Happily Ever After Schnauzers

08/25/2024

This sweet girl is a blue eyed beauty! She is looking for her furever family the weekend of the 7th. She is very snuggly and so loving.
Message me for more information

08/03/2024

This guy right here is so sweet! He is a calm and laid back boy looking for a lap to snuggle up on.

07/31/2024

Just look at these faces! 🥰
They give all the feels, if you'd like to make one yours let us know.

07/28/2024

Meet Stuart!!!
This sweet boy is looking for a lap to snuggle, send a message for more information

07/16/2024

Meet Sophia! She is a very dark salt and pepper with double blue eyes. Will be ready for her new 🏠 the weekend of Aug 2. Message for details!

07/15/2024

Teacup Schnoodle! Ready to go!! Send us a message for P.R.I.C.E!

07/09/2024

Great Vet Visit Today!! Ready for their new homes! Send us a msg to find out the special on these guys.

07/08/2024

06/29/2024

Someone out there needs a schnoodle in their life!!! Look at these sweet boys! Its bath day!
Ready next week!

06/28/2024

10. Let Your Dog Out Once They’re Calm
Remember that dogs repeat behaviors that are rewarded. If your dog wants out of their crate and you open the door, whatever they were doing at that moment will suggest to them that the behavior was the key to release. If that was barking or whining, they will bark or whine next time they want out, and that’s not what you want. You want them to connect calm behavior as release, so that they continue to model calm behavior in their crate.

You don’t want to undo all the hard work you did to build up calm crate behavior. Instead, before opening the door, ask for a calm behavior, such as having your dog sit or lay down. Slowly delay opening the door for longer and longer periods of time until your dog will patiently wait for you to open it. If you’re working on potty training, watch the clock or look for signals your puppy needs to relieve themselves before they begin whining because they feel the urge to go for a potty break. Help them be successful by taking them out before they need to whine to let you know it’s urgently time to go.

06/28/2024

Look at this precious schnoodle boy! Don’t judge his bed head! More updated pics of this litter coming soon!
Ready to go next weekend!

06/27/2024

9. Avoid Crating Your Dog With Force or Anger
If you catch your dog destroying your house or jumping on visitors, it’s tempting to get frustrated and banish them to their crate. While there’s nothing wrong with giving your dog time and space away from trouble, it’s important to do so calmly and gently. Especially if you often use this tone to send your dog to their crate, they will associate it with a place of punishment. Over time, they won’t be calm when they’re in their crate, but rather nervous that they’ve done something wrong and upset you. After all, you don’t want to ruin all the positive associations you worked so hard to create. If your dog links the crate with your anger, they will stop seeing it as a safe area, and you will have trouble getting them inside next time. It’s the opposite of what you want for your dog when crate training them.

06/26/2024

8. Use More Than One Crate
It can be helpful to provide your dog with different crates for different purposes, rather than expecting one crate in one location to meet all your needs. For example, your dog should have a crate in a quiet part of your home for resting and sleeping, especially if you want them to sleep in a crate overnight. You might opt for this sleeping crate to be in your bedroom or near your bedroom. When you’re potty training, you might also consider putting another crate near a door that goes outside. You could opt to put a crate in the dining room if you don’t want your dog to feel lonely while you eat. Start with one crate, and once your dog is comfortable with it and sees the crate as their own safe space to hang out, they’ll be more open to other crates in different areas. They’ll hopefully learn to see these crates as places of relaxation, so they’ll feel comfortable having their own space in different rooms of the house. This training will also carry over to when your dog might visit dog daycare, visit friends’ homes, go on overnight vacations with you, or any number of other scenarios where access to a crate can help them feel comfortable and safe.

06/25/2024

7. Provide Dog Toys in the Crate

It’s important to give your dog something to do inside their crate, particularly when you are still teaching a dog to settle down and relax. Enjoying a food-stuffed dog toy is a perfect in-crate activity. (You can combine in-crate mealtimes with this toy activity by stuffing your dog’s regular kibble or canned food into a toy. Soaking kibble with some no-salt broth can help it stay put, or you can freeze the toy to give your dog more challenge.) Your dog can interact with the toy while receiving delicious rewards. This builds even more positive associations, teaches your dog appropriate chewing behavior, and gives them something to do. For example, your dog might enjoy gnawing on a chew toy filled with a spreadable, dog-safe peanut butter snack. They might also have fun playing with interactive dog toys. You can hide small, crunchy treats in a treat dispenser or puzzle toy or game, then watch your dog have fun while trying to find the snacks. (Puzzle toys sometimes have smaller parts, so be sure to supervise your dog while they enjoy puzzle playtime in their crate.) Be sure you’re choosing the right chew toys for your dog, especially if they will be in their crates unsupervised. They should be large enough that your dog can’t swallow them whole, and tough enough (or soft enough) for your dog’s chewing style. A power chewer, for example, can tear through plush toys in minutes, and pieces of torn-up toys can be a choking hazard. Any time you provide your dog with a new style of toy, supervise them as they play to be sure it’s a safe choice for them.

06/24/2024

6. Feed Your Dog Inside Their Crate
Another way you can encourage your dog to explore their crate is by feeding them their regular meals inside the crate. You can do this by putting their dog food bowl in the back of the crate. This will help build a positive association between the crate and food in your dog’s mind. Most dogs look forward to eating, so if their crate also becomes the place where they have their regular meals, they’ll look forward to being in their crate at meal times. If your dog is reluctant to enter the crate, even to eat, you can start off with the food dish in front of the door. Then, with each meal, slowly move the bowl farther and farther inside. Be patient with your dog — it’s possible that they will need more time to get used to eating in the crate. You may need to keep the bowl in certain spots first before moving it further into the crate.

06/23/2024

5. Practice Positive Dog Crate Cues
It’s helpful to teach your dog to enter their crate on cue, especially if you’re traveling with your dog or faced with an emergency evacuation with your dog. Even in an everyday situation where you need to answer the door, or you need your dog to stay calmly in another room, teaching the cue “crate” or “kennel up” can tell your dog when you want them to go inside. If you practice using the verbal cues before your dog enters the crate, then reward them once they’re inside, soon they will associate the cue with the action, and you can begin to ask for the behavior. Try to give crate-related cues to your dog in a happy or neutral tone of voice. You want your dog to be excited about entering, not worried that something bad is about to happen or that they’re in trouble. This way, you’ll be able to maintain positive associations with the crate. Even in a stressful situation where you need your dog to go into their crate, try to give the cue neutrally. Your dog will sense your stress in your voice, and if you are consistently telling your dog to go to their crate in this stressful tone, they will also associate stress with their crate.

06/22/2024

4. Keep Rewards Near the Crate
To reinforce crate training and proper behavior in the crate, you’ll want to provide a reward in the moment. If praise is associated with going in the crate, they’re more likely to make the connection that this is what you want them to do. If you need five minutes to dig out treats from the bottom of your kitchen cupboard, your dog may have become bored by then, and try other behaviors, like barking or pawing at the crate door, to get your attention. Rewarding your dog promptly to make that positive connection to their crate means you’ll want to have those rewards close by. Keep a sealed container of kibble, a small dog treats, or some crate-only chew toys right near the crate so you can reinforce this good behavior right after it happens.

06/21/2024

3. Reward Calm Behavior in the Crate
Once your dog is happily spending time inside their crate, it’s important not to take that for granted. Dogs repeat behaviors that are rewarded, and calm, quiet relaxation is exactly what you want. If you reinforce that this is what you want your dog to be doing, they’ll keep doing it, knowing that it makes you happy and they get a reward out of it. Make your expectations clear by rewarding your dog when they behave calmly in the crate, or willingly go to the crate on their own to rest or relax. These rewards could be anything from gentle praise to a dog biscuit. Try to reward your dog in a way that keeps them relaxed, since you want to avoid riling them up again after they’ve gone to their calm place by their own choice.

06/20/2024

2. Create Positive Associations with the Crate
Your dog’s crate is an effective tool to help keep them out of trouble, but you don’t want them to feel like they’re being put in a time-out either. Make it a priority to create a positive association every time you use the crate, so your dog only has positive feelings when they’re going in it. This can mean offering a favorite dog treat for entering, keeping a bully stick or other high-value chew inside, or giving your dog lots of praise. These incentives and positivity towards the crate will help your dog see the crate as a place they want to be. Instead of punishment, you want to establish crate time to let them calm down. If they see it as a place where they feel safe and can relax, it’ll be more effective to also prevent unwanted dog behavior.

06/19/2024

1. Encourage Your Dog to Explore Their Crate
When you first expose your dog to a crate, they might be anxious and not want to go inside. Try to avoid forcing your dog into the crate, since that can create a negative association. If your dog is afraid of going inside an enclosed space, pushing them to go in will only make them more nervous. This might make your dog have negative feelings or fears about the crate, which are harder to unlearn. Instead, encourage your dog to enter and explore on their own. A perfect way to do that is to lay a trail of dog food or training treats that leads to the crate. Hold the crate door open, so it doesn’t accidentally close on your dog. These early associations will greatly impact how your dog sees the crate — first impressions matter!

06/18/2024

How to crate train your puppy!

Your dog’s crate is their personal den, a place to relax, sleep, and feel safe. Crate training has many benefits, like implementing a routine for your dog and helping regulate their potty training schedule. It’s also an important tool to teach your dog how to be alone. But how do you safely and effectively use a crate without making your dog feel like you’re punishing them?

Whether you have a new puppy or an adult dog, with the right approach, you can train them to feel comfortable in their crate. Making sure you choose the right crate size for your dog is also an important part of successful crate training. These 10 tips will help make crate training your dog a positive and successful experience. Soon, your dog will look forward to spending time in a private space that’s entirely theirs.

06/16/2024

How long does puppy potty training take?

The time it takes to fully potty train your puppy depends on many factors, including how well you keep to your schedule! Depending on you, your dog’s breed, age, and personality, and your situation, it could take several weeks, or it could take much longer—up to several months. It’s not the easiest process, but have patience, stick with it, and your pup WILL get it. Remember you’ll likely have some setbacks, but usually they’re just bumps in the road. If you’re really feeling stymied, be sure to reach out to a trainer, who may help figure out persistent potty problems.

06/16/2024

Teacup Schnoodles! You know you want one!!
Ready to go now!!

06/16/2024

Puppy playtime? Sounds like a paw-some adventure! Ask your questions, and let the good times roll!

06/15/2024

What is the best age to potty train a puppy?

You can start potty training a puppy when they are about 8 weeks old. Ideally, you’ll start potty training when they’re anywhere from 8 to 16 weeks old. Young puppies have small bowels and bladders, and they don’t have full control over their bladder until about 5 months. You can certainly start potty training as soon as you get an older puppy or dog, it may take longer for the lessons to stick if they’ve had a lot of time to develop bad habits.

06/14/2024

Common puppy potty training questions

How do you stop a puppy from p*eing and p**ping in the house?

Again, the simplest answer is: don’t give them the opportunity to go inside! It’s one of the most important aspects of potty training—being a time manager and making sure you’re taking the responsibility to get your dog outside as often as possible, instead of focusing on punishing them when they (inevitably) do go inside. The other key: confinement. As discussed in detail above, keeping your pup in a crate or a confined area in the house will help prevent them from sneaking off and doing their business inside. The more they’re able to go potty indoors, the tougher it’ll be for them to absorb the lesson that they should only be going outside. Keeping a schedule is also important.

06/13/2024

Step 5: Deal with accidents the right way

Keeping on schedule and observing your dog will go a long way to preventing accidents, but accidents will happen. How you handle accidents also makes a difference. If you catch your puppy in the middle of p**ping or p*eing inside, clap or say “NO” loudly and sternly, but without screaming (one expert we know uses the word “NOPE,” because it’s a hard word to scream).

But if you find a soiled spot inside the house after the fact, pick it up without fuss. Getting angry or trying to punish your puppy may only frighten them, and they won’t draw a connection to why you’re mad (do not rub your dog’s nose in their p**p). Use mistakes as learning opportunities. Did your dog make it an hour after a walk before p*eing? Next time, take them out at the 50-minute mark.

Do make sure to clean up the soiled spot with an effective, non-toxic, enzymatic cleaner to completely remove the smell. Otherwise, they’ll be more likely to return to that same spot for another round.

It is important to note that some dogs may p**p or p*e inside the house as a sign of fear or trauma. If you suspect something like this with your dog, it’s a good idea to find a dog trainer or behaviorist to help with these kinds of issues.

06/12/2024

Step 4: Keep going potty! (that is, overcompensate)

Do your best to stick to your schedule and avoid skipping trips. Every pup will have an accident, but it’s important that going inside doesn’t become a habit. So, when in doubt, overcompensate. “WE have to be the ones who are going above and beyond to get them out more,” says Rodriguez. “So, if you’re lucky enough to get into a rhythm where your dog is figuring out to go outside, you have to be smart, you have to be a good time manager when you bring your dog back in. As long as we’re doing our job of overcompensating, getting the dog out, and being a good time manager, the dog has a reason to hold it and then picks up on the pattern.”

06/11/2024

“People can underestimate how important it is to reward when they go outside. This makes a huge difference.”
Day to day: Give them 10-15 minutes to sniff and hopefully go. Keep the excitement and talking to a minimum to keep them focused on the task at hand. If they don’t go, bring them back in and confine them in their crate.

Install a verbal cue: Encourage your puppy to go potty with a word or phrase you will use from now on to communicate the behavior — like “go potty” or “do your business.” Pick a phrase that you won’t likely use in other situations. The moment your dog goes, “install” that word or phrase so your dog is linking it with the desired action. The key is timing. If you just keep saying the words over and over when they’re not going, they likely won’t make the connection about what the word means. So make sure they’ve just started going, or, with practice, when they are JUST ABOUT to go (once you’ve learned to read their signals that they are getting ready to p*e or p**p). Say the word once only.

Offer a reward when they go: When your dog goes, let them know this is exactly what you wanted them to do by giving them a high-value treat. Especially in the beginning, make this treat something really good. Be sure to reward once, right at the moment they are done p*eing or p**ping, and don’t keep giving the treat during the walk. “People can underestimate how important it is to reward when they go outside,” says Muto. “This makes a huge difference. I’ve seen cases when people are doing everything right except not rewarding the dog for going outside. And suddenly they introduce treats and everything changes.” Over time, you can shift into offering enthusiastic praise—“good girl, good potty.”

06/10/2024

Step 3: Go potty!

Once you have a schedule and crate in place, you have a solid foundation for effective potty training. Of course, a key part of this schedule is taking your dog out to go potty.

Here are some things to keep in mind about potty time:

The first time: Bring your pup to a chosen potty spot outside when you arrive home for the first time. Try to establish a connection between this location and going potty.

It’s best to start out with your dog on a leash. Puppies are easily distracted, and may wander off and decide to take a roll on the grass instead of getting to business. You want to keep them focused during potty time. This applies even to those who have backyards. If your dog just runs outside and goes potty at will, you won’t be able to reward them at the moment they p*e or p**p, making it harder for them to make the connection that this is a desired behavior (also, it can make for a messy backyard).