How much are Miniature Schnauzers?
Miniature Schnauzer puppies are priced by the breeders who raise them, and the price is easier to judge once you know what the parents were checked for and what color, ears and papers the puppy comes with. Miniature Schnauzer puppies listed on Puppy Connection right now are priced from $1,800 to $2,000.
Which Miniature Schnauzer colors does the standard accept?
The AKC breed standard allows three colors, which are salt and pepper, black and silver, and solid black. It disqualifies a dog of any other color, and also disqualifies white striping, patching or spotting on the colored areas, apart from a small white spot allowed on the chest of a black dog. It adds that all three colors have uniform skin pigmentation and a solid black nose.
By that standard a white, parti or chocolate Miniature Schnauzer is an off-standard color, and an extra charge for one buys the color itself. If a listing names a color you do not see above, ask the breeder what it is.
Do cropped ears and docked tails change the price?
They can change what is included. The standard describes the ears both cropped, when they are pointed and carried erect, and uncropped, when they are small, V-shaped and fold close to the skull. It describes the tail as docked and says a properly presented Miniature Schnauzer will have a docked tail. Ask whether the puppy's tail is docked, whether its ears are cropped or will be, and who does that work, since it changes what you are paying for and what care follows.
What health testing should the parents have?
Heart and eye exams are what the national breed club asks for in breeding dogs, the eye exam done by a veterinary ophthalmologist. AKC lists cataracts, hyperlipidemia, pancreatitis, liver shunts and urinary stones among the conditions the breed can be prone to, and says responsible breeders have their breeding stock tested. Ask the breeder for both parents' results and when the exams were done.
Does registration change the price?
Papers can be part of the price, and a Schnauzer litter qualifies for AKC registration only when both its parents are AKC registered Miniature Schnauzers. Under limited registration your dog is on record with AKC but its future puppies cannot be, unless the breeder lifts the limit. Ask which kind of registration a listing includes.
What comes home with the puppy?
All 9 listings here come with a vet exam, a microchip and a health record, and 6 come with AKC registration and 3 come with a written health guarantee. Each listing says what that puppy goes home with.
Two Schnauzer listings at similar prices can differ once you add up the vet exams, vaccinations, microchip and any written guarantee. Ask what the guarantee covers and for how long.
How do deposits work?
Breeders who take a deposit ask $500 to $600 to hold a puppy. If you put down a deposit, get the breeder's refund terms in writing.
If anyone selling a puppy insists on a gift card, payment app, cryptocurrency or wire transfer, the FTC's advice is that it is a scam, and that a credit card protects you better. It also suggests a reverse image search on any puppy photo.
What should you ask a Miniature Schnauzer breeder?
Ask what color both parents are and how the puppy's color fits the standard. Ask for the parents' heart and eye results. Ask about the tail and ears, the registration, and how tall the parents stand.
See Miniature Schnauzer puppies
The Miniature Schnauzers on Puppy Connection show what each breeder is asking, and each one names the breeder to contact.