Looking For A Puppy...

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pictured above, CH Adamis Heart Breaker, "ABBEY" and to her right, her best in show winning son...CH Sterling' Ugly From The Front, "LYLE"

Although the purpose of publising this web page has been to share our enthusiazm about our dogs, we have often been asked to list or notify people , via the web page, of puppy availabilty. At The bottom of this page, we have added a list of puppies that we may have available or puppies that our friends may have. Please feel free to contact us if you wish to check on puppy availability.

Puppy buyer guidelines and suggestions;

When looking for a puppy, be it from us or from any breeder, there is one simple things that you can do that will ensure that you get the very best puppy for you; THINK!

Think about the lifestyle that you lead. Will there be long periods of the day that you will be away from home? Do you have very small children in your home? Are there other adult dogs already in your home? Perhaps in these cases an older puppy would be better suited for you.

Why? Many breeders keep promising show prospects for several months after their litter mates may have left to their new families. Sometimes, in spite of all the breeders measuring, training and hoping, some puppies just don't develop the characteristics that we originally thought he would or that we had bred for. This type of older puppy would be nicely suited for a family with small children who may be unfamiliar with how to handle the smaller puppy. The advantages of an older puppy are many; often he is already crate and/or house trained. He walks on a leash and exhibit good puppy manors. He is socialized around other canines and he has all of his shots. He is accustomed to being groomed and handled and what you see is what you get with respect to color, size and temperament. Because the investment of both time and expense are greater, a breeder may ask a slightly higher price for this puppy. Pay it, it's well worth the extra few dollars to save months of intensive training and medical updates, often 1 trip to a Veterinarian will differ the additional cost up front.

Think about the type of temperament that best suits your living situation. Do you live in an apartment building, where noise may be an issue? Are you a homebody or do you like to travel? Are there other pets or do you have frequent visitors?

All of these questions help to determine whether the quiet, content, sit on your lap puppy would be happiest in your house, or would the get up and go "spitfire", ball of energy puppy do better? Puppies are like people, they have inherent qualities that make them individuals, regardless of your situation, you do not want a frightened, scarred or nervous puppy, this type of puppy needs a special situation and it is the responsibility of his breeder to see that the special socialization and training needs of this puppy are met BEFORE he is adopted.

However, if a puppy comes to you freely and would rather sit on your lap than chase a ball, this does not mean he is a good puppy or a bad puppy. It may help determine if he is the right puppy for your life style. Certainly an older person or a stay at home person would be the best candidate for this pups long-term happiness.

Think about the long-term plan and provide an alternative. Where do I foresee my life 15 years from now? Do I own or rent? My kids have promised to do all the work if we bought them a puppy, isn't that a great way to teach them responsibility?

OK, which one of these questions bothers me the most? ALL OF THEM! Puppies are for life, they are like adding another child to your family structure, the only difference is that a puppy will never learn to brush his own hair and teeth, he will never learn how to make his own food and he will never be old enough to stay home alone while the rest of the family goes on vacation. Puppies do not make good Christmas and Birthday presents, in fact most reputable breeders will not allow you to purchase a puppy as a surprise gift for a family member or friend. Why, because the responsibilities of dog ownership are many and the average Miniature Schnauzer lives 12 to 15 years. If a breeder is going to entrust a lifetime of care and feeding of his puppy to someone, it is going to be a person who is prepared to accept full and total responsibility. Buying a puppy for a 10-year-old child is NUTZ! This puppy will be around, god willing, while that 10 year old grows up, goes to college, starts a career, gets married and blesses you with a grand child…Now, who is really going to be responsible for the life time care of this puppy? I am not saying if you have a child you should not have a dog, in fact, I feel that kids and puppies belong together. But the adults in the household must accept reasonability for the life of this new family member.

Frequently asked question? And, "what am I suppose to say?"

Do both parents live on the property?

What is the correct answer for this question? Often a bitch that a quality breeder has is co-owned with a second party. The mother may not live with the breeder. HOWEVER, the breeder should be able to arrange a meeting with the puppy's mother, by either scheduling her to visit at the time of your visit or by getting you in touch with the co-owner so that you can visit her at home. The best breeders recognize that their dogs are not perfect; they choose a mate for their bitches based on the qualities that a good stud dog can offer his line or breeding program. In some cases that dog may be from another state on another coast or another country. The breeder should be able to produce a quality photo of the stud dog and the name and number of the owner. So if circumstances allow you to meet both parents, GREAT, but a valid reason for not having the parents on the property should not be a problem when you are dealing with a reputable breeder of quality dogs.

"I do not care if the parents are champions, I only want a pet.

" YIKES! Of course you should care. The fact that a breeder has invested the time and money necessary to make his breeding stock into champions shows you that he believes that his dogs exhibit the qualities and characteristics, with regard to size, color, temperament and longevity, that made you attracted to the MINIATURE SCHNAUZER in the first place, and that the educated judges who inspected the dog at the conformation events agreed that these specimens are dogs of quality. Most quality breeders give a health guarantee against genetic abnormalities, It would not be prudent to offer this type of guarantee if the parents and ancestors of this dog were prone to any type of genetic abnormality or temperament irregularities.

Recently a local "breeder" has been telling puppy buyers that his dogs are better because the mother comes from a pet store and his puppies "peasant blood" mean that they are stronger and healthier. What kind of crazy talk do puppy buyers fall for these days. A reputable breeder is breeding with the intention of "IMPROVING THE BREED" This means paying attention to every aspect of the AKC standard of perfection. Temperament, health, longevity are all things that REAL breeders address. The worst thing a breeder can do is introduce weak, unscrupulously bred lines into a pedigree. These pet store puppy mills have no second thoughts about putting any old name on a litter registration, they do not keep intouch with their puppy buyers and trac the health and longvity of their puppies. So why would you want this behind your new puppies pedigree? Here at STERLING"we stand behind our practice that Champion to Champion breedings will produce the strongest, healthies and most superior puppy that you can find.

And last but not least, Use common sense.

Visit the puppy where it lives; If a breeder asks you to meet them and their puppies anywhere but at the home where the puppies are being raised. Ask why, I for one want to see where a puppy is raised before I bring it home. Picking up a puppy from a person in a van or at a friends house or Vet's office parking lot... no matter how nice they seem, is just DUMB! I want to see if the person selling me the puppy is really who they represented themselves to be. Best way to do this is to visit their home!

Why pay more; If a breeder asks you to pay more for a puppy because of gender or color (ie: more for a girl or a black) then walk away and purchase your puppy from someone else! NO EXCEPTIONS! These breeders are capitolizing on a situation and on the consumers lack of facts. A pet price is a pet price! Remeber that you are buying a pet, a member of your household... you will love that puppy if it is green or spotted... ALL reputable breeders protect their pedigrees and dogs with non-breeding agreements and limited registrations. Once your black female miniature schanuzer puppy is home, clippered for a year and spay... guess what... she is no longer black and no longer reproductively female... BUT, you are just as in love as you ever could be... Do not believe that females are more loving, truth is induvidual temperament is based more on personality and up brining than gender! or that blacks and black & silvers are "MORE RARE" or more valuable. Truth is that black is a dominant color, only 1 parent needs to be black to make black puppies. The reason there are not as many available is because people are just not breeding them... this should tell you something, RIGHT! and by the way.. in over 10 years of breeding our ratio of boy to girl is almost even...

Puppies currenty available; click on dogs (**call**) name to see photo of the dog.

We currently have a ltter from CH Sterling' Adiemus Seductress (Maddy) and Sterling' Green Monstah (Fenway). 4 girls and 3 boys, Born May 23, 2008. This is a very exciting litter, Puppies avaialble from this litter will be ready in August 2008. (Email us at for sterlingms@comcast.net )

We currently have a ltter from CH Regency's Sterling With A Twist (Brandy) and CH Sterling' American Express (Blue). 2 girls and 2 boys, Born May 30, 2008. This is a very exciting litter, Puppies avaialble from this litter will be ready in August 2008. (Email us at for sterlingms@comcast.net )

We currently have a couple of adult females available for adoption, If you think that an older dog would be appropriate for your family, please contact us for details. 603-513-1760 home 603-674-2979 cell 603-437-7262 days.

Upcomming litters

***photo's of the parents who's name apears in bold dark blue print can be seen by clicking on the name.

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