Miniature schnauzers in the Philippines

This post has long been asking to be written. Over the past five years, I have been hearing people asking for a definitive source of information on miniature schnauzers in the Philippines, and sad to say, there has been none. The breed club has long been moribund, and there are no indications that it will come to life soon. There are active sites on social media, but lately, those sites have had more advertising than discussion.

The first question you may ask, though, is what gives me the credibility to write about the mini schnauzer in the Philippines? I will be first to admit that I am not the final authority, nor am I an expert in miniature schnauzers. What I have, though, is great interest in dogs spanning more than 40 years. I also have boundless enthusiasm for the breed, so much so that I have over 14 miniature schnauzers sharing my home.

Some of them hark from faraway places such as Brazil, Poland, Ukraine, Korea, the United States, Germany/Spain, and Thailand (add Croatia if we would count the dogs of my partner in the breed). Oh, and did I mention that most of them have championship titles?

The great thing about getting dogs from faraway countries is that I have developed a vast network of breeder-mentors around the world. There are many things that books and sites don’t explain, but which breeders who live and breathe schnauzers know very well. Thankfully, they have been generous with their knowledge and I have learned so much from them. Together with the precious bloodlines they have shared with me, I have set up Elan Miniature Schnauzers with a strong foundation.

Of course, there’s nothing like hands-on experience with 14 schnauzers to make me  understand their quirks. For example, do you know that some mini schnauzers are finicky eaters when they’re young, but grow up to be gluttons?

The second question you might ask is why I am focusing on the Philippines? The obvious answer is that I am based in this country, and I’ve raised so many dogs here over more than 4 decades.  But the more important point is that the Philippines has its peculiar challenges that dog owners in general, and schnauzer families specifically, have to navigate. This could range from food to health concerns, all the way to breeding and temperament issues.

From what I know about dog rand mini schnauzer rearing in the Philippines, there’s a lot I’d like to share. Hopefully, you’ll find this blog useful and interesting.

Happy reading!