FAQ
Do you offer transport?
Yes we do! All puppies can be lovingly transported to any international airport via in cabin flight nanny, or a member of the Duke's Schnauzers team for flat rate fee of $500. Our flight nanny service is called, "Pet Jet Pals", which is licensed, insured, and bonded up to $5,000 per pet.
All puppies are transported via a soft shell pet carrier, and are under the constant supervision of our flight nanny. During the flight, puppies will be either in lap, or directly under the seat in front of the flight nanny (where your carry ons are usually stored). Puppies are NEVER transported in the cargo area.
How much do puppies cost and what does each purchase include?
The price of our puppies varies, but are usually in the ballpark of $2,250-$3,000 for common schnauzer colors. Less common colors, toy size, or those who have colored eyes can cost anywhere from $3,000-$4,500. We are also one of the only breeders who sell the EXTREMLY RARE rust colored miniature schnauzer. Please see the pricing tab for more information.
Each puppy purchase includes SO much more than most other breeders offer, such as...
Puppies are exposed to Early Neurologic Stimulation, Early Scent Introduction, and raised with a one of a kind (developed here at Duke's Schnauzers), "Puppy Culture daily curriculum. Each day of life (starting at day 3), puppies are exposed to various visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli. All of these encounters are incredibly beneficial for puppies health, and emotional/physical development. This allows us to raise the most well adjusted, socialized, and resilient puppies.
All buyers will have access to our 24/7 puppy camera from 4 weeks of age on, will receive "pup-dates" twice a week, and lifetime breeder support.
We produce exceptionally healthy puppies. Dam's & Sire's are DNA tested through Embark and have had their eyes and hearts certified as healthy through the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. All puppies come with a 7 year congenital health guarantee.
All puppies leave our home with their dew claws removed, tails docked, their first vaccination (and an additional parvovirus vaccination for added protection), dewormed, a negative fecal result, a puppy certificate of health from our veterinarian, a puppy folder, microchipped, proof of AKC registration eligiability, and groomed to perfection.
Buyers receive a generous new puppy package just prior to puppies going home, or a gift card to shop for their puppy.
All puppies leave our home with a free 30 days of our favorite pet insurance, Trupanion.
Breeding dogs is our full-time job and our animals are never left alone or, crated during the day. Our dogs are exceptionally cared for, come from beautiful bloodlines and are raised lovingly in our home. We are unique as many breeders house their dogs in a separate building or kennel on their property. These dogs are placed in runs, or cages and are tied down and forced to whelp alone in a plastic bin. We do not operate in this "puppy mill" fashion. We consider our dogs as members of our family, and usually they are no more than twelve feet from us at all times.
Whether or not you purchase from us, we HIGHLY discourage purchasing from a breeder who owns a "puppy mill." Some of the conditions of these operations are atrocious, and while a puppy may be cheaper initially there is no way to predict what health or temperament issues you will need to remediate or pay for later.
What is the Duke's Difference?
The "Duke's difference", is the unparalleled puppy buying experience, and quality of puppy each of our buyers and puppies receive, Put simply, this means you and our puppies will always be our top priority. Not only do our puppies receive the absolute best care possible, but our buyers receive a puppy that is health guaranteed, passed rigorous health screenings, socialized with other dogs and children, received the many benefits of Early Neurologic Stimulation (ENS) and the Puppy Culture Program. Buyers will also have a pleasant, and exciting buying processing which focuses on their relationship with their growing puppy.
While all of these extra's may sound as if they are the industry standard, we can assure you through our years as buyers, they are NOT! We have encountered breeders whose dedication to customer service shone through the transaction, and others who took days to respond, or acted as if questions or concerns were a bother.
How are the puppies socialized and trained?
This is a questions we receive a lot. All of our puppies are hand whelped in our home and regularly handled by our family. This includes adults and children (under adult supervision). The puppies are also socialized with our older dogs when they large enough. Beyond this, we utilize Jane Killion's Puppy Culture techniques to our breeding program. This involves detailed puppy rearing from birth to 8 weeks of age. From this program we have developed a one of a kind curriculum for our puppies which provides an outline of daily exercises for our puppies. Please see our, "Puppy Culture" page for more details on this amazing program.
What is early neurologic stimulation and why is it important?
Early Neurologic Stimulation or ENS, is incredibly important for puppies. It is a set of five simple exercises designed to stimulate your puppies neurological, endocrine and circulatory systems at a point when their brain’s are undergoing massive development. Studies have shown that exposing neonatal mammals to small, brief amounts of stress effectively inoculates them to future stress, meaning that they will be more stable, calm and able to deal with stress as adults. For dogs, this translates into pets that are more able to adapt to their lives in the human world and have less behavioral issues and an even temperament. ENS is performed on all our puppies for 3-5 seconds, 1 time per day, for 14 days (3-16 days old). ENS is beautifully incorporated in Jane Killion's Puppy Culture Program which we abide by.
Is there a waitlist option?
Yes! This is the best way to get the exact puppy that you want. A buyer may be on the waitlist for 2-12 months depending on the color(s) they are interested in. If you are interested in one of our puppies, reach out early.
There is a $450 non-refundable deposit fee to join a litter waitlist. If you decide to not buy a puppy from the litter you are waitlisted for, your deposit will be rolled over to subsequent litters until you are matched with the puppy that suites your families needs.
To be added to our waitlist please fill out our puppy application at the top of our purchase information page, and then review the puppy contract.
Do you allow puppy visits or in home tours?
Please inquire directly regarding this.
What goes into raising the highest quality puppies?
To put it simply, much more than you would think. Here are some example expenses we have to cover for each and every litter:
AKC Litter of Six Puppies
$600-$800 prenatal testing/postnatal (ultrasound, blood tests, x-ray, exam fees)
$1,800-$3,000 cesarean (if needed)
$115 pre/postnatal vitamins
$306 Royal Canin wet & dry food for mom during pregnancy and while nursing
$350 whelping/feeding supplies like feeding tubes, gloves, sterile equipment, antibiotics, oxytocin, calcium, etc.
$35-$200 puppy formula
$280 puppy pads (disposable and reusable) and puppy litter
$147 dewormer & vaccines
$150 AKC reunite microchips
$450 Royal Canin wet & dry food for puppies
$60 puppy treats for training & teething sticks
$50 raw goats milk for puppies
$150-$300 puppy toys and developmental aides
$870 puppy boxes (including shipping)
$42 going home blankets
$300 paper towels & disinfectant
$300 puppy collars, custom tags, and supplies for puppy folder
$37 AKC registration
$200 photography props
$500-$600 litter advertising
$16 puppy shampoo
This estimate does not include the costs associated with taxes, monthly subscriptions for photo editing software, livestream service, DocuSign, added electricity costs to heat/cool the puppy nursery, the price of purchasing our Dam's/Sire's, their regular vaccinations, food, vitamins, grooming equipment, Embark DNA testing, OFA exams and certification costs and much, much more.
To raise the very best puppies a breeder must be prepared to not only invest financially, but also be able to dedicate nearly 100% of their time to their dogs and puppies. Here at Duke's Schnauzers that is exactly what we do, we believe it shows through our puppies.
What are the differences between a large scale breeder and a small scale breeder, and how to determine which breeder is right for you.
The biggest difference between a large scale and a small scale breeder is the amount of time dedicated to each puppy and their parents. When a breeding program is small, generally the breeder is going to be able to allocate more of their time and resources to the development, and care of their puppies. Large scale breeders often house their puppies and dogs in outbuildings, or even cages. They may only let them out to run free periodically...if at all. Some higher producing breeders will have employees, and some will not. Some perform cesareans themselves, in addition to docking tails and removing dewclaws. Many times large scale breeders won't spend the money to try to save a fading puppy, but rather just toss it aside and allow, "nature to take its course." Large scale breeders certainly will never put in the daily effort to nourish your puppies growing brain, and provide it proper socialization, desensitization and will not offer any training. Many of these breeders allow their Dam's to whelp tied down, in a box or plastic bin completely alone. Large scale breeders may have contracts, and many have health guarantees which offer a replacement puppy if a buyers puppy has congenital abnormalities. These breeders can easily offer this due to the sheer volume of puppies they produce. It is of no expense to them to give a buyer a new puppy as they produce hundreds each year. Lastly, these breeders are going give buyers puppies that have never been socialized, and have had little contact with the world outside their whelping pen. These puppies will leave terrified, and will have a harder time adjust to their new home and experiences like grooming, or walking on a leash.
There is an old saying, "quality over quantity" and I believe the same notion applies to dog breeding. Small in home breeders generally raise puppies that are incomparable to those produced in large scale breeding programs. Puppies are attended to by the breeder multiple times a day. Most days I am sitting just on the other side of the wall from my puppies, and have the live stream in front of me constantly. Small scale breeders are going to be hands on with your puppy focusing on each puppies milestones, and supplementing their growth with unique and stimulating experiences. These experiences will allow the puppy to flourish emotionally, physically, neurologically and lay the groundwork for resiliency. Small scale breeders are going to focus very little on how much supplies or treatments cost, and are going to do everything they can to save a sick puppy or dam. Small scale breeders are going to be present when their dam has her puppies, and will provide obstetric intervention and neonatal resuscitation when needed. A small scale breeder should have a contract with a health guarantee but they will likely never have a buyer have invoke the guarantee. Finally, these small scale breeders are going to health screen each of their breeding dogs, and should have then DNA tested, and have them OFA certified. At Duke's Schnauzers we are not only a small scale breeder, but we are the best.
Avenson v. Zegart in 1984, established a definition for, "puppy mills" which is: "a dog breeding operation in which the health of the dogs is disregarded in order to maintain a low overhead and maximize profits." I implore each and every prospective puppy parent to carefully research breeders and envision what type of environment they want their new family member to originate from. Puppy mills may offer a buyer a puppy at a cheaper purchase price, but buyers often pay a high price financially and emotionally in the long run.
Where do you want your next best friend coming from?
