Miniature Schnauzers are handsome, energetic, bright, adaptable and friendly creatures. A family that owns this breed usually love him and he too is closely attached to his pet parents. Miniature Schnauzers have a habit of learning quickly and are also a highly obedient dog breed but at the same time he is also distractible.
However, his terrier personality is revealed when he is taken out for walks as he gets mesmerized by every single creature that comes within a distance of 100 yards. In case he suddenly gets fascinated by a butterfly or a bird, he can pull the leash and refuse to come back even after being called several times.
This small doggie can be prey-driven and self-sufficient and when you train him, you have to constantly keep him focused on you. You have to establish yourself as his leader so that he knows that he has to focus on his leader. They are independent, sensitive dogs with too much of positive energy. Miniature Schnauzers don’t usually respond and react to any kind of punishments or other strict tactics. Make sure your pup is properly socialized and also respects you in order to complete a successful training.
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Defining Tasks while training a Miniature Schnauzer
Miniature Schnauzers make incredible pets if trained properly. They are typically great with children, playful, energetic, smart, wise and extremely protective about their families. Miniature Schnauzers can be trained easily but as they are energetic, intelligent and have natural prey instincts, they lack the concentration that is required for training.
The successful mini Schnauzer owners know that the secret lies in making themselves the center of their dog’s world. They know the importance and necessity of being a strong leader, ensuring that the dog recognizes the fact that they’re the source of all great things – play, food, affection and rest.
Miniature Schnauzers usually benefit from socialization, early training and reward-based training. He has to be house-trained and taught the basic commands like ‘stay’, ‘sit’, ‘down’ and ‘come’. Proper off-lease recall and knowing the tricks of walking on a loose leash are two things that are challenging to the mini Schnauzers. However, it is important to establish and learn the tricks for the dog’s peace of mind and mental safety. As they’re smart and athletic, Schnauzers usually excel at dog sports like agility trials and flyball.
Miniature Schnauzers – A little bit on the breed
Miniature Schnauzers are robust and stocky little dogs that stand 12-14 inches tall and they were bred down from their cousins called Standard Schnauzers. Thanks to their bushy eyebrows and beard that they get a human-like and charming expression. Their wiry and hard coat usually comes in 3 different patterns – black and silver, salt and pepper and solid black. They are created to be ratters and farm dogs; they’re fearless, muscular, tough but never too aggressive.
The Miniature Schnauzer is a friendly, bright and trainable companion and is tiny to adapt to apartment life. At the same time, it is tireless enough to patrol through acres of land. They can gel well with other kids and animals. The minis are strong little guys and enjoy playing. They also make exceptionally good watchdogs.
Temperament – Smart, Friendly and Obedient
Height – 12-14 inches
AKC Breed Popularity – Ranks 19 of 195
Weight – 11-20 pounds
Group – Terrier Group
Life expectancy – 12-15 years
Training tips for your Miniature Schnauzer
Begin to train them right away
As a pet parent, begin to train them right from the time they are a puppy. This is probably the best time for you to nourish the bond and incorporate all the good behavior habits within him. Miniature Schnauzer pups are pretty fast to grasp new things and hence the new behaviors that you teach them will stay with them for the longest time. They learn best when their brains are empty of other habits while older dogs can learn all sorts of new tricks.
Training should be reward-based
The best kind of training method that you may use with mini Schnauzers is the reward-based training. This is a method where you have to depend on consistency, repetition and positive reinforcement instead of spewing negativity and violence. Schnauzers usually respond best to upbeat training sessions where they are treated with care. They tend to get bored easily and hence you can keep changing games like hide and seek, fetching the ball and always try to make things interesting for him.
Be careful about your volume and tone
With the miniature Schnauzers, you require being assertive but never loud. The commands that you give should be calm and yet with an authoritative tone. Instead of shouting or sounding harsh, you should maintain a poised attitude even though he demonstrates an unresponsive behavior. You may feel frustrated during the beginning but you have to maintain a positive, consistent and calming voice so that your pup is never demotivated.
Don’t focus too much on his mistakes
Miniature Schnauzers usually love it when you give attention to them and hence in case your puppy misbehaves, you should ensure you are not too strict to him. This confuses your dog as he is not responsive to hard tactics and punishment. For example if your pup loves to jump on you, don’t push him down everytime. Just give him the ‘No’ or ‘Down’ command and later on ignore him.
Be patient with him
Although it is a fact that miniature Schnauzers learn quickly, yet they will need some patience and time to get habituated with the training process. It is not possible for them to learn and grasp everything within a few days. One of the most frustrating parts of his behavior will be housebreaking but you still have to be patient with him. If you’re consistent in showing him your patience, you will soon get the best results.
So, if you brought home a miniature Schnauzer, you should always be at the top of your toes to make the training as fun and interesting as you can. They tend to get bored very easily and hence you need to keep supplying him with all the excitement. Let them socialize with other people and other animals too in order to develop their personality.