RoJo’s Miniature Schnauzers are an AKC Certified Breeder of miniature schnauzers with over 17 years of experience. We have made a dedicated commitment to a quality breeding program. As a responsible miniature schnauzer breeder we treat all of our miniature schnauzer puppies with the same love and care as we would a puppy that we may want to keep for our own family. We do not sell any of our puppies to pet stores or brokers. It is important for us to place our miniature schnauzer puppies in loving, pet quality homes. Find out more about our miniature schnauzer puppies in the topics listed below.
INFORMATION ABOUT OUR PUPPIES
AKC Puppy Registration
As an AKC certified miniature schnauzer breeder our puppies are registerable with the American Kennel Club. Full AKC registration is available unless otherwise stated. We provide the AKC puppy registration paper which will be given at time of delivery or pick up of a puppy. In order to receive the official AKC registration paper the puppy registration information must be completed. The next step is to mail it in or process the registration online at akc.org. For additional information and details on how to register a puppy be sure to check out our Schnauzer Colors page regarding traditional and nontraditional color registration requirements by the American Kennel Club.
Health Guarantee
RoJo’s Miniature Schnauzers provides a written health guarantee against any life threatening genetic defects that are unable to be medically treated until the puppy reaches one year of age. A written copy of our Health Guarantee will be provided to you upon purchase of a puppy including the puppy’s information. For more information and details regarding our Health Guarantee please visit our Health Guarantee page. We require you to fill out the information on our Health Guarantee page when purchasing a miniature schnauzer puppy from us. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask.
Health Examination and Certificate of Health
A puppy can not leave our care without having had a head to tail puppy health examination performed by our licensed veterinarian as well as a fecal examination. A vet issued Certificate of Health will be provided to you. We require you to take the puppy to your licensed veterinarian within three business days for a health examination in order for our health guarantee to be valid.
Vaccinations
The health of our puppies comes first and foremost. Proper vaccination is crucial for a young puppy. Just like a newborn baby, puppies are very susceptible to infection. We begin the initial series of core vaccines after six weeks of age to ensure the health and well being of our puppies. A puppy requires two more core vaccines to be given two to four weeks apart from the first initial vaccination. A rabies vaccination is also a core vaccine and can not be given until a puppy reaches 12 weeks of age. A puppy’s health record will be provided when purchasing a puppy from us. The health record will include the vaccinations the puppy has received as well as when the next vaccinations are due to complete the full series of vaccinations. It is very important for a puppy’s health to provide the health record included with the puppy to your licensed veterinarian. The licensed veterinarian will be able to provide any vaccines the puppy may need to be fully vaccinated against susceptible infections and diseases. We highly recommend not taking the puppy around any puppy parks and other places where there is high dog traffic until the puppy has received the full series of core puppy vaccinations.
Worming
Most puppies do get worms. Due to this health concern our puppies are placed on a worming schedule to help ensure against any possible worms. This schedule starts at two weeks of age and continues every two weeks until a puppy reaches the age of twelve weeks. Our veterinarian recommends worming a puppy once a month thereafter. As a responsible breeder we feel it t is important to worm our puppies in order for our puppies to grow and develop into healthy miniature schnauzers. We provide a health record which will include the worming schedule indicating what a puppy has received.
Socialization
As a responsible breeder the socialization process of our miniature schnauzer puppies begins with us. We understand the importance of early socialization. It is helpful in the development of a happy, friendly, well rounded and confident dog. At an early age we begin with the gentle handling of our puppies to get them comfortable with human contact. Additionally, we introduce our puppies to other stimuli such as getting their nails trimmed, taking baths, and being groomed. We continue to provide additional stimuli as a puppy grows and develops. We are also so blessed to have the bonus help of our grandsons. They provide extra socialization for our puppies. Socialization is crucial during the first three months of life for a puppy. It is important for you to continue the socialization process in order for your puppy to know a little about being a good citizen. The American Kennel Club provides more information on the process of puppy socialization: Why, When, and How to do it Right.
Puppy Food – pawTree
As a responsible breeder we take diet and health of our miniature schnauzers seriously, which is why we have chosen pawTree food for our miniature schnauzers. PawTree products are all holistic designed by PhD’s in Pet Nutrition. We start our miniature schnauzer puppies on pawTree Real Chicken & Sweet Potato puppy food at about five to six weeks of age. This is around the time a mother begins the weaning process of her puppies. We begin introducing pawTree food by softening it with warm water. Once a puppy’s teeth are in well enough to eat dry food on its own we switch to feeding it dry. Dry food is better for a puppy’s teeth and gums as this helps to remove plaque. We recommend continuing feeding pawTree food even if you are choosing to feed your puppy a different food. It is highly recommended that you buy a bag of pawTree to gradually transition your puppy over to the new food to avoid upsetting your puppy’s tummy. We recommend doing this gradually over a period of ten days. Don’t delay in ordering a bag of pawTree before the arrival of your puppy. It could take 7 to 10 days to arrive. For additional information about pawTree food take a look at our pawTree page.
NuVet Plus
Our highest priority as a miniature schnauzer breeder is the health of our miniature schnauzers and our puppies. This responsibility includes doing everything possible to make sure you have many happy –and healthy – years together. This is why we use and recommend NuVet Plus. It is not a vitamin. It is a complete immune system support with a precise synergetic combination of vitamins, minerals, omega fatty acids, amino acids and high-potency antioxidants specifically formulated.
For puppies – It fills the immunity gap all puppies experience. Shortly after birth maternal antibody effectiveness is greatly reduced. By 8 weeks your puppy’s immune system is at a vulnerable point. Once in their new home, the immune system is weakened by the stress of adoption and exposure to novel bacteria and viruses in their environment. This is also when the vaccine series is started. Vaccines are only effective if the immune system can respond properly. We start our puppies out on NuVet Plus powder as it can be mixed easily in with the softened food. The NuVet Plus wafer is a great to treat give once a day after your puppy is eating dry food or it can be softened in the puppy food. It is highly recommended to order NuVet Plus in advance before the arrival of your puppy. For additional information about NuVet Plus take a look at our NuVet Plus page.
Dewclaws Removed
Our licensed veterinarian removes the dewclaws on our miniature schnauzer puppies at an early age. The dewclaws are a small vestigial claw higher up on the paw. We feel it is very important to have this professional procedure done. If the dewclaws are not removed it could cause an important health issue later on in life. It is extremely easy for a dog to tear or injure the dewclaw as it gets older. Additionally, the dewclaw does not serve any real purpose. Therefore, we have this professional procedure done on all of our puppies to help prevent injury later on in life.
Tail Docked
A miniature schnauzer puppy is born with a long tail. At an early age our licensed veterinarian docks the tail of our miniature schnauzer puppies. This tail docking is done at the same time the puppy’s dewclaws are removed. This is a professional procedure where a portion of the tail is removed. This is done for various reasons. The first reason is that the slimmer end of the tail can be damaged later on in life and result in injury to the dog. The second reason is for cosmetic purposes. If the tail is cropped at the right length the cropped tail looks great! Of course, tradition dictates the docked Schnauzer tail. Our veterinarian is very careful about what length the tail is docked with beauty and functionality in mind.
Ears Cropped or Natural Ears
A miniature schnauzer puppy is born with naturally floppy ears and fall over. However, on occasion the natural ears may want to stand up. We offer miniature schnauzer puppies with cropped and natural ears. We love the cropped ears on a miniature schnauzer as it is a true characteristic of the miniature schnauzer breed and history. Most of the time our puppies come with cropped ears. Unfortunately, we have found it more difficult to get our puppies ears cropped. Our licensed veterinarian is an hour away from our location and at times we are unable to get in for the ear cropping of our puppies. The cropped ears help to accentuate the beautiful lines of the miniature schnauzer’s head and face. We feel that cropped ears are easier to maintain and keep dry. Our veterinarian performs this professional procedure at around 10 to 14 days of age. Cropping a puppy’s ears at an age younger than this may result in the ears not being shaped properly. As a miniature schnauzer breeder we understand some of our customers prefer natural ears. With this in mind we now provide miniature schnauzer puppies with cropped ears and natural ears.
