Everyone loves Miniature Schnauzers! They’re adaptable, energetic, and fairly easy to train. They have a unique appearance, they’re intelligent and playful, and – good news for people who are allergic to dogs – they don’t shed.
All you have to do, is give your Miniature Schnauzer puppy the right socialization and obedience training, and you’ll be set for a life-long companion.
Appearance – Miniature Schnauzer
The facial expressions of a Miniature Schnauzer puppy seems to speak of a mind that’s older than the dog’s age. The mustache-and-beard pattern of their facial hair, and their huge dark eyes, both lend to that appearance.
If you feed your Miniature Schnauzer puppy right, he’ll grow up with highly defined muscles and an athletic, squarish build.
The coats of Miniature Schnauzer puppies are thick, and they actually have a double coat. The top coat is wiry, and will either be silver, Salt & Pepper, or solid black. This coat must be groomedabout every six weeks, and should be brushed weekly.
An adult Miniature Schnauzer will be about a foot tall at the shoulders, or more.
Social Temperament – Miniature Schnauzer Puppy
In a word, the temperament of a Miniature Schnauzer puppy is “ideal.” They have high spirits, and are friendly and affectionate.
Of course, buying your Miniature Schnauzer puppy from a reputable breeder is a factor that will make or break the success of your owner-dog relationship. A quality breeder will handle the dog correctly, giving them proper puppy socialization so they know how to interact with humans and other dogs; on the other hand, a puppy mill will leave them in a crate of filth until sold for cash money, and give the pups no other attention than that.
Some useful comments about Miniature Schnauzer puppies that will help you choose the right dog breed for you, are:
- Dog-to-dog aggression is a risk in a Miniature Schnauzer puppy that hasn’t been given good puppy socialization training. If you’re not able to help your dog make friends with other dogs, consider Puppy Kindergarten, or a different dog breed.
- Only Miniature Schnauzers with serious mental defects will ever show aggression or timidness towards humans.
- If you know and love terriers, then a Miniature Schnauzer puppy is a good option, because they have many personality traits in common. In particular, this is a breed that’s very good with children.
- The alert, protective mind of a Miniature Schnauzer puppy makes them a fine family watchdog.
- A Miniature Schnauzer puppy craves constant social contact and a close family bond. This means that a home where they are left alone frequently for long periods is not a good home for a Miniature Schnauzer puppy, due to the risk of separation anxiety.
Unique Health Problems – Miniature Schnauzer
One advantage for owners buying a Miniature Schnauzer puppy is that they have relatively low risk of a sickly life if they were bred correctly. However, there are numerous problems that can arise if they are not bred carefully to eliminate hereditary problems.
Here is a list of the common health problems that you should be aware of before buying a Miniature Schnauzer puppy.
- Like many dogs, Progressive Retinal Atrophy and cataracts may arise at any age.
- Cushing’s Syndrome and Hypothyroidism, both of which are gland diseases
- Infection by the bacterial strain Mycobacterium Avium
- Liver shunts
- Pancreatitis
- Epilepsy and repeated seizures
- Skin conditions and allergies
- Obesity and related health problems, avoidable with the right dog food and diet
Training a Miniature Schnauzer Puppy
Miniature Schnauzers are one of the breeds of dog that are easier to train than others. They are attentive, intelligent, and eager to learn from their alpha.
You always want to begin obedience training any dog as soon as you get him or her home. This fills an important need in the dog’s mind to know where they fit in to the pack, who the alpha is, and what the alpha expects. So, start with obedience training right away, regardless of the age of the puppy. If you’ve had your Miniature Schnauzer puppy at home for a while already, go ahead and start now – it’s not as easy to start after a delay, but it’s better than waiting longer.
There are a handful of notes to know when you set forth training a Miniature Schnauzer puppy:
- Begin house training your Miniature Schnauzer puppy right away. My typical puppy house training system will work fine with this dog breed.
- As soon as they’re old enough to take outside, start training your Miniature Schnauzer puppy how to walk nicely on a leash. Otherwise, this is a breed that will try to pull you, instead of walking beside you.
- A Miniature Schnauzer puppy will have no problem learning all the essential obedience training commands. I recommend you teach them in the order I present in my article about general puppy obedience training.
- In fact, a Miniature Schnauzer puppy is so trainable that they are perfectly adept at sports,agility training, and make good candidates for formal obedience contests.
- Without dutiful training from you, your Miniature Schnauzer puppy will be prone to follow the instincts of his breed and the symptoms of separation anxiety, including non-stop barking, digging and chewing.
If you decide to train a Miniature Schnauzer puppy at home, you may want to consider a specialized owner’s package: The “Miniature Schnauzer Puppy Care & Training” system.
Back to how to train a dog, or return to the dog breed information.