Standard Schnauzer Club of America

Information on and for SSCA Club Membership

This page and its related links provide all of the information on and about the Standard Schnauzer Club of America.

AKC Titles and Prefixes

The Puzzle of AKC Titles

Standard Schnauzer Club of America Code of Ethics

PDF Version of the Code of Ethics

The mission of the Standard Schnauzer Club of America, Inc. (SSCA) is to advocate for the preservation of the Standard Schnauzer as a multipurpose dog, bred for type, health, form and function. The SSCA encourages members to promote the Standard Schnauzer as a companion dog that excels as a family member and who actively participates in a wide range of companion, performance and service venues, as well as the conformation ring. All members are expected to act in ways that lead to the preservation and continued improvement of the breed and the well-being of individual dogs.

Members
Members of the SSCA are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that positively impacts Standard Schnauzers and demonstrates the Club’s mission. Members are responsible to:

1. Advance the well-being of the breed by always having health and welfare as the highest priority
2. Respect the history and traditions of the breed and the breed standard
3. Commit to the values of fair play, honesty, courtesy and competing with grace
4. Respect the bylaws, rules, regulations and policies of the SSCA and the American Kennel Club (AKC)
5. Welcome and support all dog owners, especially new Standard Schnauzer owners
6. Encourage responsible dog ownership by training their dogs and assisting other owners with training so that they and their dogs are good neighbors and ambassadors for the breed
7. Work to protect the rights of all dog owners

Breeders
Breeders of Standard Schnauzers have an elevated level of responsibility and are expected to hold themselves and their dogs to a high standard, striving to protect the breed standard, prevent healthrelated issues, and preserve the future of the Standard Schnauzer as a healthy, active, long-lived, working family dog.

Breeders are responsible to:

1. Promote quality in the breeding of Standard Schnauzers so that each succeeding generation strives to attain the vision in the AKC Breed Standard
2. Abide by requirements adopted by the SSCA as Best Practices with regard to health testing and other breeding practices, as well as care and condition standards as outlined by the AKC
3. Incorporate the SSCA’s Guidelines for Interaction between a Prospective Puppy Buyer and a Responsible Breeder into their practices
4. Educate and mentor all owners of Standard Schnauzers, especially new owners, with regard to appropriate care and conditions, opportunities to engage other owners and participate in the range of activities that enhance the interaction with their dog and in which our dogs excel
5. Encourage owners to adopt best practices that allow dogs to have long, healthy and active lives
6. Make every effort to rescue, or at least assist in the rescue, of a dog bred by Breeder’s kennel

Health Concerns
The health of our dogs is a concern for all Owners of Standard Schnauzers, with the maintenance of the health of our breed going forward being the highest priority. It is highly recommended t hat Owners and Breeders always adopt best practices with regard to testing for risk of disease and/or conditions negatively impacting health, monitoring for the existence of disease and/or health issues and treating current health issues.

Breeder Responsibility
Breeders have the highest level of responsibility for maintaining the future health of our breed. Therefore, the Board of Governors of the Standard Schnauzer Club of America strongly urges Owners considering a breeding to insure that appropriate tests, and especially tests that will evaluate the risk of disease in future generations, be conducted and incorporated into decisions regarding the appropriateness of a mating.

Disease Tests
In addition to tests to evaluate the general health status of the Dam and Sire, the following tests for potential disease in future generations are recommended:

1. All dogs used for breeding should first be x-rayed (radiographed) and found free of hip dysplasia by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA). Dogs under two years of age should have a preliminary OFA evaluation and dogs over two years of age should have an OFA number.
2. Evaluation by a Board Certified Ophthalmologist for potential eye and vision defects. Eye and vision evaluation should be done no more than one year before being bred.
3. Molecular/genotype analysis for risk of genetic diseases, including the recently reported genotype analysis for risk of Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Standard Schnauzers. In NO case should two Carriers be bred. However, if one parent is a Carrier, then the other parent’s results should be Negative (Normal) to ensure that none of the offspring will be DCM affected.

Puppy Registration
The Breeder will facilitate AKC registration of all puppies by providing valid registration forms and/or transfer of ownership forms to Buyer. This may include Limited registration when applicable.

Puppy Buyer Information Guidelines

• Results from all health tests conducted for sire and dam should be available to potential puppy buyers prior to purchase.
• Puppies should be accompanied by a current health certificate, a three generation pedigree, and a feeding and care guidelines.
• Buyer will have the puppy microchipped, if the breeder has not already done so. The puppy’s microchip number needs to be registered with the appropriate microchip registry.
• All sales should include a sales agreement signed by the "Seller" and the "Buyer" listing specific obligations of both "Buyer" and "Seller", and conditions for return of puppy, if this becomes necessary.
• Conditions for spay/neuter should be stipulated in the Sales Agreement when appropriate with Limited AKC registration.
• Potential homes will be carefully screened.
• Puppies will not be used as prizes, auction or raffle items, or sold to retailers, wholesalers, commercial dealers or paid agents.
• If the buyer is unable to keep the dog, the breeder will assist the buyer to re-home the dog.
• If the dog enters rescue, the breeder will assist the Rescue Program to rehome the dog and if necessary take the dog back while assisting to re-home the dog.

Breeder Information Page
Available Litters Page