I'd like to start out by saying first of all how thrilled we are that you have found our site, whether you just found us in a search engine or someone told you about us or you saw us at a show. WELCOME!    My name is Tami Phillips and myself and my family breed and raise the pups here. I have two daughters, Brigette and Samantha-Brigette who is a very active and successful junior exhibitor and my husband Steve. We consider ourselves to be not a "hobby" kennel, but a Home Based Kennel. We may be small if you consider the amount of standard schnauzer breeding stock we ourselves have right now, and the fact our home and kennel and grooming area is only on 5 acres in Northern California between Lodi and Sacramento, but we do not consider what we are doing or trying to accomplish with our breeding program a "hobby".

We are trying to not only better the breed itself but we are very intent on breeding the best blacks to the best blacks and producing the finest black Standard Schnauzers possible as we feel only this kind of selective breeding will be consistently recognized for his true excellence and by staying true to the AKC breed standard.

As it stands right now and we personally will keep you updated always on the site as things change, and we grow with the times- but with the breeding stock we own now as of 2005, will be producing two litters per year maximum. Now again, that can and will change but it takes a very long time to find the best blacks possible and most of the truly good blacks come from Europe ie, Italy, Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands. So importing these fine dogs of great heritage and great breed type and truly great solid black coats, eyes and pigmentation is not an overnight process and it is a very expensive process as well. Because we are a small Home Based Kennel it allows us and you the potential puppy buyer to purchase a truly healthy, happy, and well socialized puppy from a family that despite our size, take this breed very seriously, and love what we do-so for us it's like having the best of two worlds. The pups are whelped in a heat activated state of the art whelping box we keep right beside or bed, so we can be with the mother when she is going into labor and dutifully watch over her. My husband is also in the medical field and I have 14 years of horse breeding and foaling out up to 70 mares a year...so between the two of us, we feel we are knowledgeable in the area of breeding and whelping pups and any medical emergency that could come up. When the pups are born we immediately clean them up, check their breathing, heart, lungs, we put different color collars on each one and record each pup by birth order and then sex and mark down the collar color so we can use the information on a daily basis to monitor the pups weight, and overall health, and progression-motor skills, such as eyes opening, ect.  We also use a very well respected small and large animal veterinary clinic with a 24 hour lab and pharmacy with some of the best reproductive vets in California. So we have a good support system for not only a emergency but for routine care, such as inoculations, tail docking, and micro chipping each puppy, and monitoring each pups progress. Our pups then move to our "sanitary" garage where they still have their whelping box in which to get warm and sleep but we then attach a good sized  weaning section to this box, and it allows the mother to move freely around, and the pups to do the same, but within the confines of the weaning area. This is where they get introduced to actual meat parts and puppy food and they start their introduction to independence and the real socializing begins. We are always touching and rubbing and holding the pups, making sure to expose them to our children, new people like neighbors and friends who work with them every day ..we can't hardly keep them away.  Also to different sounds, exposure to another full grown dog they have never seen, for example one of our gentler or more passive dogs so they don't associate fear with strange older or full grown dogs because we know so many of our pups will be going into a more than one dog household. They are also brought outdoor in the shade, but to experience the sun and the green grass and the wonderful California days we do get so often here- for an hour or two at a time, in a puppy secured area with their mother there too for emotional security for the young pups.  This is where the girls love to sit in the puppy pen and just hold, touch, play-they are introduced to small puppy toys, and interactive games, such as tug-of-war,  and give the pups the one on one quality time. We also expose them to coming in our home and seeing and smelling and experiencing time in an actual home...again being handled and loved on. The pups will also take some well planned trips to safe places where they will be met by knowledgeable people to get "puppy tested or personality tested, where we evaluate the pups as they interact within the group and test them using different techniques to test their individual temperaments, such as puppy personality and temperament testing which is basically grading the litter by using different techniques, to find out which is more assertive or aggressive or more laid back to new people and new stimulus. We will then also take a trip, to assess their overall quality, if I feel I want a second opinion- as to the show quality pups, vs. the pet quality pups, I like getting another well respected breeders second opinion before making this final decision. The pups will then be relabeled with different colored colors again, to be able to distinguish between them for the new owners who will be coming here to pick our their puppy.  All the while we are making notes and keeping a log on each puppy for not only worming or shot records, but daily progress such as weight gain, things we notice about each individual's personality...where he ranks in the litter (such as the alpha dog, ect) their milestones, either physical or any new thing the puppy learns to do, or his likes or preferences....we also let them see and smell a cow, a goat, some different animals besides other puppies or dogs. They will also be used to being put up on a grooming table, washed, brushed, clipped and be comfortable going for rides in the car as well as being used to, or exposed to spending time in their respective vari kennels which will help a lot when you get home and need him or her to sleep in their crate at night or for naps, or the use of crates in aiding the housebreaking process. So these are just of the few things we do, and the time we spend with our puppies. So as you see, we being a small Home Based Kennel is a good thing for you the potential puppy owner because we devote our times and lives to breeding and raising the best black Standard Schnauzer puppies, so they are on the right track and have a good outlook on life and the people in it and the big world they are living in as a positive thing because we try to make all their socialization when they are with us, upbeat and  positive experiences.

So you will have that lifetime companion that will be there for you for a good 10 to 14 years, along with that full of potential show dog you have so many goals for, as well as that dog that will learn to be an obedient partner in the ring or in your home as well as a fast, intelligent and assertive dog with all the desire to be that part of a team who will go on, whether if it's for the fun or in the competitive sport of agility....but more than anything, he or she will be your loyal, protective companion and best friend that will always love you unconditionally, and be a constant source of pride wherever you go. Top Shelf Black Standard Schnauzers draw attention wherever they go, and everyone who sees your dog will most likely stop you to ask about the breed, your dog in particular and  compliment his or her temperament and  regal looks. This is what kind of Standard Schnauzers we are breeding and raising here, and the amount of joy, entertainment, great pleasure, and personal pride that each pup will bring into your life is the greatest fulfillment we as breeders could ever have.