Frequently Asked Questions
1) Are your puppies AKC registered? Yes, we only breed and raise AKC registered dogs.
2) Where do you raise your puppies? All our adult schnauzers live in the house with us. So, naturally, our puppies do, too. They are raised in a main room in our home where they get used to normal household smells, sights, and sounds from day 1.
3) Are you puppies socialized with children? Yes, yes, yes! We have 5 children who adore our puppies and handle them from 2 weeks old until they leave our home.
4) Do you begin house training with your puppies? Absolutely! We believe house training starts at 3 weeks of age with paper training. We use the Misty Method to lay the foundations for house training. We train them to use newspaper in their whelping area. As they mature to 7-8 weeks, we also begin taking them outside (weather permitting) after feedings or upon waking to eliminate. They will not be house broken at 8 weeks. However, unlike a puppy raised in a kennel forced to eliminate in its living area, our puppies know their is an appropriate place to go potty, play, and sleep. Our puppies are ready for crate training at 8 weeks old when you take them home, and they have a good understanding of house training that we hope creates an easy transition for you.
5) What do you feed your miniature schnauzers? We feed them food from Life's Abundance. Read all about it on our nutrition page.
6) Will their tails be docked and dew claws removed? Yes, our veterinarian docks their tails and removes their dew claws.
7) Will their ears be cropped or natural? We leave their ears natural. If you want them cropped, it is your responsibility to get it done after picking up your puppy.
8) Do you puppies come with a health guarantee? Yes, they come with a 14 day health guarantee and a 1 year genetic guarantee. Read the details in our puppy contract.
9) Do your puppies come with a health certificate? Yes, our puppies visit the vet around 7 weeks of age. Our vet provides a health certificate for each puppy.
10) Are your puppies dewormed and vaccinated? Yes, our puppies go home with all their age-appropriate vaccinations and deworming.
11) Do you treat your puppies for fleas and ticks? We use Bravecto on our adult dogs. We do not use Bravecto on our puppies due to their small size. Our puppies are in a very low-risk environment because our adult dogs are treated. We recommend that you Frontline your puppy at 10 weeks of age.
12) What is the price of a puppy? The price is $2500 (limited AKC registration). If you are interested in full AKC registration, which allows the offspring of your puppy to be AKC registered, please contact us.
13) I'm ready to make a deposit! How does that work? You need to first get on our waiting list. Please read the deposit process here.
14) Do you ship puppies? Typically, no, we do not. We feel it is best for families to come and see where their puppy was born. We will, however, evaluate your request to ship a puppy on a case-by-case basis. We are willing to drive up to several hours for a reasonable fee to meet you.
15) Where are you located? We are in southeastern, PA. For a more detailed location, please contact us. We are willing to drive to meet you for a reasonable fee to cover our gas and time.
16) What do you like about the miniature schnauzer breed? My husband and I both grew up enjoying large breeds of dogs. We thought we would "never" own a small dog...and then we began looking for a family dog to have in the house. Some of our good friends had a miniature schnauzer. We were fascinated with the dog's confident, friendly personality and adorable eyes peering out from underneath her eyebrows. So, we asked our friends some questions, researched the breed, and purchased our first miniature schnauzer - Little Miss Jolly. Jolly completely won us over to this breed. We like miniature schnauzers because they possess a loyal family spirit, but yet can be socialized to be welcoming to strangers. They are wonderful with our children. They are trainable and intelligent. They do not shed and are considered hypoallergenic. In fact, we call them the "original oodle," in light of the current trend to breed many dogs with poodles. Miniature schnauzers were most likely bred with poodles in the 19th century, giving them the desired non-shedding quality sought in the "oodle crosses." Contrary to what you will read about the breed online, we have not found them to be a vocal breed. All in all, you will find the miniature schnauzer to be the ideal family dog!
17) Why should I buy a miniature schnauzer puppy from Russell Homestead? We love what we do - raising puppies as a family. We are not a puppy mill. Our adult mini schnauzers are raised with love and care. All our adults have passed the AKC S.T.A.R. puppy program and basic obedience training. Our puppies are unique because they are raised in our home with lots of love and handling from us and our children. We work hard to socialize them and begin house training through teaching them the basics of crate training through the Misty Method. We enjoy meeting people and passing on our love for and knowledge of this remarkable breed! You can read customer testimonials here.
18) Do you have a puppy contract? Yes, read it here.
19) Can you help me estimate my puppy's adult weight? You can view our adults' weights on their pages. You can also use this website to estimate your puppy's weight. We cannot guarantee your puppy's weight at maturity, but we will do our best to give you an idea of what we estimate.
2) Where do you raise your puppies? All our adult schnauzers live in the house with us. So, naturally, our puppies do, too. They are raised in a main room in our home where they get used to normal household smells, sights, and sounds from day 1.
3) Are you puppies socialized with children? Yes, yes, yes! We have 5 children who adore our puppies and handle them from 2 weeks old until they leave our home.
4) Do you begin house training with your puppies? Absolutely! We believe house training starts at 3 weeks of age with paper training. We use the Misty Method to lay the foundations for house training. We train them to use newspaper in their whelping area. As they mature to 7-8 weeks, we also begin taking them outside (weather permitting) after feedings or upon waking to eliminate. They will not be house broken at 8 weeks. However, unlike a puppy raised in a kennel forced to eliminate in its living area, our puppies know their is an appropriate place to go potty, play, and sleep. Our puppies are ready for crate training at 8 weeks old when you take them home, and they have a good understanding of house training that we hope creates an easy transition for you.
5) What do you feed your miniature schnauzers? We feed them food from Life's Abundance. Read all about it on our nutrition page.
6) Will their tails be docked and dew claws removed? Yes, our veterinarian docks their tails and removes their dew claws.
7) Will their ears be cropped or natural? We leave their ears natural. If you want them cropped, it is your responsibility to get it done after picking up your puppy.
8) Do you puppies come with a health guarantee? Yes, they come with a 14 day health guarantee and a 1 year genetic guarantee. Read the details in our puppy contract.
9) Do your puppies come with a health certificate? Yes, our puppies visit the vet around 7 weeks of age. Our vet provides a health certificate for each puppy.
10) Are your puppies dewormed and vaccinated? Yes, our puppies go home with all their age-appropriate vaccinations and deworming.
11) Do you treat your puppies for fleas and ticks? We use Bravecto on our adult dogs. We do not use Bravecto on our puppies due to their small size. Our puppies are in a very low-risk environment because our adult dogs are treated. We recommend that you Frontline your puppy at 10 weeks of age.
12) What is the price of a puppy? The price is $2500 (limited AKC registration). If you are interested in full AKC registration, which allows the offspring of your puppy to be AKC registered, please contact us.
13) I'm ready to make a deposit! How does that work? You need to first get on our waiting list. Please read the deposit process here.
14) Do you ship puppies? Typically, no, we do not. We feel it is best for families to come and see where their puppy was born. We will, however, evaluate your request to ship a puppy on a case-by-case basis. We are willing to drive up to several hours for a reasonable fee to meet you.
15) Where are you located? We are in southeastern, PA. For a more detailed location, please contact us. We are willing to drive to meet you for a reasonable fee to cover our gas and time.
16) What do you like about the miniature schnauzer breed? My husband and I both grew up enjoying large breeds of dogs. We thought we would "never" own a small dog...and then we began looking for a family dog to have in the house. Some of our good friends had a miniature schnauzer. We were fascinated with the dog's confident, friendly personality and adorable eyes peering out from underneath her eyebrows. So, we asked our friends some questions, researched the breed, and purchased our first miniature schnauzer - Little Miss Jolly. Jolly completely won us over to this breed. We like miniature schnauzers because they possess a loyal family spirit, but yet can be socialized to be welcoming to strangers. They are wonderful with our children. They are trainable and intelligent. They do not shed and are considered hypoallergenic. In fact, we call them the "original oodle," in light of the current trend to breed many dogs with poodles. Miniature schnauzers were most likely bred with poodles in the 19th century, giving them the desired non-shedding quality sought in the "oodle crosses." Contrary to what you will read about the breed online, we have not found them to be a vocal breed. All in all, you will find the miniature schnauzer to be the ideal family dog!
17) Why should I buy a miniature schnauzer puppy from Russell Homestead? We love what we do - raising puppies as a family. We are not a puppy mill. Our adult mini schnauzers are raised with love and care. All our adults have passed the AKC S.T.A.R. puppy program and basic obedience training. Our puppies are unique because they are raised in our home with lots of love and handling from us and our children. We work hard to socialize them and begin house training through teaching them the basics of crate training through the Misty Method. We enjoy meeting people and passing on our love for and knowledge of this remarkable breed! You can read customer testimonials here.
18) Do you have a puppy contract? Yes, read it here.
19) Can you help me estimate my puppy's adult weight? You can view our adults' weights on their pages. You can also use this website to estimate your puppy's weight. We cannot guarantee your puppy's weight at maturity, but we will do our best to give you an idea of what we estimate.