How Is a Schnauzer – Care, Information and Advice?

How much do you know about what a Schnauzer is like? If for some reason you are currently taking care of a Schnauzer, there are many things that you must take into account in order to raise it well, since these dogs require a lot of attention that we must cover or else we could end up affecting it.

Schnauzers are among the most intelligent dogs in the world, even ranking at level 12 of the most intelligent registered dog breeds. They learn relatively easily and if they receive the right education they can become the best friends of your family and your other pets.

But they are also possessive, territorial and jealous by nature; therefore if we are not careful when raising a schnauzer they can become a danger to other animals and to our own family. Of course we are not blaming the animal, but in many cases it is the irresponsibility of the owners that ends up corrupting these cute little animals.

In addition to the above, they are animals that have relatively sensitive health. Of course, they are not as fragile dogs as others, but they do require special care that we must provide them to give them a good quality of life and prevent any premature risk to their health.

For these reasons, today we want to help you understand what a Schnauzer is like, what care you should take into account if you want to adopt one, and the best way to raise them.

Instructions for a Schnauzer – Care, Information and Tips

Care

1. The most important thing that we have to take into account if we want to give the schnauzer proper education and care is to ensure that it lives with other pets.  Even if you have a Schnauzer as your only pet, taking it to the park to live with other dogs is an excellent idea, since these animals are extremely territorial and jealous and if they do not have the proper education and coexistence they can become aggressive with almost any animal they consider. A threat to their territory or their masters.
2. It is also very important to give him the right food. These animals require a fairly balanced and very careful diet. The Schnauzer’s diet has to be extremely careful and coupled to its needs.
3. These animals require a high amount of energy to be able to carry out their daily physical activity. But if we feed him too much or if we do not allow him to exercise daily, our dog will become prone to obesity and heart and liver problems, as well as joint problems that can lead to hip dysplasia or osteoarthritis.
4. They are also dogs prone to vision problems, especially as they age.
5. To know more or less how much food we should give our dog when we are talking about feed or croquettes, you just have to weigh your dog and multiply its weight by 1000, so you will get your dog’s weight in grams. After this you must divide that measurement between 3%if your dog is very active and 2% if he is not very active, and then consider this weight in grams.
6. This way you will know when to give your dog food per day. We will divide this measure of food into two parts if our dog is more than one year old and we will give him a portion at each meal. But if our dog is less than one year old, the ideal would be to consult a veterinarian about how many times we have to feed him per day as well as the amount.
7. In general when it comes to food. In a three to six month old dog that has already been weaned and is beginning to consume dry food, it should be fed five times a day with reasonable intervals between each meal. If our dog is already more than six months old, we can reduce the frequency of eating to three or four times a day.
8. It is also very important that our dog always has water available. Because these dogs are very active, on a game day, they can become hydrated very easily, and dehydration can lead to kidney and liver problems. For this reason, in no way do we have to overlook the importance of providing our being with good hydration.
9. Also to prevent wear and tear on his joints and fatigue, feeding him a food slightly high in calcium and minerals once or twice a week may be a good idea. However, we should not overdo this either, because excess minerals and calcium can affect our dog’s kidneys, especially if he is male.
10. These dogs like people who are very loving and very playful, in fact these dogs are prone to becoming depressed if they are not given enough attention or if they cannot be exercised. We must dedicate at least one hour a day to our dog so that he can play and exercise. At least take him out for a walk every day.
11. We will need to bathe him from time to time. In the case of Miniature Schnauzers, the ideal is to bathe them every ten or fifteen days because they are very prone to accumulating dirt and fluff on their fur. In the case of large or medium detailed Schnauzers, once a month would be adequate.
12. It is important to keep in mind that these animals have two types of hair. One is the type of hair that we can all see that looks like fluff, but the other is a thicker type of hair that never falls out and is shorter, so it is not easily noticeable at first glance.
13. If you shave your dog, keep in mind that his thick coat will never grow back and instead he will be left with fuzz-like hair that can make it harder to keep clean later on.  Not to mention that thick fur provides some protection to our dog.

Information

1. Its origin dates back to the 15th and 16th centuries in Germany, to be more specific, in the territory of Württemberg, the result of controlled breeding of the beaver dog with various local dogs. In this way, it was achieved that it was a dog that had an excellent sense of smell, was very clever and intelligent, and its size was reduced.
2. The name of this breed comes from the German words “schnauzer”, “schnauzbart” and “schnurrbart”, which are words related to the word muzzle and mustache, especially due to the size of the dog’s muzzle as well as the fact that it has large mustaches that characterize it.
3. At first, this breed was not distinguished from the Affenpinscher, another breed of German origin that initially shared many characteristics. Schnauzers were originally related to terriers, although terriers are of British origin, while Schnauzers are of German origin.
4. Schnauzers are characterized by having round, open eyes, V-shaped ears, a snout full of large whiskers which makes it quite wide, round black noses, and a very particular coat. The Schnauzer’s coat is characterized by two things; they have two types of hair, one is short, hard and thick, and the other is longer and cotton texture.
5. The first type of hair never falls out. The second, on the other hand, changes depending on the seasons of the year. A very curious thing that should be noted about the Schnauzer is that if we shave it, its hard hair will never grow back, and instead all its fur will take the form of cotton-type hair.
6. In ancient times, it was relatively common to amputate the ears and tail of the Schnauzer so that if it was in danger of being attacked by other animals or beasts, the possibility of being injured in these easily accessible areas would be reduced, since it is important to clarify that this dog was used as a guard and hunting dog.
7. Currently, in many countries it is prohibited to amputate the ears or tail of these dogs, however it is still very common for people to do this for aesthetic purposes, but most professionals consider it to be wrong and partially harmful to the dog. Have these body parts amputated.
8. The Schnauzer is an extremely active dog; it requires exercise every day for various reasons. Remember that this dog was bred for hunting and home protection, as well as a rescue dog. Therefore we can assume that these dogs are quite active, which is why they need to exercise constantly.
9. One of the problems that this dog presents when it does not acquire the necessary physical activity is excessive weight gain. These dogs are prone to gaining weight, and that can end up affecting their long-term health if their diet and exercise aren’t controlled.
10. Another problem that a Schnauzer can present is visual problems. Schnauzers have a high propensity to develop cataracts and vision loss. Of course, this does not mean that it happens to everyone, but the older the Schnauzer, the more the propensity for this type of problem increases.
11. There are three or categories of the Schnauzer: the average Schnauzer, which is the most common, the Giant Schnauzer, which is the least common, and the Miniature Schnauzer, which is quite small and barely weighs between 5 and 9 kilos. But regardless of the type of Schnauzer we’re talking about, they all require constant physical activity.
12. These dogs are very strong despite their size and have no qualms about facing other large breed dogs, so in the end if they are not educated, they can become quite aggressive and dangerous dogs with other dogs or animals.
13. They are also highly territorial and jealous dogs. These dogs are jealous both of what they consider to be their territory and of their family or masters; therefore they generally don’t like to share their family’s love with other pets.
14. But this is a problem that is easy to fix, if we make sure that our dog lives with other animals constantly, especially since he was little. Our dog can become an extremely protective and friendly animal with other types of animals, including cats.

What do you need for a Schnauzer – Care, Information and Advice?

• Responsibility
• Discipline
• Constancy

Tips for a Schnauzer – Care, Information and Tips

• Nor is it highly recommended to amputate the tail of these dogs.
• It is advisable to apply a little powdered oral serum to our dog’s water and give it to drink from time to time, leaving it within reach. In this way, your dog can stay hydrated and protected, which will help him especially if he has had an episode of diarrhea since this disease can dehydrate him horribly.
• It is quite common for these dogs to have their ears amputated, but if you are the type of person who wants to remove their dog’s ears and tail, before doing this you should consider the fact that they are relatively problem-prone dogs. Auditory, since they have a very sharp hearing and if you amputate their ears you are increasing the risk of suffering from ear infections since with cut ears it will be easier for foreign organisms and bacteria to enter the ear.
• These dogs are very active animals, so if you notice that they have a sad or inactive attitude, you have to take them immediately to a veterinarian to check their health status, since the inactivity of the Schnauzers is a bad sign.