Okay, after going through my camera's photos, it's so saddening to see so many blurry photos Proof of me needing more practice taking photos of moving objects...and maybe also I need a new camera After seeing Eric & Wei Nee's photos, I feel so paiseh to show the photos I took...most of the clearer ones are at the park, since got 'better' lighting, but they look so out of focus...haha! Anyways, here are mine...feel free to use them too

And the rest of it:

Your editing very good leh...mine like so teruk. Haha! Some beyond help ady coz too blur, even though the shots were of the pups looking at the camera Sad sad....

MAL CH = Malaysian Champion in the show ring. If it's other countries, they will have the initials too like US CH, etc.

From what I hear about and from ethical breeders (not Schnauzers), when they say "Champion bloodline", it's usually one or both of the parents who are champions...not so much from the grandparents. To me, it's kind of stupid lo...when they say bloodline, I automatically think about the whole lineage / family tree are champions too, but meh...petshops like to harp on the whole "champion" thing to make more money out of unsuspecting owners. Good breeders won't sell to petshops wan, even if the pups are of pet quality only....and usually good breeders tend to have long waiting lists already, so they won't have problems finding good homes for the pups.

Scottie also has a CH for grandfather...if I remember correctly, his grandfather and the dogs behind him have some CH from US wan...then they were brought to Hong Kong, and I think that's where his parents came from (it was indicated that the parents were imported from HK). But his parents didn't win anything, so I guess no "championline" anymore...

Does Miki have a microchip implanted when you got her? If so, then you might want to check the number in her cert with the number implanted. Make sure they are the same coz sometimes breeders might get it mixed up...

Haha, yeah...I've read that salt and pepper is not just grey and white (like Scottie), but salt and pepper have many variations wan. Some can be almost like black and silver, but they are actually not. Usually, if one or both of the parents is a black & silver, the pups would be black & silver. But if Miki's line are all salt & pepper, then yes she is a salt & pepper, coz no trace of a black & silver in the line An article about Schnauzer colors: http://www.schnauzerlover.com/articles/schnauzer_colors.html



EDIT: Seems like the black & silver is a recessive gene, so they need to have both parents to be black & silver to produce black & silver pups. So there we go, I guess

This post has been edited by Rayne: Aug 3 2010, 10:25 AM

So, so true I've learned the same lesson also after I got Scottie. After that, I've been able to talk to some breeders (they breed other breeds though, not Schnauzers) and I notice that a real reputable breeder does not mind talking to you about the breed and sharing their knowledge. In fact, I think you'll be able to tell I know one breeder who just lights up when he talks about his dogs He can really talk non-stop about the breed, the characteristics, confirmation show, how he measures a good standard, etc and he doesn't hesitate to show me what to look for in that particular breed.

A good breeder also won't breed his dogs at every single heat cycle....as we all know, pregnancy and birth is not something that can be recovered from so quickly, so a good breeder will always want to ensure that the pups are very healthy without any defects, as well as the well-being of the mother (who will pass on the good genes and characteristics). Basically, a good breeder will treat their dogs as an actual member of the family and not as money-making machines. The general idea of good breeding is to ensure the breed is as close to the standard as possible AND having the best traits possible...so, good breeders will always strive to maintain that standard and even improving on the dogs' bloodline. With that in mind, most of the pups from these breeders will never come cheap, but you can be assured that the pups are of excellent health and have good traits even if they are not of show quality

I was told by my breeder friend that breeding dogs don't make money...if they do it properly. The amount of money, time and effort to raise good pups spent is a LOT. I've learnt all this too when I had two of Scottie's pups with me for a few weeks before they went to their new homes. It was tiring like heck, and I think from the money I got for the pups, it barely covered the expenses I paid for the pups' well-being...so, I guess the only way to know which breeder is good, talk to as many of them as possible. You will definitely get a good gauge on who is the real deal and who is bluffing A good breeder doesn't need to 'claim' their reputation...it shows in the dogs they rear and their relationship with the dog itself

I did allow Scottie to breed once..he was the dad ma There were 7 pups from the litter, but one died after birth, so I took 2 for Scottie's 'stud services'. Can't keep the pups coz we already have so many pets in the house, so I sold them...had many weird incidents with some potential buyers, but in the end I think the two pups went to good homes

Breeding is never something that you should take lightly...great if you plan to keep all the pups, but you have to know also the procedure of breeding (mating can be a pain...not just for the dogs, but for the humans as well), the actual birth itself (if you're lucky Miki can give birth naturally...if not, she has to go through a Caesarean section at the vet's. That's money and effort in caring for her), and caring for the pups (if the litter is big, you have to rotate the pups' feeding times...if the mother doesn't have enough milk, we have to feed the pups ourselves every 2 hours without fail, even in the middle of the night. And the milk is not any cow's milk coz pups are lactose intolerant) and many other things. Also, since Miki has a certificate, you would need to register the pups too before the mating starts. Let's not forget the number of pups that might arise...I don't think we can determine how many pups in a litter until they have developed enough in the mother's womb. Scottie's time had 7 pups...will you be able to handle 7 more mouths to feed? Lots and lots of things to consider

Not that I'm discouraging you to do it, but I think we all should know also la what we are getting ourselves into, and having pups are a great thing, but there are also things we need to prepare for just in case My two cents worth la. I think Eric knows first hand also when Scottie & Fatty tried His gf told me she felt 'sam tung' because it's painful for her girl even when they almost 'did it'...she can't imagine what it would be like for Fatty when she gives birth. >.<"

This post has been edited by Rayne: Aug 4 2010, 12:34 AM

Haha...true that Enjoy her puppy time now...they grow up really fast I kind of miss Scottie's puppy time...he was so cute then! But I don't think I want to handle another puppy now lo...spend quite some time training Scottie & all that I'm used to him knowing what to do and all. I doubt that I have that much patience anymore to train a puppy from start all over again.

Hahaha....dunno if I will be successful or not! I've tried it with Kenji, but his nose was too short. I can't say I've tried training other dogs before, so dunno if I can get it right also

I guess I have been lucky that Scottie is rather mellow even when he was a puppy...my sis' bf got a puppy recently and when she came to our house, I feel so overwhelmed Coz she was running around like crazy...like super hyper puppy lo! I don't remember Scottie ever being like that when he was a pup...or maybe it was just me used to having relatively calm dogs who (mostly) listen to me

Yes ar? But she doesn't look like that at the park...but I guess they behave differently outside and inside the house. Scottie can get unruly outside, but when he's at home he doesn't really cause so much trouble, except when there are other people or other dogs near the house

So cute la she run and jump on you Yuki (the new Chihuahua pup) doesn't really do that, but she likes to run about and wriggle her way onto your lap and lick your face and run away and come back. Imagine that happening for about half an hour... She's cute though...her tail is always wagging and she has a friendly disposition, but a bit too hyper for me >.<" I think I'm getting old ady...haha! Sometimes Scottie also gets tired see her play...he gives me a look that says "Please don't leave me alone with her" when I put them together in the play pen while we go out!

Wei Nee, 3 secs is a good start Last time when Scottie first started, he couldn't hold it so long also...but later on, when he's used to it, I started lengthening the time bit by bit until he can do it like he does now

Oh yeah, another thing about the balancing trick, you could try to 'desensitize' their excitement to food by holding up the treat very close to their noses and get them to wait. If they're patient and calm, only give That's what I do with Scottie...then later on, move it close on to the nose and get them to wait some more That's about the maximum I could go with Kenji also, coz the food is too big for his nose...

Hi Chris & Gee! I'm Audrey...nice to meet you There are quite a few of the owners here who go to Desa Park City almost every Saturday evening Perhaps you could meet up with them there...there isn't really a set 'gathering' per se, but it so happens that there are quite a few of us who can make it that particular week, so we planned for a meet up and have dinner together

Please do share your experiences, questions and photos of your pups here We always welcome new friends...and I think when we have more active members here, there will be more gathering frequencies too

No, Desa Water Park is at Taman Desa. Desa Parkcity is nearing the Kepong area, I believe....you would need to travel past 1 Utama & Ikea to get there

I didn't really measure Scottie's height when he was a pup, but according to the Wikipedia entry, the ideal height for an adult male Min. Schnauzer (measured from the toes to the shoulders) is about 12 - 14 inches. But since Duke is still very young, it's quite hard to tell also...some pups grow bigger than the ideal size, some are smaller As long as they're healthy, I think that's what matters

Duke & Angel look really cute in the photos! Hope to meet them soon too

This post has been edited by Rayne: Aug 5 2010, 09:29 AM

I will be at the DOGATHON too, but I'm going there early (6 something o.O) as I'm helping Yen out at one of the booths...not sure if I'll bring Scottie though, coz don't know if I got time to bring him go jalan jalan...but if can, I think I'll bring him

Haha...no need to come at 6 something wan la. They only start the games thingy around 7 something, maybe 8? We have to go early to settle the booth only.

Nice to see you there, Wei Nee! Sorry didn't get to talk to you much...

Not much free gifts ar? I don't know about that coz it's my first time at Dogathon, but I thought the free samples are ample...even though I don't really need the dog food samples Apparently they broke the Malaysian Book Of Records this time around....got 1100 dogs at the event that day I quite enjoyed myself even though I spent 3/4 of my time at the booth, but it was nice to look at other dogs. Did you win any prizes? I tried to join the Musical Chair thingy, but unfortunately Scottie & I didn't win anything...we were a bit too slow and Scottie was pushed out by the bigger dogs when we tried to go for the same 'chair'.

I totally agree that some dog owners are unethical! There was somebody's (don't know who, coz got too many people at the booth at one time) dog pooped on the grass RIGHT IN FRONT of Yen's tag booth. It was a big dog definitely...no small or medium dog can poop that much and such a big sized one, and to make matters worse, it was a semi-loose kind of poop! The stench was unbearable and people were avoiding our booth because of the irresponsible person's inaction. Needless to say, quite a number of people stepped on it without knowing and were cursing left right and center! Thankfully, a kind volunteer from UPM cleaned it up and the Natural Balance crew gave some cardboard boxes to cover it up...

Anson, were you there as well? Didn't manage to see you also...

Streisand, are there many units left of that pee tray? I'm using a similar one for Scottie, but it broke after so long...I think it's time to get another one. The Pet Safari you mentioned is in Ikano?

Haha, cute! Mine was previously bought from Korea when my sister was there....I think it was the Yogi tray or something. Very similar to what you guys described, but no rectangular plastic thingy for the males...I'll try to go to Pet Safari to see if they still have it this weekend then Thanks!

The yogi tray has served me well, Wei Nee...my sis got it for me when Scottie was about 5 months old. Now he's 3+ years old, and only now it's starting to break (but still usable) So, no worries about the price...it's rather worth it if it lasts for a long, LONG time