Thank you to:
Thompson Family for fostering
Hazel
Main Family for fostering
Turbo
Mclean Family for fostering
Finn
Golden Family for fostering
Purdy
Spargo Family for fostering
Merlin
Brizuela Family for fostering
Teo
Paulding Family for fostering
Lucy
Guardian Families
Our breeding program would not be successful without the numerous families who participate in our Guardian Family Program. The following information is designed to inform those who may be interested in being a part of this program.
Anyone who owns or has been owned by a schnauzer knows that schnauzers are people dogs. Schnauzers crave human companionship. They do not do well in kennels as their need for people is so strong that a kennel atmosphere can make them destructive, yappy and withdrawn. Those characteristics do not translate into a good pet or parent.
We are NOT a kennel. We are a family who loves Miniature Schnauzers and wanted to find a way to provide the dogs in our breeding program with the best life possible: lots of one on one attention, vacation adventures and plenty of exercise, cuddles and love. With nearly all of our dogs in loving Guardian homes, we are able to have multiple litters spread throughout the year and our girls get lots of rest between litters to spend quality time with their family. Since our dogs are well loved and cared for, their calm, happy, loving demeanors are passed on to their pups which translates into more friendly, smart, loving pups for other families.
How the Guardian Program works:
The female or male “pick of select litters” is sold for a significantly reduced fee to a family that will provide a loving, caring home. The animal lives with this family for it’s entire life except during the times when it comes to us to be bred and then, later to have puppies.
Ownership of the dog is signed over to the Guardian family subject to the Guardian family signing a restrictive breeding contract with us. As the puppy grows, its health, temperament and conformation is monitored to determine if it is suitable for breeding. Once the animal is of age for breeding, we decide who it will be bred to and when.
Placing dogs in Guardian homes results in a far better life for a dog than living in a kennel. The Guardian family program is a good deal for the dog, a good deal for the Guardian family and a good deal for my breeding program. In my opinion, it is one of those “win-win” situations for everyone involved.
If for some reason I decide an animal is unsuitable for breeding, I will ask that it be spayed or neutered. When that is done, our breeding contract is null and void and the animal is able to enjoy the rest of it’s life with it’s family.
Guardian Puppies Available
MUST be located in the LOWER MAINLAND, BC.
AVAILABLE NOW for GUARDIAN HOME
PALMER - DOB: January 2, 2024
$1500 including taxes
1 liver/tan male, 10-12 lbs mature
AVAILABLE May 1 for GUARDIAN HOME
GLADYS - DOB: Feb 19, 2024
$1500 including taxes
Female, liver/tan, mature size 14-16 lbs
Frequently Asked Questions
General
We are very selective in who we choose to become a Guardian family. We want to make sure that our dogs go to safe homes where they will be well cared for and not allowed to escape and get lost or get run over by a car. We expect the dogs to be house dogs. We look for people who have had dogs before. The ideal person is one who has had a dog die of old age. This is a person who know how to take care of a dog and is willing to make a commitment for life to one of our dogs.
Guardian families need to fill out an application form and be willing to provide references that can be contacted during the approval process.
- A Guardian family will generally get a puppy for a significantly reduced fee in exchange for signing over exclusive breeding rights to the dog to us.
- The puppy will come with a name – sometimes the family will be able to select their own name for their puppy.
- They must agree to spend time training the puppy in basic obedience (sit, down, stay, come, walk nicely on a leash).
- They must also agree to use a crate for the dog whenever it is not supervised and feed one of the foods we suggest.
- The family should have a fenced back yard.
- The Guardian family must notify us when the female comes into heat and ensure she is safe and secure during her heat or, if she is due to be bred, bring her to us when requested to do so.
- Must bring the dog back to me for grooming at least once a year. Grooming is provided at a reduced rate. Our dogs are our business cards so it is expected that our dogs will be kept neat, tidy and properly groomed.
Males are generally ready to start their breeding career at 10 months to 1 year of age. We try to give each of our males a minimum of two females to breed each year: one in spring and one in fall. Often, they will sire 3-4 litters a year. Unlike females, a males breeding life can last 6-8 years. How long he is used as a stud and how often he is used depends entirely on the quality of the puppies he is producing. Our studs are under contract for 6 years and then are retired.
As we generally breed our females two to three times during their heat, we will let the Guardian family know as far in advance as possible when the male will be needed. Details will be ironed out once the female chosen for him actually starts her heat. He will need to be dropped off at our house for breeding and then picked up and taken home the same day, once the breeding is complete.
We prefer to groom our own dogs. It allows us to touch base with Guardian families on a regular basis and permits us to observe, first hand, the temperament, structure, growth, coat etc. of our breeding dogs. We provide the grooming for a reduced rate of $25.00 for our Guardian families. We also ask that Guardian families maintain their dog in a typical schnauzer cut for as long as they are part of our breeding program. Our dogs are our business cards and when they look neat and tidy, they represent us well and inspire interest and attention. We will also take new photos of each dog after a groom to keep our website up to date with information that accurately represents our dogs.
Depending on the personality and age of the dog already in a home, a dog may or may not be placed where there already is another dog. We will never place a female in a home where there is an intact (not neutered) male or a male where there is an intact female. Dogs benefit from having animal companionship whether it is another dog or a cat!
I prefer to place my breeding dogs in Guardain homes in the lower mainland of BC. In some cases, where we have an “ideal” family, we will make an exception. We do currently have dogs in Guardain homes in Victoria, Kelowna and Osoyoos as well as throughout the lower mainland.
Some people know how much work it is to raise a puppy and would prefer not to go through the house breaking and chewing stages of a puppy. An older dog is a perfect solution.
On rare occasions, we have a young adult (and sometimes an older female) that we would like to place in a foster home. These are dogs that have been in Guardian homes and find themselves back in our home due to a divorce, relocation or sudden and severe family illness. Sometime people simply decide they can’t carry on with the program and the dog finds its way back to us.
The Guardian family is required to keep the animal current on rabies. Routine vaccinations (no Leptospirosis) every 3-4 years is adequate Flea and Heart Worm are at the discretion of the family however, we prefer to avoid giving our dogs any monthly treatments and encourage our families to use them only as needed.
If there are any medical expenses as a result of breeding or litters, this is taken care of by us.
We track a female’s heat cycles on our computer so we can anticipate when she will come in season next. We plan our breedings based on the information that the Guardian family provides to us. This is why it is important that the information be accurate and delivered in a timely fashion.
We will be happy to go into detail with Guardian families regarding the signs of an impending heat and what to look for.
If at any time something changes in a Guardian home and they are no longer able to keep a Guardian dog, there is no problem with them returning the dog to us. When this happens, we will either place the dog in a new Guardian home or sell it depending on dog.
There are only a few reasons that we would take a dog out of a Guardian home:
- If we find out they are allowing the dog to run loose without supervision
- If the female is accidentally bred or a male accidently breeds a female
- If the Guardian parents do not tell us when a female comes into season (even if we don’t plan on breeding it). We will warn the Guardian family once and take it away if it happens again.
- If someone is arrested for a criminal offense.
- If someone moves without informing us that they have moved.
- If someone allows a dog to become extremely overweight and does not take steps to correct this.
Females
Females come into season twice a year. We typically breed a female for the first time when she is close to two years old and we only breed her once a year so she still has lots of time to spend with her family. Each female will have a maximum of 3 litters and will be retired by the time she is 6 years old. How many litters she will have is determined by her overall condition, the quality of her pups, her attitude and temperament as a mother, the ease of labor and delivery for her and how quickly she recovers optimum health after a litter. Some girls may have less than 3 litters if they are not good moms or if they have problems with pregnancy, labor and/or delivery. These situations are rare.
A heat cycle generally last 3 weeks. There will be bloody discharge for the first 8-10 days of her cycle. Then she moves into her “standing heat” which generally lasts 3-5 days. This phase is where she is “breedable” – will allow a male access to her. Until then, if a male tries anything, he will be told off. Once you are through the first 14-15 days, any discharge is minimal to non-existent and, and for all intensive purposes, she is done her heat although she is technically still in heat until approximately day 21. It’s the first two weeks you need to get through. Most people with an intact female will purchase a diaper for the female to wear in the house so that her discharge does not stain the carpet or furniture. Some females will have noticeable discharge and others can nearly get through a heat without being noticed. Each is different, just like human females.
We generally breed our females two to three times, aiming to time those breedings during the days of her heat where we are likely to produce the most puppies. If she is ready for breeding on day 12 of her heat, the family will drop her off to us on day 12, 14, 16 for breeding. The duration of her visit is usually 30-60 minutes each day depending on how quickly the male works.
After getting bred, she goes back to her Guardian family until 2-3 days before the expected whelp date. She then comes and lives with us until the puppies are born, weaned and start to leave for their own families at about 8 weeks. Once puppies start leaving for their new homes, the female returns to her own family.
Actual extra care is minimal. Gestation is 9 weeks and pregnancy is nearly undetectable until the female is 4-5 weeks pregnant. She will need 50% more food starting on her 5th week. It is important for her to continue normal activity, including daily walks for as long as possible. She will slow down once she enters her 8th week and should be discouraged from jumping up on objects (beds or couches). She may need help getting in and out of vehicles. It is important to be aware that like people, each female is different in how she responds to pregnancy. Some are very active until the day they deliver and others turn into couch potatoes within weeks of being bred.
I will make arrangements to weigh/measure the female at the 4 wk, 6 wk and 8 wk mark of her pregnancy. This helps me to determine how many puppies she will be having. The weigh/measure takes only a few minutes and can be done by the Guardian Family with results emailed to me for my records.
When a female comes to us to have her puppies, we encourage visits and involvement from the Guardian family. Families are welcome to attend the birth (virtually) if they want to. After puppies are born, they can stop by to take mom for a walk or play with puppies. The interaction benefits everyone.
A family is not expected to be involved with the birth and care of puppies.
NO. There is too much that can go wrong during a delivery to risk the life of a mother and her puppies in the hands of an inexperienced person.
Visiting Us:
We do not board dogs or train dogs for people. Once a person talks with us and it is determined that they qualify for one of our dogs, they are encouraged to bring the dog back to us for grooming and a periodic visit. We prefer to have this arranged in advance. Due to the fact that we are not a kennel, we are unable to dog-sit. Since we often have a mom and puppies in the house and mothers get very upset at having a strange dog around her litter it is not possible for us to dogsit for any period of time due to vacations. We are happy to suggest care arrangements to cover for holidays etc. with families and can sometimes arrange vacation coverage with other foster families in our program.
A big THANK YOU to all the families who have been willing to partner with us as a Guardian family. You are all invaluable and your love and care for your dog and support for me are greatly appreciated!
Want to be a Guardian Family?
Please fill out our puppy application if you are interested in adding one of our puppies to your family.