Mini Schnauzers... does anyone have one?

[pam66]

Hi,

We are going to look at a litter of mini schnauzers tomorrow. My 10 yr old DD has been wanting a dog for so long. This puppy seems like a good match for us....... small in size, sheds little to no hair, good companion family dog.

I was wondering if anyone here has a mini schnauzer as a pet and if they could share their experience with this dog. I would love to hear about them. I have a good feeling about this dog but would love to hear from anyone who owns one.

Thanks so much!

 

[sajetto]

We had one for 15 years. Best dog ever! She was very smart, loving, and great with kids. She didn't shed much, but there was still some hair in places of the house. She died in 1996 and the family hasn't owned another dog since.

 

[laurafergie]

We had two of them growing up. The second, the male, lived to be 17! I ended up with him as a young adult. A friend of mine has one of those schnauzer poodle mixes - adorable!

They are super with kids, very smart, almost no shedding. Lots of personality. The negative would be that they are also super stubborn. The only dog I have been around that can out stubborn would be a beagle. Just make sure you are up to training and stay with it. I guess another negative is that you really have to keep up on their grooming, as their hair can mat. But personality wise, they can't be beat!

 

[quasar4legs]

We have an 8 year old mini schnauzer and she is a wonderful family dog who has been with us since our son was 11 ( he had been begging for some time).

Our son has allergies so the allergist we see suggested a schnauzer or a poodle as less of a risk than some other breeds. I would have gone with a poodle but my son had his heart set on a schnauzer.

Our dog is very much a part of our family and spends most of her time inside flopping around who ever is home at the time. She gets a big walk every day but she is not a high energy dog although can be active if something fun is happening.

I would suggest that doing some sort of dog training is important so that your daughter can learn the best way to handle her dog. The first 8 or so weeks with a puppy was hard work but our dog is a wonderful, friendly companion and I cannot imagine life without her.

Good Luck making the decision

 

[merekc]

I am not a dog lover. After much discussion, my SIL told us about the ideal dog for us and encouraged us to check him out. We ended up with a mini schnauzer a year ago. He really has been best case scenario. I couldn't be happier with the dog we have and will even occassionally pet him when no one is looking.

I am pretty allergic to dogs and have not had any problems with him (one of the reasons we were considering this breed). He is also very mild-mannered. Everyone who meets him loves him and everyone with past mini schnauzer experience tells us how much they love the breed.

Good luck.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Don't know about the dog, Pam, just wanted to say it is nice to see you.

 

[pam66]

Love all the replies so far. Thanks so much! We're looking forward to meeting the puppies tomorrow. It's a crazy time of year to consider a dog but there never seems to be a "perfect" time

If this works out tomorrow I'll definitely look into training classes(maybe there will be some during the Christmas break) and the puppy can go to our neighbor's house while we're at school (I'm a teacher). My DH works at home and travels occasionally but some days the puppy would be better at our neighbor's if DH has a particularly busy day on the phone with meetings and can't help the puppy if it's crying.

Thanks again

Any tips on caring for a puppy would be wonderful!! I haven't had a dog since I was a kid

BTW.... thanks Dan.... nice to see you too

 

[Ceila]

We just got a MS puppy at the beginning of September - he's our first dog. He's five months old now. He's absolutely the sweetest thing - he loves everyone he meets and just wants to lick them to death, lol. Not much barking, except when he wants to come meet whomever is at the door, and whenever he sees another dog while we're out for walks. He slept through the night from the first night we brought him home, and crate training is working very well for us (we both work, but luckily I work close enough to come home at lunch every day). He's been very, very good with our kids' friends, and he'll follow us around wherever we go in the house. He really loves to be with his "pack."

There have been a few challenges, but nothing much. He hates water, so bath time is a little hard, but he just tries to get out of the sink/tub; he doesn't bark or nip. He also tried for a while to establish himself within our "pack" as higher up than our kids, but we were able to work through that.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to PM me! We just love our little guy!!

 

[Aimeedyan]

I have one! Lucy, in my sig. We adopted her when she was 10 months old from a rescue; she is now 4.

She is highly intelligent and a problem solver - they were bred to hunt small rodents in homes so she has a high prey drive for small animals and is VERY good at hunting. She's brought us many of her prizes

Miss Lucy can get into things that we would never dream possible. We crated in her a seperate room at first, since our other two dogs were loose in the house, and she greeted me at the door several times. She figured out a way out of the crate - it's now ziptied at the corners and all joints plus locked with a seperate latch (she could open the latch built on the crate, and collapse teh crate and crawl out the bottom.) Sadly, we've tried periods of letting her loose with the other 2 and she causes mucho destruction in my home.

She LOVES people, is very gentle, is always checking things out (for intruders in the yard, of course!), when we take her to the dog park she walks the parameter first than greets all the humans. She's very gentle with children.

She does shed some - much more than my Shih Tzu, actually - and has to be groomed regularly but not as often as my Shih Tzu. She is VERY food motivated - VERY - which is good for training but she has had to learn manners when other people and dogs are eating.

She is a very quick learner and can be trained easily to do all kinds of cute tricks. Very stubborn but again, will do anything for food.

Honestly, there are some characteristics within a breed that most animals will have but not always - genetics plays a huge role in personality. Overall, I think they are a GREAT breed. We love ours!

 

[Momvic5]

We have 2 Mini Schnauzers that we absolutely love. I can honestly say that I will never have another breed of dog. Our two are females, and they are the sweetest girls. One is 6yrs old, and the other one is 1 1/2 yrs old. They are both very smart, but they have very different personalities. The older one is very quiet and loves to be near you but not on you. She likes to be in the same room with you but doesn't like to be in your lap. Our younger one has ruined us, I think.....we will probably always compare other dogs to her because she is just so incredibly smart and has the cutest personality. She is so eager to please that with any effort, she can learn almost anything. If she is not in you lap, then she is right beside you or trying to snuggle up to our older Schnauzer. Both are very eager to please and love being in middle of all the neighborhood children. I tend to be a neat freak so the no-shedding is a major bonus for me. The only thing I can think of as a negative is that they have to be groomed which costs about $30 per dog. Our two are groomed about every 3 - 4 months, and we do not get the typical schnauzer cut with the long beard - we prefer short beards. In the winter, we usually let their hair grow a little longer, but they can get matted quickly.

I will say we have known two other families with Schnauzers that were both males....they tended to be a little aggressive and territorial. I wasn't sure if it was a male thing, a personality thing, or even an owner thing, but neither one of our females are territorial or aggressive. They just love to eat - like the rest of us! Have fun choosing a puppy....they are the cutest puppies! Post pictures!

 

[bambii]

we got him last year from the pound... he is very protective, loves to play tug of war. only licks me.. dont know why.. doesnt shed, i have allergies and he doesnt bother them,, only thing is you have to brush him and groom him .. get a still comb , clippers and some baby powder to help when it gets matted..'

oh yeah his is very smart, can sit, lay down, knows what out means also bacon , and chicken ,

but he is very private wont eat when people are in the kitchen...

 

[LovableGluttons]

We have one. Zeus is 3. He is 20 pounds of solid, muscle packed running machine. He loves togo for a run, not walks. He evens pulls my 12 year old on her scooter.

He is so sweet too! Very loving and loyal, loves his naps and treats, loves toys!

He goes for a spa day every three months. We have them leave his eyebrows and mustache, but crop everything else close. Long hair and running don't mix.

Good luck! We went for the biggest of the litter. Our very says Zeus is the size the breed was originally meant to be.

 

[MomNeedsVacay]

we got him last year from the pound... he is very protective, loves to play tug of war. only licks me.. dont know why.. doesnt shed, i have allergies and he doesnt bother them,, only thing is you have to brush him and groom him .. get a still comb , clippers and some baby powder to help when it gets matted..'

oh yeah his is very smart, can sit, lay down, knows what out means also bacon , and chicken ,

but he is very private wont eat when people are in the kitchen...

We had two miniature schnauzers while I was growing up... they were both social eaters....would ONLY eat if humans were in the room...Would often not touch their food until we got home, then would run to their food dish and eat!! LOL
Loved our mini schnauzers...I have a Jack Russell now but still have a special place in my heart for mini schnauzers.... (I also have a preference for minis with UNCLIPPED ears....so their ears are floppy rather than standing straight up---I think it's cuter)

 

[Ceila]

(I also have a preference for minis with UNCLIPPED ears....so their ears are floppy rather than standing straight up---I think it's cuter)

Me too! Our puppy was technically a rescue (his mom was rescued while pregnant), and I was so glad that they didn't crop their ears. They did clip their tails, but that doesn't bother me as much as the docked ears would. Love the floppy ears!!

 

[Kimberly]

My grandmother had one throughout the entire time I was growing up. Was very good with us, although it heavily favored being around my grandmother, even while we were over to play. Definitely a very patient dog for how much myself and my brothers used to roughhouse with each other.

 

[pam66]

We brought home Gracie this afternoon She is a 9 week old salt and pepper angel!

I'll post a pic when I have a chance.

Thanks so much for all the input and stories.... it really helped us. and I love reading all of them.

 

[Kimberly]

Awe! Congrats!

 

[aggielawyer]

Congrats on the puppy! My 11 year old baby girl is my avatar. My family have had mini schnauzers since before I was born, and I got Maggie as my reward for taking the bar exam. They are great dogs.

 

[postesf]

I can't comment on the breed, but we do have a dog. Max was our first. I had never had one before. We did puppy classes at Pet Smart and had a great experience with that.

We also taught him to ring a bell on the door when he needs to go outside and "be quick." As soon as we started this, he caught on very quickly and has been great about going outside to go potty. I just wanted to share this with you as I though it might help your new puppy.

Post pics! Congrats!!!