Miniature Schnauzer Question About Compatibility

Mom dog + dad dog =puppies = BREEDER
When I worked in the veterinary industry I always thought they were nasty, nippy dogs with terrible personalities.

I could be terribly wrong but I have never known a nice Schnauzer. I've seen them nip and they seem grouchy. I love dogs but always steer clear of them. We have one a few doors down and I can pet him carefully but he is the one dog in the neighborhood who seems to not get along with any of the other dogs. They rest of them play happily off leash but not him. Again - I'm no expert. Just my experience for what it's worth...

High maintenance dogs with snarky personalities. I wouldn't have one if you paid me.

My experience is similar to Pam's. I've not known a nice Schnauzer. I've been bitten by 2, one standard and one miniature. My sister in law has one, and you never know what sort of mood he'll be in. Sometimes he wants to play, and sometimes he's just a jerk. My mother in law had one, and when he got old you simply couldn't be around him. You'd walk by, thinking he was sleeping, and he'd snap at you. They aren't just grouchy, they're kind of A-holes. I wouldn't have one.

Once when I was stopping by at an acquaintance's home to drop something off, I knocked on her front door....her schanuzer ran out the back dog door, and came around the front...jumped up and bit the back of my upper arm. It didn't let go until I was hitting it in the head.

The one nice Schnauzer I've met was a Giant Schnauzer. He was very intelligent, and a lot of fun.

I, personally, wouldn't get a Schnauzer or a male dog.

The miniature schnauzers next to us (which are doted on and go everywhere with their owners) bark constantly (at everything..constantly) and have bitten my 5 year old daughter 6 times. I really really dislike their temperament. I hope you get one that has a better personality. Get him or her fixed as soon as possible...do NOT wait. This will really help with the puppy having an easier disposition. And start in puppy classes and puppy socializing asap as well. We love our dog but we also made sure she was well trained and not a barker or a biter.

I wouldn't trust a backyard breeder especially with a breed that is known to have a poor temperament.

My daughter just got a goldendoodle. Her boyfriend is very allergic to fur creatures and even though hers is an F1 he has no allergy issues...which is good because there was some question as to who would be homeless if he couldn't tolerate the puppy. They are also very smart, very sweet, I want to steal her puppy when she brings her over.

To back up Sarah a bit, I would imagine she didn't go to a backyard breeder which is what you describe. Someone that goes out and buys a cheap female, a cheap male and then breeds them has no regard for temperament or anything else like intelligence or physical issues. It is not that Schnauzers are an issue, my neighbors have two sweeties, bark too much but sweet. A reputable breeder concerns themselves with their reputation, a backyard breeder concerns themselves with what they see as easy money.

Do you have small kids? I wouldn't get a miniature anything if you have kids who may be a little rough. I also wouldn't get a "fragile" dog like a greyhound, Italian, greyhound or whippet - their skinny legs don't do well with kids tripping over them.

Can I ask why you are considering this breed if you are unfamiliar with it? Have you been searching for a while and looking at different breeds, or did the "Awww, they're cute" bug just hit you when you found these puppies? Are you prepared for the expense of a purebred dog as well as the expense of veterinary care?

Also, you can't do a lot of bathing with a dog! No more than every 2 weeks or their skin gets irritated. And have you every bathed a dog? It's not easy - and a dog is going to go out 3-4 times a day year-round (more for the first 6 months or more - puppies go out A LOT). That's not practical for bathing even if it were good for the dog, which it isn't. I found both our terriers to be difficult to house train - close to a year, and we knew what we were doing.

Honestly, I would go to a humane society and visit a little with different dogs and get some great input from the volunteers who will know each dog there. That means knowing the breed (or the mix of breeds) in general, and that particular dog as well.

We got a Cairn terrier years ago, and now we have a Cairn/Affenpinscher mix that's probably part Dandie Dinmont terrier too. Both are/were non-shedding but one friend with severe asthma who came over to "test" the Cairn prior to her own purchase did have a late reaction. So it depends on how serious the kids' allergies are. A friend has a "schnoodle" which is a schnauzer/poodle cross who is very friendly.

If you can clarify what you're looking for and what your experience is, we can probably be much more helpful.

ETA to Tara - thank you for all your details and experience! I should have been much more specific about bathing. I agree that there are excellent products for bathing/grooming show dogs. I wasn't sure that a casual dog owner would invest in high quality products for frequent bathing or for those dogs with skin issues. A lot of the cheaper products (supermarkets, some chain pet stores) are still on the harsh side, right? But in any case, bathing any dog any time it comes inside is not workable. Thanks!

here's a site with a list of hypo allergenic dogs-

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/allergy.htm

schnauzers are included, but I don't have experience with them.

best,
F. B.

They are one of the top recommended dog breeds for allergies. but if I were you I'd keep looking.

MIL had a pair and they were horrible. Had she not tied them up or put them outside when my oldest was little they would have bit her. Just snappy, mean and the barked incessantly.

I've know a couple others in my life that were the same and it seems when I take my dog out they are the least friendly dogs we meet.

Keep in mind they are terriers, they are smart and need a strong sense that their people are in charge or they will walk all over you.

Did these people breed the dogs or are they fostering them because they were rescued from somewhere?

That makes a big difference, because if they are just breeding their dogs, they ARE breeders and very likely do not know what they are doing. If they just own the male and female and bred them, then they are idiots and I would not give them a dime of my money.

Miniature anything can be a problem with kids. And any dog can be good with kids if it's properly trained. If you do get one of these dogs, or any dog, the very most important thing is training, training, and more training. You need to either take the dog to a reputable trainer or have someone come to your home. But you have to do it. Most problems with dogs and kids happen because the dogs were not properly trained.

Please consider getting a dog from a shelter if these people are breeders and selling the dogs.

I have a child with dog allergies - and we go to the top allergy physician here who treats children for the region. He also treats my kids for being asthmatic.

My son with the allergy has been wanting a dog forever. So I put the question to our specialist point blank - which breed for children and one with allergies?

He said none of them.

I asked him about hypoallergenic breeds and he said Nope. It's a myth. He said while some breeds produce fewer symptoms in allergy sufferers, there's no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog.

Essentially it boils down to this (I got this off the internet): There's no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog breed, although some individual dogs may cause fewer allergy symptoms than others. Many people think that pet allergies are caused by a dog's or cat's fur, but the real source of pet allergies is often a protein that's in the saliva and urine of dogs and cats.

Or check out:

http://www.thedogdaily.com/habitathaveniframe/health/dogs...

Just a heads up :)

My friends have them. The dogs are hypoallergenic since they have hair and not fur. Personally, I would not get this breed especially with kids. This breed seems grumpy and antisocial. I love my hypoallergenic dog which is a cockapoo. She is smart and friendly. Also, I have had better luck with females than males. Females are less likely to mark her territory and to me, they are easier to train.

Any puppy is a ton of work. You must make certain your dog is properly socialized with people and other pets as well. Personality of the individual pet will be revealed over time. Having your dog be confident and not skiddish is important.

Personally the kids growing up in my house were far too rough for any miniature breed. So we have two dogs one 65 lbs and the other 55 lbs both are extremely friendly to people and one does have a big issue with other dogs but he's funny about protecting his woman but she could care less about him. Considers him more of a big brother than a love interest.

what fuzzy said... not a good kid friendly breed. my next dog is giong to be a pure bred poodle. a kid friendly easy to train dog that does not shed and is good for those with allergies.

My mini schnauzer loves my kids. He was a bit tough to train as we chose the most dominant one but once he learned his place in the "pack" he was awesome. He sleeps on my sons bed and is super protective of the entire family. He doesn't like being picked up especially by kids but I can wrestle around with him and he will put his mouth over my arm and if one of the kids jumps in he automatically stops. So I think they can be great dogs. I think if you get them as puppies and they grow up with the kids it is fine, but not if you take an older dog and throw it in with kids. It took him a little while to house train but we got him in jan and it was freezing and he was tiny and cold. Once the weather warmed up he was going outside all the time, he is currently 5 and has no accidents. He is a great dog. I also liked their size because they are durable enough for the kids instead of some tiny tiny dog. Mine weighs about 17lbs and like I said he is a wonderful dog with an awesome little personality.

Seems that I am in the minority. I have one mini schnauzer and 2 deutch langhaar pointers. All wonderful amazing dogs

I have 2 mini schnauzers and LOVE the breed. I had one before for 15 years and he was my constant companion.
I can't say enough good things about them. Maybe they're not all the same but I've not had problems with mine. Right now I have a male and a female; the female is quite timid when it comes to strangers but the male has never met a stranger, he loves everybody.
They can be stubborn when it comes to training but you just have to be consistent and not let up.
I rescued both my minis and they've adjusted very well in our home. My other mini , the one I had for 15 yrs , I did also get from a private home at 4 months old. Never, never, never had a problem with him.
Good luck! :)