Miniature Schnauzer Puppy Queries

The Miniature Schnauzer is a smallest dog in the Schnauzer breed and originated in the mid-to-late 19th Century from Germany. The Miniature Schnauzer is a cross between the Standard Schnauzer and other smaller breeds such as the Poodle. A miniature Schnauzer is a spunky, but aloof dog who does things their own way. They tend to be good guard dogs without the tendency to bite.
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Please feel free to post here if your topic does not fit into one of the categories under 'Caring for your Schnauzer'. There are sections for breeding, feeding, grooming, showing and many more that may be more appropriate than this generic section
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ndtri01
Posts: 4
Joined: 13 Nov 2020, 17:10
First Name: Neil

Miniature Schnauzer Puppy Queries

Post by ndtri01 »

Good afternoon
New to the forum and new to hopefully owning a dog. Although we have had the pleasure of looking after my in laws dogs for years when they are on holiday.
One of my mother in laws dogs was a beautiful Miniature Schnauzer called poppy who sadly passed away at the age of 14 . She was the reason that we said if we were ever to get a dog of our own it would be a Miniature Schnauzer . So we have decided to go ahead and would appreciate any advice especially on how to contact reputable breeders. We are based in Surrey but are happy to travel ( Covid restrictions) not withstanding . I have seen mentioned during my searches that a lot of people are getting "lockdown puppies" that is certainly not our thoughts rather for life. Thanks Neil
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zeta1454
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Joined: 19 May 2011, 16:58
First Name: Leigh
Dog #1: Magic
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Born: 20 Apr 2010
Dog #2: Trilby
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Born: 15 Mar 2012
Dog #3: Pip
Born: 21 Feb 2014
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Location: North Yorkshire
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Re: Miniature Schnauzer Puppy Queries

Post by zeta1454 »

Hello Neil and welcome to the Forum :)

Do have a browse through the topics in the Puppy Care and the Breeding sections of the Board Index as there are several which will help guide you through what you need to look for in a reputable breeder. Sadly due to the COVID restrictions, many reputable breeders have been delaying having litters this year because of the difficulty of home checks, visits by prospective puppy families etc. This has led to fewer well bred puppies being available and a free for all with puppy farmers and backyard breeders offering pups at ridiculously inflated prices without health testing or any of the safeguards you would expect from a good breeder. This means that you may have to wait a while to find a puppy and possibly travel further when you do find a good breeder who will have pups available. Do be aware also that the run-up to Christmas and New Year are never a good time to get a puppy in the best of times and it is likely you would have to wait until 2021 in any event before bringing home your new canine companion.

I would recommend checking out the breeders on the Kennel Club Assured Breeder lists initially and contacting them for a chat and to find out more about their breeding plans. These breeders will have been inspected by KC assessors and do have to comply with health testing and a comprehensive range of other commitments to welfare and support for new puppy families. Nevertheless, even with those listed there, do be sure to check them out fully yourself to be sure you are confident in their breeding and the support they will offer you if you do get a puppy from them. Expect to be quizzed yourself about your family, home environment and your expectations and plans for life with a miniature schnauzer :)

This is the link to the Assured Breeder lists although the Kennel Club is currently updating its website so there may be omissions:

https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/search ... rest=False

You could also contact the Secretary of each of the 3 breed clubs in the UK which are the Miniature Schnauzer Club, the Northern Schnauzer Club and the Schnauzer Club of Great Britain for lists of breeders among their membership although these may not necessarily be breeders who have been independently inspected so again you would need to make your own enquiries. All three clubs have websites which you can search through for more information about the breed, health issues etc. too.
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

Magic - Silversocks Sharade at Darksprite
Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud


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ndtri01
Posts: 4
Joined: 13 Nov 2020, 17:10
First Name: Neil

Re: Miniature Schnauzer Puppy Queries

Post by ndtri01 »

Thank you very much for the information, We are very happy to wait to get the right puppy from the right breeder
Neil
ndtri01
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Joined: 13 Nov 2020, 17:10
First Name: Neil

Re: Miniature Schnauzer Puppy Queries

Post by ndtri01 »

Just a further question
I have just seen the website pets4homes with various puppies for sale at various prices and with various details some kennel club registers some not

Is this reputable and are the prices (£2-3k) about what I would be expected to pay

Really do not have a clue


Thanks again for any info

Neil
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zeta1454
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Posts: 5136
Joined: 19 May 2011, 16:58
First Name: Leigh
Dog #1: Magic
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Born: 20 Apr 2010
Dog #2: Trilby
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Born: 15 Mar 2012
Dog #3: Pip
Born: 21 Feb 2014
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Location: North Yorkshire
Contact:

Re: Miniature Schnauzer Puppy Queries

Post by zeta1454 »

Hi Neil,

Generally speaking I would avoid online selling sites as a place to source a well bred puppy. There may be the occasional well bred puppy to be found there but reputable breeders are likely to have a waiting list of puppy seekers even before pups are born and will have no need to use a selling site. It is always really hard to assess from an online advertisement the real background to the pups for sale as most will be there either via a dealer or from a puppy farm or backyard breeder.

As regards prices, this will vary throughout the U.K. as pups in the South East areas of England may be advertised at higher prices than in the north of the country due to the often higher cost of living generally in these areas. This is a generalisation but has been the case for many years. The current huge inflation in puppy prices has been due to the sudden shortfall in numbers of pups available in particular from reputable breeders and the fact that too many people have thought getting a puppy during lockdown would be a good idea with no thought for the future. Demand has allowed the worst breeders to artificially hike their prices knowing that some will pay them just to get a puppy quickly. It may be the case that some reputable breeders may feel they will have to raise their usual prices to avoid it seeming that their puppies must be less good in some way if they are “cheap” compared to the puppy farmed ones. Nevertheless I would have thought that most of the best breeders would not be drawn into this and would be continuing to sell their puppies at their usual prices which, for miniature schnauzers, should not be as high as £2-£3,000) IMO I would have expected £1,500 possibly as much as you should be paying although as I say it may vary around the country. In 2017, when we had our last miniature schnauzer litter £950 would have been the usual cost for a well bred puppy in our area. However, to a great extent the cost is related to how much you are happy to pay in terms of the quality of breeding, health of the puppy, on-going support and having real trust and confidence in the breeder. Even if a price was above what you had in mind, it may be you would be happy to pay more for reassurance of a trustworthy breeder and a healthy self confident puppy. The problem currently is that prices are no longer a reflection of quality.

As regards Kennel Club registration, this sadly is no guarantee at all of a reputable breeder. The KC itself acknowledges that basically registration is very similar to birth registration for people. There are some conditions attached in that pups cannot be registered from a very close mating (father / daughter or mother/ son for example) and a bitch must be over 1 year old and under 8 years old. The parent dogs must also be dogs that are themselves registered with the Kennel Club as the pedigree database for an individual dog should go back several generations. There is also a 4 litter limit for a single bitch and more than that will no longer be registered although in the past this was a higher number.

There are no checks made on the breeder themselves, no health test requirements as regards the pups or parent dogs and much is taken on trust so can be falsified if a breeder was so inclined. The Assured Breeder Scheme was set up to try and address the concerns many people had about very poor quality breeders advertising pups as KC registered as though this was a sign of a well bred dog and a reputable breeder.

The ABS is a voluntary scheme and members apply to belong and pay an annual fee. They are inspected before membership is confirmed and, after that inspected at least every three years by experienced assessors whose inspections are around 2-4 hours and a considerable amount of paperwork is also required, from health test certificates, Contracts of Sale for puppy buyers, new puppy owner guides regarding the pups in the litter - health, activity, temperament, grooming and some background history of the breed, and more. Certain health tests such as the BVA eye screening for miniature schnauzers is mandatory for both parent dogs in order to register a litter under the ABS and there is an extensive list of welfare requirements which the assessor will check on the inspection. This is why the ABS members should offer some peace of mind to puppy seekers that they are breeding to a high standard but, if you do contact one, do check things out yourself.

Sometimes even if a breeder is doing the right things you may not feel comfortable with them or something about their dog rearing and you do need to be confident that you could always go back to them for advice and support if ever needed. Although we no longer breed, we still keep in touch with our puppy buyers, if only with Christmas cards and new year wishes and have a private Facebook page for them to post photos, questions or anything about their dogs to share with other families who have pups from the same litter or the same parent dogs. I know not everyone is looking for that kind of on-going contact and that’s fine, of course, but I think it is good to feel a breeder cares enough about their pups to be there as a support to new puppy families if needed and to be happy to hear how their puppy is developing.

In short, if a puppy is KC registered, it should mean certain minimal welfare requirements have been met and that the dog is actually the breed it is advertised as but little more than that and even these requirements may be got round by serious fraudulent breeders. There will be KC registered dogs from first class breeders who have chosen not to join the Assured Breeder Scheme but it is more difficult to judge this unless or until you have checked them out. Reputable breeders will almost always belong to the relevant breed Club, show some of their dogs currently or at some time in the past and have a good in-depth knowledge of the breed and raising puppies well which they can share with new puppy families. They are also likely to have a waiting list for their puppies (even when there is not a pandemic!). If a dog is not KC registered, there is absolutely nothing to prove they are the breed they are claimed, nor parentage or health tests etc. so avoid at all costs.
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

Magic - Silversocks Sharade at Darksprite
Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud


https://m.facebook.com/pages/category/C ... 916994967/
ndtri01
Posts: 4
Joined: 13 Nov 2020, 17:10
First Name: Neil

Re: Miniature Schnauzer Puppy Queries

Post by ndtri01 »

Thank you very much that is really great information

N
lorryd
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Re: Miniature Schnauzer Puppy Queries

Post by lorryd »

We had a dodgy run in with a pets4homes "breeder" a month or so ago. We lost our little schnauzer girlie Daisy, at the start of the covid outbreak. We were heartbroken and our home felt so empty. After some discussion we decided the time was right to share our home once again with a puppy. We discovered that Daisy's breeder has sadly passed away and started the search for our new puppy.
The day after we decided I found a pup for sale on Pets4 Homes. We were very excited after contacting the breeder to be told the puppy was still available. I had a little voice of doubt in the back of my mind because it had been so easy but excitement overcame my doubts.
The breeder was local authority registered so I checked with the relevant local authority and indeed they were registered breeders. The puppies were apparently raised on a small holding, used to other animals, children etc and KC registered. We arrived at the given address, a small terrace in a large housing estate. We were going to drive off then and there but decided we had driven so far we would investigate. Knocked on the door, no sound of dogs, nothing to show that dogs lived in the household. A quick look in the back garden revealed a concrete square covered in rubbish and trampolines. We decided to just walk away, the "breeder" sent several texts and after we confirmed we had been knocking on the correct door we informed them that we wouldn't be seeking to buy the puppy. We were so very disappointed but everything felt wrong and we have put it down to experience.
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mikegoodson1
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Re: Miniature Schnauzer Puppy Queries

Post by mikegoodson1 »

Not sure if it helps but when we bought our first MS puppy, he cost £950 in November 2015, two years later, from the same breeder, we purchased another MS puppy and she was £1,350 (these costs are from memory) so I suspect between around £1,500 to £2,000 would be the going rate now.

Both puppies were from a breeder on the KC website and are KC registered.

Good luck :)
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schnauzer
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Dog #1: Suzi (RIP) 13/4/17
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Born: 15 May 2004
Dog #2: Gino/Siglette Shadow
is a: P/S Mini Dog
Born: 09 May 2017
Location: East Kilbride, Scotland

Re: Miniature Schnauzer Puppy Queries

Post by schnauzer »

Hi Neil
Welcome to the forum do wish you luck in your search for your puppy, we are in Scotland, you certainly wont regret having a Mini Schnauzer as they are super wee dogs. We got our first Mini a girl in 2004 from Carlisle & she cost £500 sadly lost her in 2017. She left a huge gap but we were lucky that her groomer (an ex MS breeder & a Judge of the Breed) was able to tell us about a due litter, to be honest we weren't sure that we really wanted to go back to the puppy stage as we weren't getting any younger but as the litter was 5 boys & one girl, the decision was made we had had our special girl & took a boy £950 & from Ayrshire a 30 minute journey so much nearer home. Best decision he went all night from day one without an accident admit a few during the first week but was so easy to house train. He's now 3.5yrs old and is my Shadow & is one super wee boy.

Know its difficult at the moment with the current Covid situation but do hope its not too long until you are a Schnauzer owner. Look forward to hearing more from you do hope its not too long until you have your puppy.
Christine & Gino (Siglette Shadow (born 9/5/17 ---

Suzi (15/5/04---13/4/17) (Sugarbabe) RIP loved you to the moon & back, miss you so so much precious girl
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