My wee girl Milla.

[Bodee]

As promised here are a few photos of my black miniature schnauzer Milla. She is adorable and so affectionate yet she chucks herself around like a kamikaze ninja. She is teething of course, so absolutely everything goes in the mouth which means I have to watch her every second. She bites like a piranha but does take a telling.

Sometimes I think she just likes to wind me up. She will look straight at me and then dive at a leaf on the "lawn" only to drop it as if she just wanted to get my attention. She already does the toilet on command out side but she obviously still has accidents during the night as 8 hours is far to long for a puppy. For that reason I don't close her crate now after she fouled it on the first night and I knew it must have made her anxious. I lay out two puppy pads and she goes to them.

She has got into the habit of asking to come up and lie in my lap in the evening and I'm probably starting a bad habit but she will get her own "chair" when she is old enough to jump the height. Max used to lie beside me on the couch but I don't have a couch now. She doesn't like being groomed (brushed) but that is natural, she will just have to get used to it. Her coat is thick and wavy as you will see and the breeder thinks it will be perfect for hand stripping.

[Robin black mini]

Congratulations on your beautiful girl..she looks a very nice ,strong pup..I love her thick coat,it does look very promising for your stripping plans. The way she's looking at you it looks like she's chosen you as her person.
My girl still loves to sleep on my knee ,especially in the winter evenings..I treasure this time with her as my other dogs were too big for this.

[Bodee]

Congratulations on your beautiful girl..she looks a very nice ,strong pup..I love her thick coat,it does look very promising for your stripping plans. The way she's looking at you it looks like she's chosen you as her person.
My girl still loves to sleep on my knee ,especially in the winter evenings..I treasure this time with her as my other dogs were too big for this.

Hi Jo,
That is actually my sister getting that adoring look but I get the same look every time she's in my lap.

[zeta1454]

Milla looks lovely You will have fun times ahead with her for sure!




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[Al T]

Stunner...

[Dawnspell]

Shes gorgeous and sounds like a very normal schnauzer pup

[mikegoodson1]

She is lovely, a real cutie - I really hope she brings you as much pleasure as Max obviously did

[Robin black mini]

HI Bodee...lets have some more puppy pics,they grow so fast!!
Re the brushing..I recommend a soft slicker brush,sometimes called a cocker brush...well tolerated by even the most sensitive dogs.
Also I bought a rubber toothed brush ...it's smashing for the skirt and body...gives a nice massage,and the dog loves it...great to get pup used to the brushing they will have daily for life.

[Riesen16]

She's beautiful - I am sure you will have a lot of fun with her.

Gill

[Bodee]

HI Bodee...lets have some more puppy pics,they grow so fast!!
Re the brushing..I recommend a soft slicker brush,sometimes called a cocker brush...well tolerated by even the most sensitive dogs.
Also I bought a rubber toothed brush ...it's smashing for the skirt and body...gives a nice massage,and the dog loves it...great to get pup used to the brushing they will have daily for life.

Thanks Jo, two good ideas there. I will give them a go.

She is being groomed every day with a slicker brush and is pretty good except for the front legs (I know, this seems to be a sensitive area with most dogs) and the top of her head where I have changed to a soft bristle brush I had for Max.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lawrence-Tende ... cker+brush" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

She got her first bath on Saturday and this bath worked a treat.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01 ... UTF8&psc=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It folds up and in and in fact it was a nice day so I took it outside and laid it on the garden bench while I bathed her. She didn't enjoy it much and by the end was shaking a bit but once I took her in and towelled her down she was fine.

I finished her off with a gentle blow dry, which she didn't really enjoy either. (To day it was fairly heavy rain in the back garden this morning and she tolerated the blow dryer much better, she seems to adapt quickly)

She is a delight and seems eager to please. For example she "leaves" things on command and seems to understand "come out of there" as well as "no" which are three really important commands. She is not yet house trained but doesn't have any accidents because I seemed to have picked up her "rhythm"

I leave the crate open at night and a puppy pad outside which she uses but holds her poo till I come down in the morning.
She has had her second batch of vacs and also I was given Prinovox to apply 2 days after her vacs as she was requiring worming and was displaying evidence of mites on her head.

By the way I don't think my vet is keen on the titre route and stands by the world small animal veterinary association vaccination guidelines, which I have agreed to study.

https://www.wsava.org/sites/default/fil ... ersion.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Some photos of Milla.

[Robin black mini]

BOdee....she's coming along a treat..
Re the mites..you can use frontline after three months..we also had mites on Robin when she arrived...I used a generic mite and tick shampoo when she was eight weeks ,then frontline for pups at twelve weeks...sorted.
I see you've not bitten the stripping bullet yet.....go on it won't hurt either of you ..if you want to strip her coat..start now
..start with the coarse stripping knife and card that coat..you will be amazed at how much puppy fluff comes off ....
I'd also suggest you put her on the table to brush,comb etc. and hair dry her....it will be so much easier as you progress..

Re vaccs..my pup had her puppy shots..no yearly booster..
This yr she will be three and I'm taking her in for her first booster.

[zeta1454]

I am intrigued that your vet does not agree with titre testing but claims to follow the WSAVA guidelines. Titre testing is promoted strongly in the document (which you have provided the link for) as is the information that duration of immunity after successful vaccination for the core diseases is known to last for many years and can be for the lifetime of the pet. Titre testing may have its limitations but it is certainly an accepted way of ensuring that our pets are not needlessly exposed to over-vaccination and the potential health risks this entails.

The following is stated in the section on Canine Vaccination Guidelines p. 10:

"...,,the principles of ‘evidence- based veterinary medicine’ suggest that testing for antibody status (for either puppies or adult dogs) should be better practice than simply administering a vaccine booster on the basis that this would be ‘safe and cost less’."

The Guidelines also state that:

"Vaccines should not be given needlessly. Core vaccines should not be given any more frequently than every three years after the 6- or 12-month booster injection following the puppy/kitten series, because the duration of immunity (DOI) is many years and may be up to the lifetime of the pet."

The Guidelines also state in their FAQ section:

"What happens to the antibody titre over the 3-year period post-vaccination?

For CDV (Distemper), CAV-2 (Adenovirus/Hepatitis), CPV-2 (Canine Parvovirus) and FPV (Feline Parvovirus) the antibody titre will be consistently present at similar titre. This has been shown in numerous field serological surveys of dogs last vaccinated up to 9 years previously and in experimental studies for dogs last vaccinated up to 14 years previously. "


"In an animal that has completed its puppy/kitten shots, is a higher antibody titre required to protect against heavy disease challenge?

For CDV, CAV-2, CPV-2 and FPV the answer is no. The presence of antibody (no matter what the titre) indicates protective immunity and immunological memory is present in that animal. Giving more frequent vaccines to animals in an attempt to increase antibody titre is a pointless exercise. It is impossible to create ‘greater immunity’ by attempting to increase an antibody titre."

Is there a risk of over-vaccinating a pet (e.g. injecting too often, or using vaccines that are not required for the specific pet)?
Yes.
Vaccines should not be given needlessly, as they may cause adverse reactions. Vaccines are medical products that should be tailored to the needs of the individual animal.

From the WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines Group " Guidelines for the Vaccination of Dogs and Cats" (2015) (published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice Vol. 57 January 2016)
Authors:
Prof. Michael Day BSc, BVMS (Hons), PhD, DSc, DipJECVP, FASM, FRCPath, FRCVS;
Prof. M. Horzinek DVM; Prof. R. Schultz DVM; Prof. R. A Squires: BVSc (Hons) Bristol

[Bodee]

I am intrigued that your vet does not agree with titre testing but claims to follow the WSAVA guidelines. Titre testing is promoted strongly in the document (which you have provided the link for) as is the information that duration of immunity after successful vaccination for the core diseases is known to last for many years and can be for the lifetime of the pet. Titre testing may have its limitations but it is certainly an accepted way of ensuring that our pets are not needlessly exposed to over-vaccination and the potential health risks this entails.

The following is stated in the section on Canine Vaccination Guidelines p. 10:

"...,,the principles of ‘evidence- based veterinary medicine’ suggest that testing for antibody status (for either puppies or adult dogs) should be better practice than simply administering a vaccine booster on the basis that this would be ‘safe and cost less’."

The Guidelines also state that:

"Vaccines should not be given needlessly. Core vaccines should not be given any more frequently than every three years after the 6- or 12-month booster injection following the puppy/kitten series, because the duration of immunity (DOI) is many years and may be up to the lifetime of the pet."

The Guidelines also state in their FAQ section:

"What happens to the antibody titre over the 3-year period post-vaccination?

For CDV (Distemper), CAV-2 (Adenovirus/Hepatitis), CPV-2 (Canine Parvovirus) and FPV (Feline Parvovirus) the antibody titre will be consistently present at similar titre. This has been shown in numerous field serological surveys of dogs last vaccinated up to 9 years previously and in experimental studies for dogs last vaccinated up to 14 years previously. "


"In an animal that has completed its puppy/kitten shots, is a higher antibody titre required to protect against heavy disease challenge?

For CDV, CAV-2, CPV-2 and FPV the answer is no. The presence of antibody (no matter what the titre) indicates protective immunity and immunological memory is present in that animal. Giving more frequent vaccines to animals in an attempt to increase antibody titre is a pointless exercise. It is impossible to create ‘greater immunity’ by attempting to increase an antibody titre."

Is there a risk of over-vaccinating a pet (e.g. injecting too often, or using vaccines that are not required for the specific pet)?
Yes.
Vaccines should not be given needlessly, as they may cause adverse reactions. Vaccines are medical products that should be tailored to the needs of the individual animal.

From the WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines Group " Guidelines for the Vaccination of Dogs and Cats" (2015) (published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice Vol. 57 January 2016)
Authors:
Prof. Michael Day BSc, BVMS (Hons), PhD, DSc, DipJECVP, FASM, FRCPath, FRCVS;
Prof. M. Horzinek DVM; Prof. R. Schultz DVM; Prof. R. A Squires: BVSc (Hons) Bristol

Thanks Zeta. I am going to read the document thoroughly when I have time but these are very salient points you have listed.

[Bodee]

This was Milla’s meet the neighbours and “new best friends” day. Her first day out.

She is really unfazed by people or the neighbouring dogs. She met Lance (the black mini from across the road) and Scamp the little Bichon from round the corner as well as about 8 of my neighbours, 3 of whom came out only to say hello to Milla. I can see she will be a big favourite.

I also decided to introduce Milla to my coarse stripping knife and she seemed to be quite content to let me do it. It was just fluff that came off and I didn’t do it for much more than 10 mins to start with.

She is trying her “hand” at gardening ie digging holes which I am attempting to discourage but it’s not easy as she seems to think she has a talent for it.

Some photos.





This is her "Well Dad, do you feel lucky?" look as she waits till I bend down to take the ball and then grabs it.



On this one you can see the fencing I had to hastily erect when she became too interested in all the bits of the garden that wasn't really good for her i.e. plastic mulching sheets pigeon poo, grass clippings etc.

[Robin black mini]

cant see the pics
Really pleased to hear you've started with your stripping knife...I bet you got a lot off her..

Re the digging..I have planted a lot of shrubs which the dogs have never really been interested in..in between I lay temporary flagstones so there is less earth exposed for digging pups...as they get older I remove the flags and return to normality...works well.