesn't it? Maybe you are the first home she has known where she can really play and do all the things she may have missed out on previously.

I have a pretty full history for her - she was a pet to an elderly lady and then lived in the kennel. She was fully house trained but I am not sure how many games she played - not being ageist but she's nearly pulled me over playing so don't fancy an OAPs chances.

I should explain, she doesn't only poo indoors and when she does its usually over night. I think Strix mentioned previously that it might be because she has too big a territory to over see. We're looking at how we can make her more secure.

There are also definite changes I can make to the routine, thanks Lotti, that should help regulate her urges.

only[/i] poo indoors and when she does its usually over night. I think Strix mentioned previously that it might be because she has too big a territory to over see. We're looking at how we can make her more secure..

Ahh that would make sense.