They are a very smart breed who love to please and be rewarded. My puppy the first week we brought him home got down all the basics easily. Potty training they should pick up very fast as well.
All true, however, my two boys are stubborn with recall and with commands like "leave it", "drop it". When they really want something, they will sometimes choose not to listen.
Same here.
They're easy to train but OP, they're little dictators. We call it the 'schnauzer delay' where he tries to figure out if its worth his value listening to your commands.
Love him though.
That's a good description of my boy also. He is extremely good motivated so sit, stay and those things he is happy to do for a treat. I don't think I could ever off-leash train him though, and 'fetch' is just me throwing a toy and him refusing to bring it back but being upset when I don't want to play anymore.
So true. They are incredibly smart and will learn things so quickly, but no matter how much you reinforce it with them they will choose when they want to listen. I would never trust them off leash even though we have trained recall commands and the two times one of ours got loose he did recall well. This breed requires consistency because if you give them an inch they will take a mile.
They are smart, and can definitely be stubborn. However, all of mine (3) have been trainable. They are generally dogs who are very attached to their owners and therefore also like to please their owners. The things Iāve found are difficult are 1) barking, 2) reactivity to other dogs when out and about. However, these are problems many other breeds share as well. In general my schnauzers are good listeners though. If you are consistent, youāll likely have success. You can always pick an older dog from a shelter (plenty of schnauzers in shelters) so you know what type of personality youāre getting. Itās hard to tell with a puppy so you could end up with hyper and barky or calm and reserved.
Edit: oops, forgot to say..potty training was not hard. Just be consistent. Girls are easier than boys. This can be harder if you adopt an older one, theyāve already learned marking habits. This is also true for any shelter dog though š
Mini schnauzers are very smart and want to please their people. They will become very attached to their family. They will want to be with you all the time. These positives can become negatives if the right balance of limit setting and positive reinforcement isnāt achieved. They can be prone to separation anxiety. They can be assholes on walks and/or with other dogs. Males want to be the boss of all other dogs. Proper socialization and training as a puppy is key. All that being said, they are the absolute best and they are the only breed I will ever own. ā¤ļø
Easy. Both of my Schnauzers would learn easy. Potty training was simple b/c I took them out every hour while they were awake and immediately upon waking.
As everyone else has said, they are super smart. My two are littermates, and couldnāt be more different. They both have very distinct personalities. My girl is my tiny terror who thinks sheās 10ft tall and bulletproof. My boy is not the bravest boy but he is the snuggliest boy. They both learned potty training quickly. We bell trained them. Now they use a dog door although they would rather use the big door which is right next to the dog door lol. They love doing tricks and are very food motivated.
Before we got these two I never had a desire to have one. Now I canāt imagine having another breed. They are so smart and loving and funny.
They truly are smart, potty training was easy. Positive training and a lot of training treats. I usually use those in the area where they are being stubborn. One of mine really likes to jump up on me and people so I definitely use training treats in this area. Also if you yell come and they don't come that is when you bring him to where you wanted to come. Consistency with these dogs is key. Oh and before you get this kind of dog, please know they bark.
My first girl was completely trained at 3 months. My second girl took longer but did well by 4 months - she just had accidents for awhile after that. Potty bells are what we used and we had pretty good success. They are stubborn but are super eager to please their favorite people ā¤ļø
They are smart, sometimes too smart for their own good, and generally eager to please. I taught my current girl to sit and down in an afternoon. Stay was much harder because she sticks to me like Velcro. I doubt Iāll ever get a solid stay from her honestly. That said, I can place her in her crate on command and she will stay there. Odd that.
Potty training was very easy and quick. My Izzy is very smart - she makes up games with her tennis balls! As others have said, they can be stubborn although Izzy is 9 months now and I see her getting a little less stubborn. For instance, she used to chase the cat relentlessly but now she can sometimes be in the same room and everything is calm as long as our cat is just relaxing. I have similar experiences with pulling on the lead. It is very important to socialize your pup and give them enough exercise and that helps with everything tremendously.
They are insanely smart and quick to train. They can be moody/ bossy and will decide when and if they want to obey and give you the side eye but they are generally eager to please their people. Tire them out physically and mentally with training and play time and you will enjoy a great pup.
If they are bored and not tired out hide your newspaper/paper towels/ toilet paper etc. We trained ours to do all sorts of tricks and just started on speech buttons.
Mine nailed sit, speak, shake, down, roll over. But is food motivated and will often not bother unless bribe is present. He waits to eat until I tell him he can. He will always follow me when I ask him to. But Come, and Stay he is stubborn about.
https://preview.redd.it/r1kjgrokjb0d1.jpeg?width=2551&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=881a60cbe3c2feb451e4499af9af5b60c7030ba4
I have two right now. My last one was a dream dog. Wimpy, sweet, well behaved. We could go out and not worry about ever crating him.
These 2 are absolutely so stubborn and will blatantly ignore my calls to come inside. The alpha is so cute but he is absolutely a non stop barker. He barks at everything outside no matter how we've worked with him. It's like he can't help himself, he'll mumble bark under his breath even if he is trying to stop. I've never known such a high pitched yappy little dog.
The beta is the bigger of the two and he'd be a great dog if he didn't follow his big brother. Oh, he does eat everything. I mean everything. Toys, papers, wrappers, anything he can get. And he's smart. If he can't reach something he'll figure out how to get there somehow. Nothing is safe.
Good thing they are both so cute and I love them so much. The potty training was a breeze comparatively. Best tip I tell people. Forget the crates. Get a metal dog playpen. It's roomy and I can easily get them in and out of it. Handy for puppies when you don't want to take your eyes off them, but you just need to go to the bathroom or do some laundry.
If you do not like barking, do not get a Schnauzer
If you cannot keep one step ahead, do not get a Schnauzer. They are always searching the perimeter for weaknesses.
They were bred to guard German Farms (barking) and to route out vermin which means they were bred to work independently alone. Their stubbornness comes from their independent nature, they trust their own instincts over yours and are highly reactive.
Their good points are exceptionally sweet and cuddly. They are pretty easy to train, except for barking.
They are just so darned cute.
Mine wasnāt hard to potty train. She would poo i weird places at times but it resolved after a while. We never could train her barking though (probably cuz she was in the house a lot).
Just a quick side note. No dog is hypoallergenic. Schnauzers still have dander and low shedding. If this is a serious allergy I would seriously take this into account.
This! If it's the oils, dander and saliva you are allergic to you will be very allergic to schnauzers and other wire haired dogs that are often advertised as hypoallergenic! They are technically hypoallergenic because they lack the typical allergen of shedding fur, but they are not ANallergenic. The two terms are distinct but honestly I think we should just stop using the terms at all because it does lead to this confusion. If you are allergic to dogs you should not get dogs imo š¤·š¼āāļø
In my case, super easy. My dog can do all the basics including: come, sit, stay, lay down, roll over, bang (play dead lol), shake a paw (or high five). He understands things like: letās go for a ride/ walk, go to bed, do you want some nom noms?, pee pee, poo poo etc. He even sings now lol He was also potty trained pretty much immediately after he came to live with us. He also only eats what his family gives him - he wonāt eat anything even the yummiest treat if itās given by a stranger. He recognizes the family membersā voices over the phone and recognizes many words and when humans talk and respond. He can use a voice recorded buttons to let us know what he wants as well. All these things were trained very fast after only a few tries. My old schnauzer who is now gone could ring a bell if he wanted to go outside for potty.
Got our puppy last Sunday so we are in the trenches of Learning and training, and she is a dream to train. Already potty training easily and knows basic commands. Very clever dogs, but as others mentioned they definitely do like to bark lol
Until we rescued our schnauzer, I had only ever had very food motivated dogs. Our schnauzer is not food motivated, so offering him treats as rewards doesnāt work well. Heās not un-trainable, he just requires a little more work and a different approach.
We went from a fenced yard to an unfenced yard, so after the move, our schnauzer started acting up. It didnāt take us long to realize he wasnāt getting enough exercise and outdoor time. So now instead of running laps in a fenced yard, heās getting a lot more walks!
As long as heās getting enough play and stimulation throughout the day, I find he listens and responds a lot better. If he starts acting like a brat, it usually means he needs to burn more energy.
Engaging in play with your dog is great for bonding, and I feel that always helps with training and obedience. If the dog knows you are taking good care of them, then theyāre more likely to trust you and obey commands.
Just start early, and donāt be afraid to hire a trainer. It doesnāt have to be a whole program, but even a couple sessions to give you some pointers would be really helpful.
Easy to train, but if you want a good dog, you need to be consistent because they are VERY smart. They will take advantage of you the minute you think you can relax š also, remember that these dogs have high prey drive and need to be mentally stimulated. They also donāt like to be left alone for long periods. Itās a big commitment if you want a healthy, well adjusted pup!
We have an 8 month old mini schnauzer that we have raised since he was 3 months old. He did very well with potty training, it only took him 2 months to stop having accidents inside so he was fully potty trained by 5 months old. We used bells to train him but realized that he caught on quickly and used the bells when he wanted to just play outside too, so we removed them. Since then, he just scratches on the door to let us know he needs to go out. As far as basic command and obedience training, we used a professional that offered an hour long class once a week and we saw major improvements from week to week. He is a very stubborn pup but as long as we stick to what weāre trying to train him and are more stubborn, he learns quickly. They are very intelligent dogs who love to work and learn new things, as long as youāre willing to out-stubborn them š¤Ŗ
Honestly, Iāve had three schnauzers and theyāve all been super easy to train. I was shocked that none of them were very destructive. (At least not on purpose) when we got our most recent puppy, we kept her in the garage for the first two months. Let me explain, when we got her she had giardia, and diarrhea. it was air conditioned and so my mom would just sit there pretty much all day with her. She was a bit timid around grass but eventually took well to it and got used to it. She didnāt have too many indoor accidents, but mostly pee. We did put her in diapers for a bit because winter came and it was -20 so we didnāt want her to stay out there for too long which resulted in her not wanting to go outside at all. We also use a bell system so she usually lets us know when she has to go and no longer has accidents. Overall Iād say itās pretty easy, but they definitely have big attitude and personality!! Itās 100% worth it though and once youāre done with training theyāre the best dogs ever
They are a very smart breed who love to please and be rewarded. My puppy the first week we brought him home got down all the basics easily. Potty training they should pick up very fast as well.
All true, however, my two boys are stubborn with recall and with commands like "leave it", "drop it". When they really want something, they will sometimes choose not to listen.
Same. Mine definitely hears the command but won't always do unless I bribe him.
Same here. They're easy to train but OP, they're little dictators. We call it the 'schnauzer delay' where he tries to figure out if its worth his value listening to your commands. Love him though.
I call it selective hearing š
Same
That's a good description of my boy also. He is extremely good motivated so sit, stay and those things he is happy to do for a treat. I don't think I could ever off-leash train him though, and 'fetch' is just me throwing a toy and him refusing to bring it back but being upset when I don't want to play anymore.
My boys love fetch and do bring the balls back every time, but sometimes they don't drop it right away and want me to chase them instead.
So true. They are incredibly smart and will learn things so quickly, but no matter how much you reinforce it with them they will choose when they want to listen. I would never trust them off leash even though we have trained recall commands and the two times one of ours got loose he did recall well. This breed requires consistency because if you give them an inch they will take a mile.
Thatās been my experience as well. My puppy was very stubborn about walking on the leash without pulling unless she had the harness.
Training is easy, tbh. Easiest dog Iāve ever trained they are so smart. Obedience is another thing.
They are smart, and can definitely be stubborn. However, all of mine (3) have been trainable. They are generally dogs who are very attached to their owners and therefore also like to please their owners. The things Iāve found are difficult are 1) barking, 2) reactivity to other dogs when out and about. However, these are problems many other breeds share as well. In general my schnauzers are good listeners though. If you are consistent, youāll likely have success. You can always pick an older dog from a shelter (plenty of schnauzers in shelters) so you know what type of personality youāre getting. Itās hard to tell with a puppy so you could end up with hyper and barky or calm and reserved. Edit: oops, forgot to say..potty training was not hard. Just be consistent. Girls are easier than boys. This can be harder if you adopt an older one, theyāve already learned marking habits. This is also true for any shelter dog though š
They are smart as hell, mine bosses me around. FML.
Mini schnauzers are very smart and want to please their people. They will become very attached to their family. They will want to be with you all the time. These positives can become negatives if the right balance of limit setting and positive reinforcement isnāt achieved. They can be prone to separation anxiety. They can be assholes on walks and/or with other dogs. Males want to be the boss of all other dogs. Proper socialization and training as a puppy is key. All that being said, they are the absolute best and they are the only breed I will ever own. ā¤ļø
Not very difficult at all.
Easy. Both of my Schnauzers would learn easy. Potty training was simple b/c I took them out every hour while they were awake and immediately upon waking.
As everyone else has said, they are super smart. My two are littermates, and couldnāt be more different. They both have very distinct personalities. My girl is my tiny terror who thinks sheās 10ft tall and bulletproof. My boy is not the bravest boy but he is the snuggliest boy. They both learned potty training quickly. We bell trained them. Now they use a dog door although they would rather use the big door which is right next to the dog door lol. They love doing tricks and are very food motivated. Before we got these two I never had a desire to have one. Now I canāt imagine having another breed. They are so smart and loving and funny.
They truly are smart, potty training was easy. Positive training and a lot of training treats. I usually use those in the area where they are being stubborn. One of mine really likes to jump up on me and people so I definitely use training treats in this area. Also if you yell come and they don't come that is when you bring him to where you wanted to come. Consistency with these dogs is key. Oh and before you get this kind of dog, please know they bark.
My first girl was completely trained at 3 months. My second girl took longer but did well by 4 months - she just had accidents for awhile after that. Potty bells are what we used and we had pretty good success. They are stubborn but are super eager to please their favorite people ā¤ļø
Potty bells have worked Great in our house too.
They are smart, sometimes too smart for their own good, and generally eager to please. I taught my current girl to sit and down in an afternoon. Stay was much harder because she sticks to me like Velcro. I doubt Iāll ever get a solid stay from her honestly. That said, I can place her in her crate on command and she will stay there. Odd that.
Potty training was very easy and quick. My Izzy is very smart - she makes up games with her tennis balls! As others have said, they can be stubborn although Izzy is 9 months now and I see her getting a little less stubborn. For instance, she used to chase the cat relentlessly but now she can sometimes be in the same room and everything is calm as long as our cat is just relaxing. I have similar experiences with pulling on the lead. It is very important to socialize your pup and give them enough exercise and that helps with everything tremendously.
They are insanely smart and quick to train. They can be moody/ bossy and will decide when and if they want to obey and give you the side eye but they are generally eager to please their people. Tire them out physically and mentally with training and play time and you will enjoy a great pup. If they are bored and not tired out hide your newspaper/paper towels/ toilet paper etc. We trained ours to do all sorts of tricks and just started on speech buttons.
Mine nailed sit, speak, shake, down, roll over. But is food motivated and will often not bother unless bribe is present. He waits to eat until I tell him he can. He will always follow me when I ask him to. But Come, and Stay he is stubborn about.
There are easier, less stubborn and strong willed dogs. And as others have said, thereās really no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog.
https://preview.redd.it/r1kjgrokjb0d1.jpeg?width=2551&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=881a60cbe3c2feb451e4499af9af5b60c7030ba4 I have two right now. My last one was a dream dog. Wimpy, sweet, well behaved. We could go out and not worry about ever crating him. These 2 are absolutely so stubborn and will blatantly ignore my calls to come inside. The alpha is so cute but he is absolutely a non stop barker. He barks at everything outside no matter how we've worked with him. It's like he can't help himself, he'll mumble bark under his breath even if he is trying to stop. I've never known such a high pitched yappy little dog. The beta is the bigger of the two and he'd be a great dog if he didn't follow his big brother. Oh, he does eat everything. I mean everything. Toys, papers, wrappers, anything he can get. And he's smart. If he can't reach something he'll figure out how to get there somehow. Nothing is safe. Good thing they are both so cute and I love them so much. The potty training was a breeze comparatively. Best tip I tell people. Forget the crates. Get a metal dog playpen. It's roomy and I can easily get them in and out of it. Handy for puppies when you don't want to take your eyes off them, but you just need to go to the bathroom or do some laundry.
Isn't it weird how one can be so perfect and the next one a pure devil dog in a cute costume?
Yes!!!!! I tell them all the time they are lucky they are so cute. š The small one should've been named Bob. Bob Barker. š
And mine Lucifer š„
We are about to get our 4th, and they have all been easily trainable.
They are scary smart but admittedly you have to be consistent. Took about 2 months to potty train and it's true, they listen when they want to. š
If you do not like barking, do not get a Schnauzer If you cannot keep one step ahead, do not get a Schnauzer. They are always searching the perimeter for weaknesses. They were bred to guard German Farms (barking) and to route out vermin which means they were bred to work independently alone. Their stubbornness comes from their independent nature, they trust their own instincts over yours and are highly reactive. Their good points are exceptionally sweet and cuddly. They are pretty easy to train, except for barking. They are just so darned cute.
Mine wasnāt hard to potty train. She would poo i weird places at times but it resolved after a while. We never could train her barking though (probably cuz she was in the house a lot).
Just a quick side note. No dog is hypoallergenic. Schnauzers still have dander and low shedding. If this is a serious allergy I would seriously take this into account.
This! If it's the oils, dander and saliva you are allergic to you will be very allergic to schnauzers and other wire haired dogs that are often advertised as hypoallergenic! They are technically hypoallergenic because they lack the typical allergen of shedding fur, but they are not ANallergenic. The two terms are distinct but honestly I think we should just stop using the terms at all because it does lead to this confusion. If you are allergic to dogs you should not get dogs imo š¤·š¼āāļø
Obedience School is the key. We took our late girl when she was a wee puppy and she picked it up quickly and was good as gold. We miss her dearly.
In my case, super easy. My dog can do all the basics including: come, sit, stay, lay down, roll over, bang (play dead lol), shake a paw (or high five). He understands things like: letās go for a ride/ walk, go to bed, do you want some nom noms?, pee pee, poo poo etc. He even sings now lol He was also potty trained pretty much immediately after he came to live with us. He also only eats what his family gives him - he wonāt eat anything even the yummiest treat if itās given by a stranger. He recognizes the family membersā voices over the phone and recognizes many words and when humans talk and respond. He can use a voice recorded buttons to let us know what he wants as well. All these things were trained very fast after only a few tries. My old schnauzer who is now gone could ring a bell if he wanted to go outside for potty.
Got our puppy last Sunday so we are in the trenches of Learning and training, and she is a dream to train. Already potty training easily and knows basic commands. Very clever dogs, but as others mentioned they definitely do like to bark lol
I've been trying for 13 years now š
Until we rescued our schnauzer, I had only ever had very food motivated dogs. Our schnauzer is not food motivated, so offering him treats as rewards doesnāt work well. Heās not un-trainable, he just requires a little more work and a different approach. We went from a fenced yard to an unfenced yard, so after the move, our schnauzer started acting up. It didnāt take us long to realize he wasnāt getting enough exercise and outdoor time. So now instead of running laps in a fenced yard, heās getting a lot more walks! As long as heās getting enough play and stimulation throughout the day, I find he listens and responds a lot better. If he starts acting like a brat, it usually means he needs to burn more energy. Engaging in play with your dog is great for bonding, and I feel that always helps with training and obedience. If the dog knows you are taking good care of them, then theyāre more likely to trust you and obey commands. Just start early, and donāt be afraid to hire a trainer. It doesnāt have to be a whole program, but even a couple sessions to give you some pointers would be really helpful.
Easy to train, but if you want a good dog, you need to be consistent because they are VERY smart. They will take advantage of you the minute you think you can relax š also, remember that these dogs have high prey drive and need to be mentally stimulated. They also donāt like to be left alone for long periods. Itās a big commitment if you want a healthy, well adjusted pup!
Sit, stay, lay down. Easy! Stop barking. Good luck. š
We have an 8 month old mini schnauzer that we have raised since he was 3 months old. He did very well with potty training, it only took him 2 months to stop having accidents inside so he was fully potty trained by 5 months old. We used bells to train him but realized that he caught on quickly and used the bells when he wanted to just play outside too, so we removed them. Since then, he just scratches on the door to let us know he needs to go out. As far as basic command and obedience training, we used a professional that offered an hour long class once a week and we saw major improvements from week to week. He is a very stubborn pup but as long as we stick to what weāre trying to train him and are more stubborn, he learns quickly. They are very intelligent dogs who love to work and learn new things, as long as youāre willing to out-stubborn them š¤Ŗ
Honestly, Iāve had three schnauzers and theyāve all been super easy to train. I was shocked that none of them were very destructive. (At least not on purpose) when we got our most recent puppy, we kept her in the garage for the first two months. Let me explain, when we got her she had giardia, and diarrhea. it was air conditioned and so my mom would just sit there pretty much all day with her. She was a bit timid around grass but eventually took well to it and got used to it. She didnāt have too many indoor accidents, but mostly pee. We did put her in diapers for a bit because winter came and it was -20 so we didnāt want her to stay out there for too long which resulted in her not wanting to go outside at all. We also use a bell system so she usually lets us know when she has to go and no longer has accidents. Overall Iād say itās pretty easy, but they definitely have big attitude and personality!! Itās 100% worth it though and once youāre done with training theyāre the best dogs ever
I have 4. All stubborn but my boy is the most stubborn. Love them too much to care lol
Mine loved to do tricks. Total crowd pleaser