Common Questions

Q. What can you tell us about your puppies?

A. All of our puppies come with a veterinary health check, their first vaccinations and deworming treatments, their tails docked and dew claws removed, and have begun their crate and potty training. They have been actively socialized with our six children and our other pets (lots of Schnauzers and one not-so-happy about his doggie-roomie situation) cat. 

Q. Do you accept visitors to meet the puppies prior to adoption?

A. We used to invite families into our home for pre-adoption visits, but at the recommendation of our Veterinarian we no longer do so as the risk to the puppies who have not yet been immunized is far too great. Instead, we now offer multiple ways to "meet" your potential puppy before you select them. We will gladly arrange a time to FaceTime, Skype, Zoom, or Facebook chat to let you meet the little ones and their parents. We do our very best to accurately describe and demonstrate the personalities/temperaments of our puppies so you can make an informed and confident choice when adding one of our puppies to your family. 

Q. Are your puppies registered?

A. We offer either AKC and/or APRI Pet-Only Registration upon request. 

Q. Do you offer a health guarantee? 

A. We offer a lifetime health guarantee for genetic defects. 

Q. Do you remove dewclaws?

A. Yes- each puppy has their dewclaws removed at their first veterinary visit when they are 3-5 days old. 

Q. Do you dock tails or leave them natural/long?

A. Unless a family on our waiting list specifically requests for their puppy's tail to be left long and intact, we have all tails docked at the time their dewclaws are removed during their first veterinary visit when they are between 3-5 days old. 

Q. Do you offer ear cropping?

A. All of our puppies will be adopted to their new families with natural ears. At the request of our adopting families, we can recommend a Veterinarian near you who will conduct this elective cosmetic procedure once your puppy is 12 weeks old. Since it requires sedation and post-procedure care (posting of the ears), you'll want to pick an experienced Vet who has a track record of successful crops with this special breed.

Q. Do puppies come with their immunizations?

A. All puppies receive their first booster shot when they are 8 weeks old just before they go home to their new families. They will require several other boosters in the coming weeks to complete their immunizations. We recommend you visit your local veterinarian within the first few days you take your puppy home so that you can plan for their upcoming boosters.

Q. What kind of regular expenses can I expect with a miniature schnauzer in my home?

A. Aside from the expected food, water, bedding/crate, collar/harness and leash, and toy collection there are some other less obvious expenses to consider. While not required, most families elect to groom their schnauzers regularly every one to three months depending on their coat texture and growth rate. You can expect to pay anywhere from $50-$100 for this service (or you can learn to groom them yourself). Other expenses you should plan for include veterinary care for health checks and immunizations ($50-$150 per visit); monthly flea, tick, and heart worm prevention ($20-$40 per month); tooth paste and tooth brush for weekly dental care ($10 per month); and annual dental cleanings which requires sedation by a Veterinarian ($180-350 per visit). It's best to plan ahead so as not to be surprised by these expenses.

Q. What's the difference between a miniature, toy, and teacup schnauzer?

From a breed perspective there is no difference at all. AKC considers all of these as a miniature schnauzers. However, many breeders use these terms to differentiate the projected adult size of their puppies. Here are how we use those terms:

Miniature: 12-20 pounds when fully grown

Toy: 7-11 pounds when fully grown 

(7-9 pounds can be called a small toy & 10-11 pounds can be called a large toy)

Teacup: 6 pounds or less when fully grown

Micro Teacup: 3 pounds or less when fully grown

Q. How much do you charge for your puppies?

A. We price our puppies when they are five weeks old. We base the price on their projected adult size, color, coat quality, and eye color. They can range from $1500-$3500 each as a result. We require a 50% deposit of the adoption fee to hold a puppy before their 8-Week Adoption Day.

Q. Do you have a notification list so I can be notified when new litters are born or breeding dogs are retired and are made available for adoption?

A. Yes, the email notification list is for those who want to receive announcement messages for new litters born throughout the year. You can sign up for this by entering your email on the Home Page of our website and confirming your email address when you receive the enrollment email. This does not reserve a puppy. You will also receive notifications anytime we have a retired breeding dam or sire who can be adopted to the right family.

Q. Do you have a waiting list?

A. Yes. We call this our pre-litter deposit waitlist. This list is for families who have paid the pre-litter deposit of $500 and have specified their preferences for their puppy: Gender, Color, Size, Coat Quality, and Eye Color. Some families have very particular requirements, while others want to have first pick of all available puppies. This pre-litter deposit is applied toward the adoption fee of your selected puppy when they are priced at five weeks of age.

Q. Can you explain how the notification list and pre-litter deposit lists work?

A. The two lists work together like this:

1. When new litters are born, we send the announcement message to families on both lists. 

2. We provide picture and video updates on our Facebook page during their first five weeks of life.

3. Once the puppies are priced at 5 weeks of age, we send the pricing email to the families on the pre-litter deposit list. They have 48 hours to confirm interest in a puppy. If two families are interested in the same puppy, it is offered to the family who has been on the list the longest. The other family is then able to select a different puppy or wait on another litter.

4. If a puppy isn’t selected by any family on the pre-litter deposit waitlist, we then send the pricing email to our general waitlist and publish availability to the website and social media. 

5. Once the puppies have been priced, we require a deposit of 50% of the adoption fee to hold them until their Adoption Day when they are eight weeks old. 

Q. What's the difference between a pre-litter deposit and a standard deposit?

A. Our $500 pre-litter deposit adds your name to our waiting list based on the day you elect to pay the required deposit. Because our puppies range in price, we take an advance deposit for all puppies that are yet to be born. 

Our standard deposit for puppies already born and priced at five weeks of age is 50% of the adoption fee. In many cases, a family will make three payments toward their puppy. First, to join the pre-litter deposit list the family will pay the $500 deposit. When they receive the pricing email with available puppies for their selection they will apply their $500 deposit toward that puppy. If the puppy is priced at $1500, the standard deposit would be $750. Therefore, after applying their pre-litter deposit of $500, an additional $250 would be paid to complete the 50% deposit. The final payment of the balance of $750 would be due on Adoption Day when the puppy is picked up at eight weeks of age. The total amount paid for the puppy would be $1500. 

Q. Do your puppies receive any kind of training prior to Adoption Day?

A. Yes. From birth they are well socialized with both adults and children. By the time they go home with their forever families, they have been introduced to several things: crate training, puppy pads, doggie doors, walking on a leash with a harness, and behavior training with basic commands and a clicker and treat for positive reinforcement.  

Q. Is there a certain brand of food that you recommend? 

A. Schnauzer puppies are active and live long, healthy lives when they are nourished with high quality food and vitamins. We will send our new families home with a starter pack of food that matches the diet the puppy has been raised on. Adopting families are encouraged to do their own research and talk with their Veterinarian about which food makes the most sense for the health of the new family member and the budget of the adopting family. While Royal Canin is a terrific food, it may be too expensive for all families to continue longterm. There are several options that still meet the health needs of a growing miniature schnauzer and don't cost quite so much. If you can continue a high-quality puppy formula food through their first 6-12 months while they are growing, you will give your new baby a great start. 

Q. Do you send your puppies home with anything for the new families?

A. We send all of our babies home with a starter kit as a gift for the new family. It includes a blanket similar to what we use here, snacks and treats that your puppy has shown interest in during their first eight weeks, some puppy safe toys, and plenty of literature for the new family to learn more about their new baby. We also provide a small token that smells like their Mommy to help ease the transition away from their Mommy and litter mates to their new home with you.

Q. If the need ever arises, do you assist adopting families with rehoming one of your puppies?

A. Yes. In fact, we ask that you contact us anytime. We will take one of our puppies back no questions asked. We will ask you to provide any health records you may have so that we can continue any medical treatments or meet any vaccination needs they may have upon surrender. 

Q. Will you sell to other breeders with full breeding rights?

A. We consider these requests on a case-by-case basis and if agreed upon do charge an additional fee for breeding rights. 

Q. Do you offer stud services to families interested in breeding their female Schnauzer?

A. We consider these requests on a case-by-case basis. We do expect that proposed breeding females are registered, conform to best-in-class breed standards, and fully immunized with a recent health examination prior to interaction with our stud. We will contract for a stud fee and/or pick of the litter.