miniature schnauzers

The one I have at my parents is yappy, and I forgot just how yappy he was.

We currently have a boston terrier who is not yappy at all, and are looking to get another puppy soon. Originally we were going to get a mini schnauzer, but he just stayed with us for a week and I'm not sure I want to deal with yapping again, but idk if it's just him or most mini schnauzers.

What are your experiences?

miniature schnauzers

The ones I have met have not been yappy at all. My parents neighbors dogs are boston terriers (3 of them) and they are incessantly yappy.

I really and truly believe it comes down to training and consistency. I like schnauzers of any size :O)

miniature schnauzers

Was Jack yappy when he was yours or is this something he's learned since your mom took him over?

Darwin is yappy but that is my fault. I never corrected him. When I went to his breeder's house to get him it was SILENT there. She had a flock of mini schnauzers and I heard a few bark when we would pull up but it lasted for maybe 30 seconds and it they were more "warning barks" like hey someone is here!!! And then they stopped.

miniature schnauzers

Jack has always been yappy, but I think he may have "learned" the behavior from my mom's Min Pin when he was a puppy.

I'm just not sure what to do. I love the breed, but the barking really does drive me crazy :(

Re: miniature schnauzers

Our mini is quite the yapper. OMG. But I never corrected him properly i guess. He's such a good dog otherwise... we love our Marty.

miniature schnauzers

I wouldn't worry about it at all, just invest the time and teach him from the start not to be yappy. If your boston is quiet he will also learn the house rules from him.

Re: miniature schnauzers

They are such a wonderful breed.

I have two (pics in albums) and I love them b/c they do not shed, they are extremely loving, VERY obedient, and sometimes I think THEY think they are actually people

In our case, our older girl Charlotte, does bark but only when someone comes to the door or if someone is lurking outside - she does so to warn us. This is normal for dogs and we appreciate her watchfulness. When she was young, to discourage unnecessary barking and make sure it just stayed at the level I mentioned above, we used to shake a coffee can of coins to discourage the barking that wasn't needed. This was part of her normal puppy training just like all the other stuff like sit, stay, etc. and potty training. She is now six years old. She's wonderful. She sits, stays, lays down, puts her head down, and gives paw all on both non verbal and verbal cues. People ask us all the time WHERE did you get that dog and who trained her? She's amazing. I explained that we trained her ourselves. And neither DH nor myself have ever owned a dog before Char. My parents had a schnauzer before I was born so I knew the breed was good but I had no experience with dogs.

Our second girl, who is just over three years old now, we got when Char was about 3 1/2. We wanted Charlotte to have company. The moment we saw Reagan, we knew, because she looks and acts just like Char - even at only six weeks old. Now, interestingly enough about Reagan, she NEVER barks - never, ever, ever. I have actually NEVER heard her bark. She is virtually silent. Sometimes, she will "coo" - I don't know how else to describe it. But when she's excited and happy, she'll wag her tail so much her whole back end will shake with it and she'll let out an adorable coo sound - like a morning dove! LOL! It's just amazing. We never discouraged her barking, we never had to, she just never did it. So, with schnauzers, you just never know - it depends on the dog, and you can discourage it during training like we did with Char. She would definitely be much yappier if we didn't train her not to be.

I always remember my mom telling me when I first got Char, DON'T encourage her to "speak" - people do this - and they want them to speak and then if it gets too much, dogs don't understand how to dial it back and people don't know how to all of a sudden stop a learned trait. So, that helped us. Hope this info helps you. They are just the best breed. People constantly compliment us on both Char and Reagan's behavior - we can take them anywhere, they are very much in personality like us. Reagan, I swear, is DH and Char is just like me. They go off of your energy level so if you create a calm, contented state they will be that way. Caesar, the dog whisperer, helped us tremendously. We trained them both on his methods. We actually make them sit on their bed while we eat dinner. They are not allowed up during that time, especially if we have company. Yet, they sleep in the bed with us with their heads on our pillow like people LOL. They have never had people food - very important to know that schnauzers cannot handle ANY type of fat in their diet so giving them a little piece of steak or pork or something could be deadly. Their blood already has a higher level of fat content so we strictly keep it to organic dog food and we make sure the only treats they have the Vet recommends like apple slices, a small piece of cheese, or carrots. That's it. They can develop something called Pancreatitis if they are given any kind of fatty food. Just FYI :)

From my album:

Reagan on the left, with her favorite toy "the wishbone" and Char on the right :)



Reagan, the silent cooer:



With Daddy:



Char modeling her Irish fleece jacket:



Charlotte and her rain coat:



As you can see, she's very high strung

Message edited 5/9/2013 1:29:57 PM.

Re: miniature schnauzers

miniature schnauzers

(((((They go off of your energy level so if you create a calm, contented state they will be that way)))))

I've found this to be true as well. Very thoughtful post, and beautiful dogs DaniRella :O)

Re: miniature schnauzers

Ozzie is part Beagle and they are known for howling. He used to howl at the door or at noises outside. We worked for a bit to stop it...he very rarely howls now.

On the flip side my dad's dog never, ever barked. Ever. Since moving out of my mom's when they split and living alone with my dad, she is alone more often/a bit more bored and has started barking. She sits on the window sill and barks for hours at all the passerby.

I definitely think it is training, consistency and the energy in the home!

Re: miniature schnauzers

miniature schnauzers

Yeah, when I tried to quote it copied the entire post. I will have to try that out! thanks :o)

Re: miniature schnauzers

Re: miniature schnauzers

My almost two year old is a barker but only when it comes to:
1)cats
2)squirrels
3)skateboards
4) exDH

Schnauzers are considered natural talkers.. They are mini people! Love my girl and best thing is she's hypoallergenic so my DS never reacts to her.

miniature schnauzers

oh duh LOL that makes sense. Mommy brain... I used to be so much smarter :o(