First timer here - some questions about poodles and schnauzers

[edwardcullensotherwoman]

We have 4 DC between 11 and 3, DH loves and grew up with dogs, I didn't. (Opposite actually, I grew up with a severe dog phobia )

We've decided between us all that we'd like to have a dog, and that in about 18 months will be the right time to get one. I've been looking at breeds and narrowed it down to a miniature poodle or miniature schnauzer being most suitable on paper, but I'd like some 'real life' experiences from current owners. I like that both are low shedding, little to no smell and are intelligent, but what's it like to actually own them? What are they like to train? Do they constantly demand attention? Are they genuinely low shedding and non smelly??

You are doing well to take your time to find the right dog and breeder. Good breeders will have a waiting list so factor that in as well.

Overall I think a poodle is an excellent choice for a first dog and between a schnauzer and a poodle, I'd still choose a poodle as schnauzers can be prone to separation anxiety.

Poodles are intelligent and trainable dogs, but of course puppies are hard work. Who will do most of the work socialising and training the dog? Am I right to assume you have overcome your dog phobia? Key to brining up a nice dog are a good breeder who gets the basics right (parents with a good temperament, family breeding environment, correct early socialization), good socialization and consistent training. Find a rewards based dog trainer in your area and sign up for puppy socialisation classes and beginners' training classes.

Puppies are very time consuming. They do spend quite a bit of time asleep, but when they are awake you do need to supervise them closely for toilet training, to avoid them chewing things, to entertain them, etc. It's a bit like having a toddler who is a poor sleeper. They do tend to settle down around 2yo. Adult dogs should not demand constant attention, but dogs have different characters and some are more independent than others.

Poodles shed less than other dogs, but they do, of course shed. If someone in your family is allergic then they need to visit the breeder and interact with the dogs on multiple occasions to check they are not reacting (even then it's not 100% certain that they won't react to the puppy). All dogs smell of dog and other disgusting things they roll in.

I only have experience of living with poodles, not schnauzers, although a friend has two miniature schnauzers so I know hers a little.

You are quite right that poodles are low shedding - you won't find any hair on the floor. The little they do shed is just caught up in the brush when grooming but it's really not very much at all. They need clipping every 4 - 8 weeks, depending on what type of clip you like. Ours are clipped to the same length all over, including face and feet and kept pretty short, so they are clipped 4 weekly. It's not difficult to do this yourself with decent quality equipment, and some breeders are happy to help you out by giving a lesson on clipping. Of course, more typical 'poodle' cuts may not be so easy to do, or you may not want to clip yourself anyway, so factor in costs of grooming. Poodles generally are clean dogs and not prone to rolling in nasty stuff like some breeds.

Training wise, they are brilliant dogs. Really intelligent and quick to catch on and they really want to learn too. The down side of that is that you do need to provide a reasonable amount of mental stimulation to keep them from being bored. I wouldn't say they are overly demanding of attention, but they enjoy being involved with what the rest of the family does. Ours love being out and about with us and are a pleasure to take out and into pubs, cafes or shops on days out. They are good dogs for more formal training too, like agility, obedience, fly ball, gun dog etc, which your children might like to have a go at. They are very intuitive dogs and usually understand the need to be gentle around eg young children.

They are not a dog that would like to be left alone for hours every day, although what dog does? Despite their reputation they don't tend to bark or yap. I think that's quite different to schnauzers who are known to be fairly yappy, and certainly my friend's two are very noisy.

Take time to find a decent breeder, who should be questioning you about your home, knowledge and circumstances just as much as you are questioning them. There are a lot of back yard breeders of poodles, probably fuelled by the doodle craze, so it's worth taking your time to find a breeder who does proper testing, both genetic and hips/eyes, and really takes care with early socialisation.

I have a miniature schnauzer and am planning to get another at some point. She has been an absolute delight. They are on the whole friendly sociable dogs and great with kids. Obviously all dogs have their own personalities, but I believe early training and plenty of good socialisation are really helpful in raising a confident friendly dog.

Schnauzers do need grooming roughly every 8 weeks and we pay £37 a time so remember to factor that in.

The only schnau I've got to know was really clingy but I've owned poodles.
They don't smell (mine shit rolled) but when they need a bath it takes a while to wash condition and dry.
They don't dry on their own so blow dry every time (massive fluffy cloud poodle)
They are very clever, training is easy they love learning new stuff.
It's counter productive if you have a naughty one who steals from fridges and opens doors so the cat can ransack cupboards, one of mine was naughty. The others just biddable and adorable.

Poodles are ace.

Schnauzers are very people centred that’s for sure, it’s partly what makes them such friendly and sociable dogs. We can leave ours on her own for about 2-3 hours max (after a good long walk). So on my work days she goes to doggy daycare.

I was in the same position as you a couple of years ago. I eventually went with poodle. Mostly because I’ve known a couple of schnauzers that were quite yappy and one of my children is sensitive to noise.

My mini poodle is now almost 1 and a half. I know all dogs are different but I will tell you how ours has been.

He slept all night, no mess from the first night! I was amazed! Possibly partly because we didn’t collect him until he was 10 weeks and most of his siblings had already gone.

He took a couple of months to be completely toilet trained. The bells on the door handle helped massively. He still rings them now to be let out into the garden.

He was never very nippy and hasn’t chewed anything really. Not destructive in any way. He does like to eat. And as a puppy we couldn’t leave anything on the floor without him picking it up. Now we can leave toys out etc but I would always put them away if we were leaving him on his own just in case. It doesn’t have to be food for it to look tasty

We didn’t do puppy classes but had a couple of 1-1 sessions with a trainer in our house which were great. He is great with ‘drop it’ and ‘leave’ and ‘spin round’ (less useful) and things like that. I’m having a 1-1 session again as we haven’t been consistent with lead walking and he can still pull.

His recall is about 80%. He is a people dog and would happily great anyone by jumping up to say hello so we have been working on that.

With my kids he is great. Loves to be involved with any game they’re playing in the garden. Also happy to lie down next to them when they sit down for a while.

He does like his gang (us) to be together and when I leave him with my parents he mopes about a bit rather than playing like he does when we are home. He is fine being left for a 2-3 hours but not needed to leave him for longer anyway.

He does have quite a high prey drive. And a squirrel will always get his full attention. As do the pigeons in our garden. He’s never caught anything though. He once brought me a baby bird but he was just carrying it and dropped it when I said. It was perfectly fine! Don’t think he really knew what to do with it to be honest!

While he’s happy to have a deep paddle in mud or water, he doesn’t much like the rain and doesn’t enjoy swimming. Though poodles were bred for retrieval in water!

I spend about £35 every 5 weeks ish. He’s just pretty short all over. Not shaved.

Thanks all, some very useful tips to consider here and its great to hear of experiences, both easy and difficult. I am prepared for a pup to be hard work, but DH works from home so will be here almost all day every day, and I hope to be too by that time which will be even better. @booboostwo DH and I will take on the training between us and involve the DC where appropriate, and yes I've worked loads on my phobia over the years, I can now have my friends poodle on my lap and DH thinks as it'll be our dog, trained by us, I'll be more comfortable with it.
He is gorgeous MissShapes!

I have a poodle schnauzer cross and also puppy walked a poodle last year for Hearing Dogs. The poodle was exceptionally clever and very energetic. Loved water and cuddles. Also very happy to chill once about 7 months old. The cross doesn't shed takes as much or as little exercise as he gets is polite and well behaved. Both a bit vocal.

Toy poodles are cute but I'm not really a poodle fan myself, I find a lot of them, and the poodle crosses especially, quite neurotic and from what I've seen of schnauzers, they seem to be very very Barry

BARKY

My two yr old little poodle is:
Vastly energetic and excitable, on the go all day.
Very loving and family oriented, protective of me (not aggressive but barks her head off if I'm approached by anyone she doesn't know).
Sociable with other dogs.
Incredibly nosey. Follows me everywhere.
Cheeky with food. No amount of training has quelled her snaffling if there's an opportunity.
Great with kids. Maybe too bouncy for really little ones.
Smart as a whip.
Wilful. We had a tricky adolescent phase, recall went out the window, but she's come through that.
Cannot see a bird, cat or any animal moving without giving chase and a volley of barks.
After a long day she is snuggly and settles with her head in my lap. Best feeling.
She does not shed at all. I have her clipped every 4 - 6 weeks religiously.
She was the easiest puppy I've ever reared as in she wasn't very mouthy/nippy and settled at night from early on.
So that's just my personal experience.
I'm new to the "little" dog game, but on the whole it's been a delight.

We had 2 standard Schnauzers because we were concerned the minis would be treated as toys. Over the years the girls still say they would like us to get minis. MIL has bad asthma - pets being one of the triggers but no problem with the 2 standard Schnauzers. I was taught how to groom the girls by a judge / breeder of Schnauzers. Stripping their coats keeps them waterproof and removes the underneath fluff and no hair in the house . I had labs before! Brilliant dogs. We have just rehomed a giant.

I have both!!! I have a miniature poodle, a toy poodle and a miniature schnauzer. I definitely wouldnt advise a toy poodle, mine is really clever and loving but very yappy and intense. She is constantly hyperactive and is very possessive over me ever with my three year old. My miniature poodle is a little calmer but still has the same tendancies. My miniature schnauzer is only 7 months old and I can honestly say is the best dog I have ever had. She is growing up with my 3 year old DD and is her best friend. She is so loving, loyal and trustworthy. I have barely had to do any training with her as she does it automatically. She only wants to please. I can leave her easily with no seperation anxiety and there is no smell or moulting (husband is allergic to dogs). You can take them to groomers and by me it is £25 every 8 weeks but its very easy to buy a stripping comb and comb out the dead under coat ( you tube is ace to show you how). My poodles have to be groomed every 6 weeks. Everyone who meets my schnauzer loves her, I cant recommend them enough!

How about a Schnoodle - Schnauzer/poodle mix? We have one, she is my wife's first dog and she has been an absolute joy. Easy to train, friendly good with other dogs, cats and she loves children! We'd never heard of the breed before but we are so pleased we found her!

If you're going for a Schnoodle might as well go for a Gerschnoodleskychi or how about a Akiboxipugadoodle.

I have had two mini Schnauzers, my second is now 7 months old. I don't have any relevant poodle experience, apart from friends who have a super one.
Schnauzers are great dogs, full of character and very active. My present puppy has excellent recall and is trained to the whistle. She is a good traveller in the car and will happily stay alone at home for about 3hrs. She's huge fun and loves other people and other dogs. Having a puppy is hard work, choose a time when you have 3 months to train your puppy to fit in with your family. This will pay off tenfold later on.
Your schnauzer's coat will need grooming roughly every 6- 8 weeks which adds up cost wise. I also brush and comb regularly. Salt & Pepper coloured ones have a harsher coat and can be hand stripped. Most other coats require clipping. Their coats are very soft and will matt if left alone. They don't smell at all and are lovely dogs. Can thoroughly recommend - fab dogs.
Good luck!

@Booboostwo that made me laugh! I've considered poodle crosses as I know a few, but DH said he'd rather have a purebred for the knowledge of lineage wrt health issues, temperament etc. And tbh I begrudge paying pedigree prices for what is, essentially, a mongrel (I don't mean this to offend anyone, I know plenty of lovely crosses).

Would a breeder allow me to visit and see the dogs, spend a bit of time with them to see which I'm comfortable with etc? I know it seems precious but I'm just so concerned about doing it properly, I don't want to bring a dog into the family and it have a miserable life you hear of it so much and I really don't want to be that person

It is not precious at all and I would be weary of a breeder who refused to do that. Any decent breeder would be happy for you to visit, meet the dogs and discuss your set up and requirements. Once you decide on the breeder and the bitch has a litter you should be able to visit a couple of times, so e.g. see the pups at 5wks, 7 wks and pick up at 9wks. Between 5 and 7wks breeders and potential owners make a decision about which particular puppy would suit each family.

Many breeders also have closed FB goups where they post photos and updates.