Miniature Schnauzers might be a popular breed, but they’re not as easy to love for every dog parent out there. Did you ever wonder why that is?
In this article, we’ll dig deeper and find out why Schnauzers are the worst dogs from a few different perspectives.
Why Schnauzers Are The Worst Dogs
1. Schnauzers Are Troublesome During Lockdowns
The Schnauzer breed originated between the 15th and 16th centuries to serve on German farmlands. That’s a significantly different context from the tamed cityscape.
Therefore, as a Schnauzer parent, you’ll have to embrace their wild roots to avoid conflicts. For one, you’ll need to take them out more than other breeds.
Alternatively, you can let them out in your garden or backyard, but you’ll have to make sure it’s fenced. Otherwise, your Schnauzer can easily run off to chase potential prey.
2. Schnauzers Can Challenge Your Leadership
Schnauzers are smart dogs, but they can go overboard with their mental abilities. Ironically, you might struggle for a while to establish a hierarchy in your home.
Seemingly, Schnauzers are a bit strong-willed, and they’ll readily challenge your orders. Even more, this baffling breed may pretend not to hear you altogether if they don’t like what you’re saying.
That’s why you need to be consistent and firm with your orders. Just try to keep a balance and avoid harsh punishments.
In all cases, make sure you don’t overlook misbehavior. Otherwise, your Schnauzer dog will take your silence as a confirmation, resulting in irritating habits.
3. Schnauzers Misunderstand Private Space
Schnauzers are sociable creatures. They thrive on physical touch and, more remarkably, love cuddling. That’s good news if your dog is both your best friend and closest family member.
However, if physical touch isn’t your love language, this might not be the best fit for you. This breed knows no boundaries when it comes to private space.
You can expect a Schnauzer dog to follow your steps all-around home. Even if you’re just sitting on the couch, your pup might find it the perfect moment to relax on your lap. This habit might become more irritating in the hot season.
4. Schnauzers Are Too Suspicious
Originally, Schnauzers were bred as rat catchers and guard dogs on farms. Since Schnauzers are loyal to their roots, they can’t let go of some disturbing defensive traits.
If you regularly receive visitors, be prepared for habitual barking chorales. Owing to their watchdog background, Schnauzers are always on the watch for strangers. However, once you welcome the visitors inside, your little guard will let them go in peace.
Admittedly, we need to appreciate the alert as a sign of loyalty. Yet, if you’re in a quiet neighborhood, the frequent noise could be a concern. Besides, you won’t be able to sneak in fast food when you’re not willing to share!
5. Schnauzers Love Barking
Speaking of startling strangers, Schnauzers are serious about their barking. More specifically, Miniature Schnauzers are infamous for their continuous barking, but all three breeds are known for their excessive barking.
You might assume they’re barking due to their watchdog traits. However, these dogs can excessively bark if they’re frightened, depressed, hungry, or even just bored.
Hopefully, your pup will improve his barking habits with some training. As a general rule, it’s better to play deaf when your dog starts barking. Eventually, with persistence, Schnauzers will get used to city rules.
6. Schnauzers Require Fancy Grooming
The term Schnauzer comes from the word “snout,” meaning “mustache” in German, which refers to their recognizable bearded snout. The fact is that this breed’s hairy coat is a distinctive trademark.
There are all sorts of Schnauzer haircuts to serve various purposes, so you need to be intentional about your choices. What’s more concerning is that you can’t usually rely on your DIY skills, so you’ll have to pay for professional grooming.
So, if you’re not up for the hectic maintenance schedules, you might be better off leaving the Schnauzer breed to less busy enthusiasts.
7. Schnauzers Have Cleanliness Issues
Thick hair comes at even more costs than just the groomer’s bills since the bearded snouts can collect food particles. So, you might have to brush the beard daily to remove the particles before they build up.
Additionally, they usually have excessively oily skins by nature. As a result, these dogs could have a greasy feel as well as a unique smell that might disturb some owners.
Still, certain shampoos and topical treatments can fix the smell issue. If you won’t give your Schnauzer a weekly full-body wash, then the least you can do is to shampoo his whiskers and beard once a week.
8. Schnauzers Need a Lot of Exercises
Since they were originally bred as work dogs, Schnauzers feel the need to release high amounts of energy through exercise.
Otherwise, they could suffer from serious adverse effects, like obesity, excessive barking, chewing, or scratching.
Miniature Schnauzers require at least one hour of exercise per day. As for larger breeds, you might need to add ten more minutes or so to the base hour.
9. Schnauzers Aren’t the Best Walking Partners
Now that you’re convinced to take your bearded little fellow for more walks, you’ll need to handle another struggle. Schnauzers are infamous due to their misbehavior during strolls.
More specifically, because these pups are too energetic, they’ll keep pulling the leash as you walk. This is also because Schnauzers are interested in chasing smaller objects or animals.
As a result, you’ll need to put serious effort into setting rules and training your pup. Not to mention, you’ll have to keep your Schnauzer on a leash in public places. If all your efforts fail, you might even need to hire expert trainers, which adds to this breed’s net costs.
10. Schnauzers Get Easily Bored
Schnauzers are known for their intelligence and problem-solving skills. Luckily, this means that they can easily learn many of the tricks you teach them.
However, the little rascals also need constant mental stimulation. That’s because they get easily bored, so you’ll have to vary your exercises. It’s best to keep the games short and switch to other challenging tasks.
Besides, if you’re leaving, hire a dog sitter for your Schnauzer instead of leaving him alone at home. You can also leave the pup with some toys to distract him from chewing valuable items.
11. Schnauzers Have Controversial Coat Colors
You need to be aware that the rules aren’t easy for Schnauzers if you’re aiming to compete at dog shows.
For instance, the American Kennel Club only accepts solid black and mixed black and silver as approved pure-breed coat colors.
So, if you were thinking of purchasing one of those pretty solid white or particolored Schnauzers, they might not serve you well at dog shows.
Wrap Up
Now that you know why Schnauzers are the worst dogs, you can plan ahead for all the irritation. Alternatively, you might find comfort with a dog from another breed.
Altogether, all dogs require love and care for what they give in return. A Schnauzer can still turn out to be your best pal, but this friendship comes at a cost!