Frequently Asked Questions
What dog food do you feed?
I have chosen Pride Brand dog food to feed to most of my dogs and all of my puppies. Although it does contain grains, the primary ingredient is meat. They have many different ones to choose from but I am feeding the Pro Series 26/20 in the Orange bag. Go to http://www.thepridedogfood.com/index.php for full information.How often do you feed and how much?
My adult dogs are fed twice daily. Usually around 7 a.m. and then again around 6-7 p.m. Puppies are given one extra feeding in the middle of the day. Typically between 12-2 p.m. Most of my dogs and all of my puppies do not get a measured feeding. I put the food down for about 20 minutes and let them eat their fill and then pick it back up again. Schnauzers are known for packing on the pounds which causes some nasty health issues so it is best not to feed free choice.
What treats do you feed?
All of the dogs love Joysticks from J.J. Fud Inc. but they are especially good for the puppies because they are soft enough for their little mouths/teeth but hard enough to keep them busy for a while. The big dogs love them too but will go through them pretty quickly. I buy them by the stick at my local feed store but if you are not real close and would like to order them online, Amazon usually has them but you have to buy them in bulk (boxes of 80 sticks). So far, I have only found them sold online by the stick here: http://mwpetproducts.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=20_352&products_id=2601&zenid=3c9f706291b8c4e4bba7e69d21154abe
My big dogs really enjoy the pig skin twists and it keeps them busy longer. I try to stay away from rawhide or anything synthetic. I have also found that many of my dogs and especially my puppies absolutely love baby carrots so they get those often as well.
Have the puppies been vet checked?
I do all vaccinations & de-wormings myself. Dr. Karen Henry of Buckeye Mobile Veterinary gives the puppies a physical exam around 8 weeks of age and she also takes care of my Rabies vaccines and Heartworm testing/preventative. I can also rely on her if I think there is a problem that requires a veterinary diagnoses and treatment. Her # is 614-563-3166 if you would like to talk with her or if you are just in search of a new vet for yourself. Her service is mobile and she comes to your house for all basic care which is really great for me since I have more dogs than I could comfortably take in to a vet’s office at one time. Also works great for dogs that don't travel well or that are just plain embarassing at a veterinary office.
Do you perform “temperament testing” on the puppies?
I do not officially temperament test my puppies. According to everything I have read, it needs to be done by someone that the puppy does not know. I do not have someone come in and try to do it for me, I just observe the puppies as people come to visit. It is usually pretty easy for me to determine the bold ones compared to the timid ones and since I see them daily, I usually have a fairly good idea of their disposition. If you want to perform the testing on the puppies, you are more than welcome to do so.
Do I get to pick my puppy or do you tell me which one I can have?
You get to pick your puppy and a lot of the time, your puppy will pick you. True, most puppies are very inquisitive and will come up to you as soon as you come in the room. However, that is not really what I am talking about. Most puppies are typical in that the attention span for someone new is fairly short. Many times I have observed a puppy that would normally greet someone and then go off to play that sticks around a new person and either sits next to them watching them intently or curls up in a lap and doesn’t want to join its siblings in some rough & tumble fun. If I feel there is a puppy in the group that may be more likely to fit into your family, I may try to suggest a particular one but ultimately, you know what you like.
How many dogs do you have?
Currently, six. Four females and two males.
How many different breeds do you have?
While I have been tempted to try some other breeds, I know that it will take my focus away from my Mini Schnauzers so I have chosen at this time to stick with my Schnauzers and give them all my attention.
Do you have a building for your dogs?
Yes, I do. It is called my home. I keep all of my dogs in the house and they truly are family pets. They are crated at night to help keep them from roaming the house and trying to guard it all night long and I will crate them when people are coming over so that visitors are not overwhelmed when they walk through the door and then I will let them out one by one so that they can greet our visitors and socialize. Otherwise, they have free range of the first floor of our home when we are around. When we are gone for the day, they have a room in the house that they can come and go as they please to the yard through the doggy door but that keeps them out of the rest of the house in case someone is feeling particularly mischievous that day.
Have you had any problems with allergies in your dogs?
It has come to my attention that Major appears to have a slight intolerance to grains. When I brought him home from the kennel I bought him out of, he had a skin infection that we cleared up with antibiotics. After that, I had noticed that he had a funny odor and greasy skin. After a suggestion from an Irish Setter breeder I know, we decided to try him on a grain free diet. Miraculously the odor is gone as well as the greasy feel to his coat. When on grains, he does not experience any rashes, severe itching, or ear infections so it has not been labeled as an allergy so much as an “intolerance”. He sired 5 litters before coming in to my family so I do not know about those puppies. To my knowledge, the two litters of seven puppies he has produced for me do not appear to show any signs of this intolerance. He has been retired as I do not want to pass that trait along, no matter how mild it is.
What kind of health issues have any of your dogs had?
I have purchased a few older dogs in the past and some of them have come with skin or ear infections. However, after having treatment, the issues have never re-occurred so it was a matter of neglect. With the exception of my oldest Schnauzer having two lose front teeth at the age of seven, none of my dogs have had any health issues since being with me.
What type of health testing do you have done on your breeding dogs?
I currently have their eyes certified with CERF. My breeding dogs have all had regular vet checks and have been cleared with routine physical exams.
Do you have any of the “rare” colors such as White/Parti/Liver/Merle?
I am trying to stick to the American Kennel Club standard. This requires that I stay away from the non-recognized colors. It is true that the White and Parti colored dogs are a throw back from when they used Poodles and other breeds to breed down the size from the Standard Schnauzer . However once those original breeders got the size down, they tried very hard to get back to the dogs looking exactly like small versions of the Standard Schnauzer which only comes in Black and Salt & Pepper. The Black & Silver coloring in the Mini came from the Pinscher that was used to bring down the size. At first it was mistaken for a variation of Salt & Pepper and it was too prevalent in the breed before it was recognized for what it is so the alternative was to accept the color rather than try to breed it out. I have no idea where the Liver w/ green eyes or Blue Merle coloring came from and my personal opinion is that those “Miniature Schnauzers” are truly crossbred in the recent background but that is only my opinion. Unfortunately, the AKC will still register these dogs, they just do not allow them to show. If the AKC would stop registering the dogs all together, I feel that it would help limit the people who are breeding the “rare” colors.
Do you have “Toy” or “Micro-Mini” Schnauzers? What about "Super Coats" or "Mega Coats"?
Not if I can help it. Again, I am trying to stick to the AKC standard of a dog that is 12-14 inches tall at the back . AKC does not put a weight limit in the standard but typically, dogs of this height will weigh between 15-20 pounds at a healthy weight. They are good for a lap but not super petite, toy-ish, or easily broken. Occasionally, and especially in a large litter, I will get a “runt” that stays on the very small Mini size or smaller but I do not breed this on purpose and will not sell those puppy’s with breeding rights. While some of my dogs/puppies may have a softer coat, I try to avoid breeding excessive coats because they are harder to maintain and really do not fit the standard. A coat that is too soft and long or a coat that is too hard and short are both faults in the AKC standard.
While looking at pictures of your puppies, I notice that some of them are listed as “PET ONLY” what does this mean?
Most of my puppies I am happy to sell with breeding rights. However, I will sometimes put a restriction on certain puppies if there is something they are exhibiting that I feel does not fit the standard well and that they may pass to offspring. One example, I will not sell breeding rights on a puppy that I feel is going to be toy sized or smaller. This does not mean they are a bad dog or of poor quality. It just means that I do not feel they should be bred to possibly pass on their characteristics. They will still make wonderful pets which is what most people are looking for.