are minis prone to anxiety and reactivity?

The Miniature Schnauzer is a smallest dog in the Schnauzer breed and originated in the mid-to-late 19th Century from Germany. The Miniature Schnauzer is a cross between the Standard Schnauzer and other smaller breeds such as the Poodle. A miniature Schnauzer is a spunky, but aloof dog who does things their own way. They tend to be good guard dogs without the tendency to bite.
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Mbright
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are minis prone to anxiety and reactivity?

Post by Mbright »

I'm on the waiting list for our second mini. So, I've been doing a lot of thinking (about our current mini and the minis I know) and reading on the internet about minis (what else?!). Yes, I've gone down the internet rabbit hole and my husband thinks I'm crazy :))

While I was on the Reddit page for mini schnauzers I was shocked by how many recent posts there were of people seeking advice for their mini who was anxious or reactive (barking at people, squirrels, dogs, joggers, etc). Now, I am not sure if this is poor breeding because of the surge of pandemic puppies, or the lack of socialisation due to covid restrictions, or the breed in general.

I became more concerned as our friend brought home a mini boy 5 weeks ago and she has been struggling. Her puppy will shake, growl and bark uncontrollably when he sees people or dogs. We tried to do a meet up, but it was too stressful for her little pup. Her behaviourist and trainer thinks it is more than the usual puppy fears as his reaction is so extreme. She is devastated.

My mini was unsure about strangers touching him or looking directly at him. He had a phase of barking at joggers. He went through some lead reactivity after being bitten by a dog while on a lead, but fine off lead. We managed to sort through these things through training and thought it was relatively normal. So, I never really thought about this until now.

Maybe this is just me being biased as I am focussing so much on one breed. Maybe I'm overthinking as I am preparing myself for a second puppy. I know that minis can be territorial, aloof with strangers and alert, so maybe if a mini is insecure this would manifest in anxiety and reactivity?

What are your thoughts?
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zeta1454
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Re: are minis prone to anxiety and reactivity?

Post by zeta1454 »

I don’t think that miniature schnauzers are more prone to anxiety and reactivity than other breeds. As you say, the lockdown restrictions have had a significant impact on dog breeding with the worst breeders and dealers cashing in on a surge in demand for puppies while the best breeders decided to delay having litters until life returned to something more normal. Puppies that have been poorly raised and families or individuals who are novices at dog training don’t make a good mix. The best breeders choose good temperament parents for their breeding and raise the puppies to be self confident and resilient, accustom them to household noises, socialise them with a range of different people / animals /children / traffic and different environments. They may also start house training and crate training to make the transition to the adoptive home easier.

Miniature schnauzers are a vocal breed and, by heredity, are from watchdogs and vermin hunters so they will have a disposition to bark to warn of strangers approaching the home or family and may be likely to chase moving creatures including joggers! Training is key to teaching a puppy when to control these behaviours and is common to many breeds not just mini schnauzers. Negative experiences especially in the early years of life can also affect behaviour but again this needs careful patient training to resolve and is not exclusive to mini schnauzers.

If you have found a good breeder that raises the puppies well and who will be ready to match a puppy to your family as much as possible and support you with advice after the adoption, I would not worry too much about your mini not settling in just fine. Not all minis are aloof with strangers in my experience and some are quite the opposite and much of this is down to temperament of parents and upbringing. Once you have your puppy home, accustoming him or her to your routines will help the pup to settle and socialisation should be a priority introducing them to as many different people, places and friendly dogs as possible. You want the puppy to have positive enjoyable experiences that help them feel the world is a welcoming place and do all you can to avoid situations which are threatening. If a puppy is nervous don’t push them into a situation they fear but help them become less anxious through reward based training.

As regards your friend’s puppy, was he always so fearful from the time she brought him home or has this arisen since? I only ask because years ago we had a devastating experience with a miniature schnauzer puppy from a first class breeder. The puppy was affectionate, friendly with people, dogs, cats, laid back and playful until a week after her second puppy vaccinations when she became paranoid, terrified, screaming with fear at anyone and everyone we met. It took almost a year before we finally got a diagnosis and admission that in rare cases puppies can suffer brain damage from vaccination which has an irreversible effect on their mental health and behaviour. It is something to consider if this puppy was not always so petrified and reactive. However, if he has always been like this it seems most likely a result of poor breeding and trauma from the circumstances of his birth and upbringing at the breeder’s.

It is easy to overthink and explore too many online sites when you are anxious to make the right choice with getting a new puppy but in my experience a well bred miniature schnauzer will be a loving companion and is a great breed to choose for many families.
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Mbright
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Re: are minis prone to anxiety and reactivity?

Post by Mbright »

Thanks for your reply! I was thinking it must be inexperienced owners, lack of socialisation and poor breeding.

I went through the typical puppy and adolescent fear periods, but nothing crazy. Our mini has always been reserved but polite with strangers, but loves dogs. I assume all dogs have their personalities.

My friend's puppy has been anxious since day 1. She first brushed it off thinking it was just the puppy experiencing a huge change. It's a catch 22 for her as she wants to socialise her pup but his threshold is so low, so they're stuck at home. Even when he steps out of the house he starts shaking. If he sees a stranger or dog, he starts lunging and barking which I think is not typical puppy fear. She is now peaking to a vet behaviourist. Her vet says he is healthy after blood tests and an extensive exam. She tried to contact the breeder but said since the puppy is physical healthy that it must be her fault. She admitted to be later today that she got the puppy from the Internet as she didn't want to wait. So, again this just confirms your explanation (re: poor breeding and genetics).

I think I will stop worrying and enjoy waiting for our pup.
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Re: are minis prone to anxiety and reactivity?

Post by Dawnspell »

Dogs can be just the same as people, some are just prone to stress and anxiety more than others by genetic disposition, but then the environment also impacts on those traits.

Jasper was less than a year old when the first lockdown happened. He definitely had reactivity issues with people after avoiding them for so long and with people coming to the house as nobody had been. He picked up on the social distancing and was uneasy when people started coming closer again.
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Re: are minis prone to anxiety and reactivity?

Post by Schnauzerluv »

I have a pandemic puppy, brought him home in Sept of 2020. I struggled through a lot of fearful behavior and had to very carefully desensitize him to stangers, other dogs, honestly everything! The poor dude had never even been outdoors prior to coming home. I've never experienced anything like this. It was very gradual and a lot of work, but at 9 months I can bring him everywhere he's allowed and he's totally comfortable in the car now (he'll even jump in) and he's fine with people, dogs, skateboards, playing sports, cars, big trucks, airplanes, wheelchairs, bicycles, squirells, birds, construction, you name it. I do believe any puppy in his position would be the same. It hasn't been easy to socialize him in lockdown, and we still haven't had visitors in the house. We'll have another level to work on when lockdown is over.

The most helpful thing for us has been taking him to drive thru's, going for walks on different routes, different neighhoods. It has given me a chance to acclimate him to all sorts of things.

We lost our 15YO girl in March 2020, so we really wanted a pup, but I'm hoping Covid will be over by the time we plan for our second mini because it has been difficult, not gonna lie. But any effort we put in now is worth it 100% for the longterm.
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