Tell me about your miniature schnauzer

[Flaunch]

I’m trying to persuade DH that this is the dog for us but we’ve only ever met one complete darling one and I don’t think he’s convinced that is representative of the breed .

What’s yours like?

We’ve only had our mini schnauzer pup for 4 days so definitely aren’t experts - although I have to say she’s been brilliant so far. But as a breed they came so highly recommended to us, we have several friends with them who all say they are fantastic family pets, good with children and really easy to train - generally citing greediness and noisy barking as the ‘down sides’, both of which we are happy to put up with. I have never heard anyone say they are aggressive as a breed so am really surprised to read a few people on here saying that. Maybe their noisy personalities get misinterpreted as aggression sometimes? Anyway, it’s early days but pinkpup is super cute and pretty much toilet trained already - no complaints at all here as yet!

@Flaunch

Bit of a mixed bag of replies. I’d read about the barking and would find that super annoying but I guess it’s a training issue really so I’d probably try and get a handle on that straight away.

I can’t believe the price of puppies at the moment!

I don't think you can train a schnauzer not to bark - it's what they're bred to do!

Have you looked at standard Schnauzers? We had 2 from the same litter-fabulous dogs. We now have a giant rehomed with us.

Ours is 12 this year, only barks a little if a stranger comes in the house (eg tradesperson) and he's locked in another room. If he's allowed to meet them he stops barking straight away. He doesn't bark on walks. He's very chilled and has a lovely nature.

Next door neighbour's mini schnauzer however barks A LOT if the owners are out.

I have a 9 month MS. My first dog. She's gorgeous. Been easy to train to stay, sit, come and I've trained her to come to a whistle which is more reliable than my voice outdoors. Understands no - using it to set boundaries. Basically she'll do anything for liver.
She only barks briefly if we have a delivery and stops when told.
Has slept through since we got her at 13 weeks in her pen. Her breeder laid down a lot of the groundwork for us. Very good with the with kids though has basically bonded mostly with me and is like my shadow. Cuddly, playful, inquisitive, energetic, is ok with a long walk or a couple of short ones or just lots of play. Stubborn with food - she knows what she likes.
Even my husband likes her and he wanted a lab. She doesn't smell, dribble or shed which is what I didn't like about labs.

My Mum has one and he's amazing! He has been her saviour since my dad died and he's so good! Brilliant with my little one, doesn't chew things, easy to house train, doesn't moult - love him!

@YeaOrNay

I have a close friend with 2. They both bark at everything and everyone. One of them is aggressive with small children despite lots of being socialised. They need lots of professional grooming. Neither have any recall and really high prey drive. I love dogs but those two drive me batty.

That's highly unusual for a MS. I'd say there's an issue there with the way he's been raised or bred

@StealthToddler

I have a 9 month MS. My first dog. She's gorgeous. Been easy to train to stay, sit, come and I've trained her to come to a whistle which is more reliable than my voice outdoors. Understands no - using it to set boundaries. Basically she'll do anything for liver. She only barks briefly if we have a delivery and stops when told. Has slept through since we got her at 13 weeks in her pen. Her breeder laid down a lot of the groundwork for us. Very good with the with kids though has basically bonded mostly with me and is like my shadow. Cuddly, playful, inquisitive, energetic, is ok with a long walk or a couple of short ones or just lots of play. Stubborn with food - she knows what she likes. Even my husband likes her and he wanted a lab. She doesn't smell, dribble or shed which is what I didn't like about labs.

She sounds fab @StealthToddler

@Wolfiefan

Barking. You won’t necessarily be able to train them out of that. I’ve never met a friendly one. Challenging.

Seriously? Miniature schnauzers are one of the friendliest dogs you'll ever find!

Sibling has one that we have regularly and she's a darling . Not noisy at all , super sweet and funny personality . Highly recommend

@Flaunch My Mum's Uncle bred them back in the 1940s-1970s and so she had a few herself before her current one. I've just asked her about what a couple of people have said here, about being aggressive, to which she said: "Whaaaat? Noooooo, that's bad handling! They're daft as a brush by nature! They're born without an aggressive bone in their body. Even a Shiz-Tsu can become aggressive if they're not handled well and given much affection or attention. Miniature Schnauzers are soft, loving and a bit stupid! Like Alfie!"

Some relations have a miniature schnauzer. It barks a lot, growls and dislikes visitors so much it now has to be shut away from them - this is a relief to us, despite being a family of animal lovers, because it is a very intimidating dog.

The relations love him so I'm sure there's another side to him that they see.

Feel so sorry for these days that need "locked away". Bad handling

Dogs not days!

I’m a dog groomer and walker and live in a SE town where pretty much every dog is a cockerpoo or a schnauzer. They are great family dogs, great temperament, cuddly and full of character. Have never seen a hint of aggression from one so am alarmed by those who suggest that. Seriously suggests something amiss.
But as everyone has said - the downside - the barking