Miniature Schnauzer is ranked 17th out of 194 America’s most popular dog breeds on Kennel’s club list. This dog is the result of a cross between Schnauzer with poodle and Affenpinscher.
If you are looking forward to raise a miniature Schnauzer you have to consider a number of things such as insurance, grooming, veterinary expenses, food supplies, bedding dog toys and training of the dog.
While procuring this dog it is highly advisable to the people to get it from a reputable and admirable breeder.
The increasing interest of people towards adopting miniature Schnauzer is the fervent nature of the dog and easy availability. Above all these canine-bearing creatures are on trending.
You don’t need to spend extra money on the shipping of the miniature Schnauzer because they are not rare.
Once bought you can easily get attached with it through proper training and care.
Buying the dog from local breeders can be risky because there is no guarantee of proper registration and certification.
After a lot of research, we have compiled for you the guidelines for buying miniature Schnauzers to help you get your favorite dog breed without being worried about the market price and various scams.
Price of the Miniature Schnauzer
The price for getting miniature Schnauzer puppies ranges from $500 to $ 1800 with an average price of $ 950. The lifetime dog expenses may cost $ 18, 750 to the owner and it may vary.
These figures do not include extra services for dogs such as insurance, dog walking, and boarding services.
If you hire a dog walker with a 5 times-a-week service, the expenses lift to $ 6,070- $ 12,250 within the first year of acquiring the dog. In this case, the total lifetime expenses rise to $ 99,955.
The total cost range is high in the case of owners living in expensive residential areas who need extra services and high-end products. On the other hand, people living in the middle-class zone do not need to pay for extra services and products.
Factors affecting this Cost:
Here are some factors which affect the cost of miniature Schnauzer puppies;
Breed
Pure bred puppies are sold at higher price as compared to mixed breeds.
Pedigree
Some breeders are associated with the highly prestigious dog clubs and they add registration fee of the puppies to the total cost in this way you have to pay more while buying dogs from these breeders.
For instant the members of American Kennel Club sell puppies at higher rate.
Medical Expenses
Well known and reputed dog breeders take the medical health of dogs seriously. They get their dogs tested and screened for various medical conditions and diseases.
Some breeders also get their dogs vaccinated along with microchips installation, which increase the overall cost.
Reputation of Breeder
The breeders who tend to spend more money on the care of dogs cost more while selling their dogs.
Dog’s bloodline also matters a lot in this regard.
Age of the dog
People want their dog to be as young as possible therfore the adult dog cost less than little pups.
Training
Well most of the breeders choose to train their breeds by themselves and they expect more prices over trained dogs.
This feature is useful for you because once you get well trained and socially fit dog you do not need to invest extra money on training your dog to make it socially acceptable.
Coat Color
Coat color trend must be taken into consideration, because for specific breeds some colors are more preferred than others.
When trend for specific coat color grows, the demand for the same coat colored puppies’ increases in the market.
Increasing demand is direct indication to enhancing market prices. Purebred puppies with specific coat colors are preferred. The dogs with rare coat colors cost higher.
Lifetime Raising Cost
According to the University of the Veterinary medicine life time cost for raising a dog is $ 23,410, but the miniature Schnauzers are small dogs which require less amount of food.
If you feed mini Schnauzers high quality diet with proper exercise and preventive measures you can save much amount of money by preventing medical emergencies.
As we are speaking here about the life time cost which also include medical expenses it is important to illustrate the type of medical conditions which mini Schnauzers are more prone to;
Miniature Schnauzers are most likely to suffer from Epilepsy, diabetes, allergies bladders stones, but again we will advise you to ensure proper diet along with healthy life styles of dog to prevent these medical symptoms.
According to licensed veterinarians the medical expenses of miniature Schnauzers may be close to $ 590 dollars within the first year. These expenses include the neutering of dog which ranges from $ 50- $300.
These costs may fluctuate according to the location and accessibility of veterinary clinical within your vicinity.
Feeding cost
Miniature Schnauzers are small dogs and adults weigh about 11- 20 lb. The puppy takes 80 lb. of dry food per year and the price varies according to the brand products you choose to feed your dog.
If you are using pedigree, Blue buffalo and Purina products, the average expense on food will be $ 100 per annum. However, this budget can increase or decrease depending upon brand you prefer.
Vet Cost
Experts recommend minimum three visits to the vet within the first year of mini Schnauzer puppy. Each trip to vet costs you almost $65- $ 175. It accounts for physical checkup, fecal examination, and vaccination for rabies, flee and heartworms.
Depending upon the living conditions of your dog you need other types of vaccination too.
Leptospirosis is disease for dogs which are most likely to be exposed to wildlife. If you are taking your dog for hiking, camping and mountaineering, you must get your mini Schnauzer vaccinated ($ 15-25) for this disease.
Vaccination for lyme disease is crucial if dog has got ticks and it costs about $ 60-80 for two doses.
Influenza medication is required if you keep your Schnauzer to dog day care center. This vaccination will cost you $70-90.
The vet cost for adult and old dogs is higher as they require certain blood test and booster shots annually.
Price for Pet Insurance
The price of insurance for both accidental and illness coverage for mini schnauzer dog is $ 565 per year. Insurance is very important to protect the pet owners from unplanned expenses.
Purebred Schnauzers are more likely to get inherited diseases while mix-bred are at the stake of getting health disorder such as heart issues and cancer.
The insurance services include hospitalization, surgery, medication and cancer treatment. The insurance packages can vary according to the dog breed, age, location and your choice.
Grooming Expense
There is need for professional grooming 4 to 8 times per year for miniature Schnauzer. Each visit to professional grooming faculties will cost you money in between $ 40 to $55.
The expenses vary according to locality of grooming centre, coat conditions of dog, age and behavior.
The grooming cost per year is estimated to be $ 160- $ 440. However you can avoid these expenses by grooming your dog by yourself if you are expert enough. The average price of grooming kits available in the market is $ 75.
The grooming kit is a perfect alternative of the costly visits to groomers.
Professional groomers shampoo the hair of your dog, give them bath, trim hair, clean teeth, eyes and years as the part of their duty.
License Fee
Getting your dog registered and acquiring license is one of the most important tasks you should perform after getting new dog, as it is considered illegal to own a dog without any license in various states and territories.
The license fee for dogs in USA is $10-$20.
Dog Microchips
The latest solution to avoid various emergencies is getting a microchip installed in your dog’s skin. This microchip will allow your dog to be enrolled in emergency databases. The microchip for mini Schnauzer will cost you $ 25- $ 50.
Dog Walking
You should not neglect the responsibilities which you have to fulfill after owing a dog. One of these responsibilities is taking your dog for walk on regular bases.
Experts say that miniature Schnauzer is prone to various medical and psychological problems if it is not given regular exercise.
If you are not able to take your dog outside for stretching, it is your ethical responsibility to hire a professional dog walker.
The social dogs are easy to walk along with; on the other hand introvert dogs can cost you more fee of professional walker.
You can find dog walkers from various apps and it will cost you $ 15- $ 25 for 30 minutes walk.
Dog Shelter
This is extremely crucial to provide healthy environment to you pup, for this you need to build a comfortable and cozy home for your dog.
Find proper bedding for your dog, if you go for crate it can charge you $ 14 and owing a bed can charge you $ 11.
Water and food bowls should also be arranged which can cost you typically in between $ 2 to $ 5.
Check out best dog houses.
Training
A miniature Schnauzer is notorious for barking, if trained perfectly, they will alert you during any emergency condition.
The private obedience training for mini Schnauzer costs almost $ 200.
(Learn how to train your dog to howl)
Toys
You can keep your pup active all the time by keeping boredom out of its reach. To fulfill this you have to create a playful niche for your dog with toys in it.
Backyard is ideal area for dog playground, as it will help your dog get fresh air. For extra care just install a fence around play area.
While choosing for toys just be careful of sharp edges which can wound your dog. The ball for dog costs $ 2 roughly and push toys cost $ 5.
Travelling Budget
Dog boarding services are available if you are looking for traveling with your pet. It can cost you $ 25 to $ 85 per day.
It is advice to you that try to avail boarding services as early as possible during public holidays. Delay in this matter can cause increased boarding charges or worse your plan can be ruined.
The airline services also provide special moving facilities for dogs.
Overall Price Consideration and FAQs
Shelter adaptation, feed, travelling services and other dog expenses along with national registration expenses has been covered. The adaptation forms for various agencies are cheaper than others.
The cost may be high or low depending upon size, age, and gender of pup. Average fee for adaptation form is around $ 50 to $ 150.
Dogs from reputable breeders cost more, but the high cost directly reflects breed and dog supremacy.
Does mini Schnauzer shed frequently?
Miniature Schnauzers have wiry coat and they hardly shed at all. But you should take your dog to professional groomers for hair trimming and styling.
Your decency is directly reflected in your dog’s styling so, grooming must be your top priority.
Are miniature Schnauzers good pets?
It is fact that schnauzers are bit more barky than other dogs, so they can make perfect alert pets. They blend well with people and other animals but hold dominant behavior with the dogs of same sex.
They are loyal, cheerful and playful and with a bit of training barking behavior can be altered.
Why was Schnauzer bred?
Actually schnauzers were bred in Germany to get medium sized dogs with same properties. With the passage of time farmers bred small sized Schnauzers to get more compact, suitable and adorable size by combining Affenpinscher and mini poodle.
What size and shape of miniature Schnauzer?
Miniature Schnauzer standard breed calls for 12” to 14”, with standard weight of 11 to 20 pounds. They are reported as strong, sturdy dogs with whiskers.
What are common colors of mini Schnauzer?
Mini schnauzer comes in 3 common colors, black, salt and pepper, and black and silver. Solid black mini Schnauzers are black from head to toe and have wiggly butts. Sometimes solid black schnauzer comes with patch of white hair on the chest.
Salt and pepper is most popular color for Schnauzer dog breed. The eyebrow, beard and toes color of salt and pepper schnauzers is gray and silver.
Black and silver schnauzer follows the same coat marking pattern as salt and pepper. However their coat and undercoat color is solid black.
Ending Note
Miniature Schnauzers are loyal and sturdy dogs and are available in decent coat colors. Cost for buying it varies according to the breeder’s repute. If you are living in elite residential areas it is hard for you to find a dog with low price.
The whole dog thing does not end up after buying the dog; rather you have to provide suitable living standards to your dog. These include good feed, playful environment, a decent shelter and many other such things.
Medical care is also required to increase the life expectancy of miniature Schnauzer. Insurance fee is important to get rid of extra medical charges.
You cannot avoid basic dog needs and charges but choosing smart ways can help you avail best opportunities within minimum price range.
Physical activity can make your dog more fervent and attached to you. Proper arrangements for providing playful conditions and spending time with dog should be done.