Our Breeding Program, by the Breeder

We believe in breeding the highest quality puppies possible. We invest a great deal of time and money into producing the best miniature schnauzers that we can. With each litter, we are focused on improving the next generation and our breeding program. 

Our goal is to always improve the breed – to create puppies who are even better than their parents. 

Our standards set us apart from most average breeders.

Every breeding is carefully researched and planned well in advance.

We strive for sound, trainable, healthy dogs that best

represent our ideal picture of the breed.  We strive to produce healthy individuals, consistent litters with quality in every puppy. We match & blend lineages that focus on health, temperament, and ability to become the best Canine companion you'll be proud to own for many years to come.  Breeding determines the temperament, type, longevity and should always be considered in the purchase of a companion dog.

Here at Happily Ever After, our focus is to promote the preservation of both bloodlines and the breeds we have chosen to work with. We strive for sound, trainable, healthy dogs that best

represent our ideal picture of the breed. Our dogs are sweet, obedient, & do well with their families. We always strive to produce puppies that are aiming for the only highest quality all-around. All dogs have imperfections! Therefore, we try not to double up on a dog’s weaknesses by

looking objectively at our dogs and their faults and not breed to another that has the same characteristics with intentions to only improve them. In short, we look at the whole dog. 

We take AKC breeder education courses yearly to ensure we are always learning, improving and committed to educating ourselves on proper breeding practices. 

Since we have been breeding, there have been dogs that we've removed from our breeding program, often before they have ever bred. Just because a dog has a great pedigree, does not simply mean they will be a producer of quality or that they are quality. If the dog is physically, emotionally and mentally sound, we see NO reason not to incorporate that dog into our bloodline. Doing so helps to eliminate popular sire syndrome and allows us to create genetic diversity in our breed.

Many people like to express their opinions on what are good or bad practices when it comes to breeding. Especially those who have little to no experience in the field of breeding dogs. The number of dogs owned, or litters produced should not define a breeder as long as their dogs and puppies are well cared for and mentally and physically in good condition. Every litter produced should be done responsibly (proper deworming and vaccination protocols, proper socialization, most if not all puppies have homes before breeding and every puppy should be kept in a clean environment). Instead, you should look at the goals each breeder has for their breeding program and determine whether those goals meet what "you" want in a puppy. 

We believe that dog obedience training is an important part of a puppy's development so that our puppies know what is expected and how to behave in an appropriate manner. With proper training, new puppies can become great Canine companions who are a joy to have around the house. We believe in helping our puppies reach their full potential to become superior family companions. 

Puppies are exposed to a variety of sounds, surfaces, and activities designed to socialize and instill confidence and natural instinct. In addition to being given lots of attention, they are handled by us and socialize with our pack on a daily basis.  Not only is this an important part of early socialization to humans and other animals, but it is also essential in helping the puppies form positive associations later in life. What you can expect in a pup from us is a well socialized, healthy puppy who has been introduced to the outside world. 

We take a great deal of pride in selecting families who will not only be a great match for one of our puppies but also advocates for the breed. We help to pair each family with the BEST puppy for their needs! 

If you have never owned miniature schnauzer before, we encourage you to research the breed to make sure it is the one for you and your entire family. Consider your lifestyle, time available for training, what kind of temperament you want in a dog, the expense of raising and feeding a dog, taking it to obedience and other training classes. This is a 10-15-year commitment. 

Most importantly at Happily Ever After we hold the philosophy of "look for a breeder, not a puppy". We do not believe quality should be sacrificed for the convenience of "finding a cheaper puppy sooner". We look for buyers who have the same standards as us who are committed to taking home a pup from our program rather than those who are simply looking for a bargain pup. We believe a strong relationship between a breeder and the buyer is utmost important for the lifetime well-being of the puppies we produce. We are looking for extended family members not just "customers". By purchasing one of our puppies we believe you become an important link to helping us better the miniature schnauzer breed for future generations by providing important feedback for us to breed puppies who are an improvement of the breed.

Care of Our Breeding Dogs

Our breeding dogs are a large part of our family! We devote hours each day caring for them, training them and spending time with each of them. We expect all of our dogs to be house trained, crate trained, do well on a leash and have good manners.

The proper management of a stud dog is imperative to his long-term fertility. Management techniques can vary tremendously, but all must maintain and support the maximum health of the stud dog. Stud work is hard work and requires a male to be at the top of his fitness and on a proper diet. The main problems in mating's are caused by unfit studs. and Doc-roys B-strong to help add any extra needed fat, vitamins and minerals to aid in fertility and coat condition. We also use NuVet  vitamins daily.

The dam's food intake will be gradually increased by a total of 15 to 25 percent by the time of whelping to ensure adequate gain of body weight and an increase of nutritional reserves. During her third trimester until the puppies are weened we feed royal canin’s starter food to make sure she and her puppies are getting everything they need.

Improper feeding of a breeding dam can result in impaired health of both the dam and her offspring, can cause low conception rates and birth defects, problems carrying the entire litter to term, dystocia (labor difficulties), as well as improper mammary development, which reduces the quality and amount of the milk and colostrum produced.

Overweight dams, as well as those who are underweight, may also have many of these problems. We feel it is important to allow regular exercise throughout pregnancy. Females shouldn't be confined and limited exercise or mental stimulation simply because they are pregnant.

The proper management of a stud dog is imperative to his long-term fertility. Management techniques can vary tremendously, but all must maintain and support the maximum health of the stud dog. Stud work is hard work and requires a male to be at the top of his fitness and on a proper diet. The main problems in matings are caused by unfit studs. 

Our studs are kept in top physical condition with regular exercise, routine health check-ups, and a sound diet. A thin or fat stud dog is much more likely to have reproductive problems than a fit dog. Therefore, a proper exercise routine and mental stimulation are utmost important! 

Our dogs are kept in tune with being a family pet & house dog. They each get turns taking trips in the car off the property to socialize and see the world. Our dogs are crate and house trained so retirement is easy for them to adjust to being a pet. Proper housing is key to a dog that is mentally and physically healthy. 

Our dogs are bred based on their overall health at the time of breeding. How many litters, how often and how long a dog will be in our program will vary largely and is solely dependent on the overall condition of the dog. Things taken into consideration prior to deciding to breed a litter are; how well, they have performed during a previous mating, how healthy each previous litter was, and how well they bounced back after whelping. There is no set standard as we believe each dog is an individual and one female may bounce back better than others. As long as a dam carried to term, with no complications, producing a litter of healthy puppies we, will continue breeding the female until retirement. Females will retire at an earlier age while producing enough litters to continue our bloodline and allowing each bitch several years to just be a dog. With the average age of retirement from our program being age 5 rather than the usual age of 8+. We will not compromise the health of our dogs to produce a litter. Once the dam reaches retirement age she will be spayed and become a pet!

Stud dogs are able to perform much longer in a breeding program. As long as a stud is in good condition, producing good litters and readily able to perform he will be bred. Typically studs are able to breed up until age 12 however, each stud is an individual so we will breed them on a case by case basis ensuring they are happy and healthy throughout their breeding career. At any point a dog may need to be retired early we will place them appropriately after being altered. Typically, with a family who has previously owned one of our dogs. 

Overweight bitches, as well as those who are underweight, may also have many of these problems. We feel it is important to allow regular exercise throughout pregnancy. In fact, many of our bitches will be taken to the field to run, hunt and play up until 2-weeks prior to their whelp date. Females shouldn't be confined and limited exercise or mental stimulation simply because they are pregnant.

The proper management of a stud dog is imperative to his long-term fertility. Management techniques can vary tremendously, but all must maintain and support the maximum health of the stud dog. Stud work is hard work and requires a male to be at the top of his fitness and on a proper diet. The main problems in matings are caused by unfit studs. 

Our studs are kept in top physical condition with regular exercise, routine health check-ups, and a sound diet. A thin or fat stud dog is much more likely to have reproductive problems than a fit dog. Therefore, a proper exercise routine and mental stimulation are utmost important! 

Housing: Breeding dogs should be housed in an ethical manner.  Our dogs have a large  yard to play & exercise together. While we do have a kennel as it was important for us to have a place to board our dogs with proper care while we are away this doesn't mean our dogs are not apart of the family. We also rotate dogs into our home to keep them in tune with being a family pet & house dog. They each get turns taking trips in the car off the property to socialize and see the world. Our dogs are crate and house trained so retirement is easy for them to adjust to being a pet. Proper housing is key to a dog that is mentally and physically healthy. 

 Our dogs are bred based on their overall health at the time of breeding. How many litters, how often and how long a dog will be in our program will vary largely and is solely dependent on the overall condition of the dog. Things taken into consideration prior to deciding to breed a litter are; how well, they have performed during a previous mating, how healthy each previous litter was, and how well they bounced back after whelping. There is no set standard as we believe each dog is an individual and one female may bounce back better than others. As long as a dam carried to term, with no complications, producing a litter of healthy puppies we, will continue breeding the female until retirement. Females will retire at an earlier age while producing enough litters to continue our bloodline and allowing each bitch several years to just be a dog. With the average age of retirement from our program being age 5 rather    

than the usual age of 8+. We will not compromise the health of our dogs to produce a litter. Once the dam reaches retirement age she will be spayed and become a pet!

Stud dogs are able to perform much longer in a breeding program. As long as a stud is in good condition, producing good litters and readily able to perform he will be bred. Typically studs are able to breed up until age 12 however, each stud is an individual so we will breed them on a case by case basis ensuring they are happy and healthy throughout their breeding career. At any point a dog may need to be retired early we will place them appropriately after being altered. Typically, with a family who has previously owned one of our dogs. 

I hope that this explanation and the other information on our website helps you make an informed decision on your next family member.