One year later, and my mini is still driving me crazy

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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SchnauzerLawyer
Posts: 1
Joined: 09 Apr 2020, 12:39
First Name: George
Dog #1: Danny
is a: B/S Mini Dog
Born: 01 Nov 2019
Location: Athens, Greece

One year later, and my mini is still driving me crazy

Post by SchnauzerLawyer »

I'm the owner of a 1,5 year old male mini schnauzer.
Before him, I owned a German Shepherd/Husky mix for 11 years - a gentle, sensitive, obedient giant who rarely barked, loved sitting near me and would constantly express his adoration.
From him I went to a small, hyper, incredibly loud terror with the personality of a stubborn, narcissistic dictator who has enough willpower to wear everyone down until he gets what he wants.

For more than a year now, my mini has been driving me crazy: lounging at me when I’m on the sofa, biting me when I’m stroking him, barking hysterically at anyone walking on the street, stealing things from the bin and spreading them all over the floor, aggressively humping his pillow in front of me, and acting hyper like he’s drunk 15 espressos.
He's also amazingly stubborn - he'll rarely back down, and shouting, treats, training or attempts to dominate him by pressing him down don’t seem to work either. Neither do excercise or long walks - he'll walk for 2 hours, play fetch half an hour and when we come home he'll be even more worked up.

On top of that, I’m not getting any actual emotional feedback from him - no love, no empathy and certainly no sympathy (this might also have to do with his long eyebrows and no eye contact). He may be giving out cues that he likes me – he follows me around the house and into the the bathroom, sits at my feet when I'm working etc. – but, combined with the above behaviour, I honestly have trouble telling if he loves me or if he’s simply trying to use me. Every time I think we're finally OK, he'll do something like bite me really hard and sour things up.

It’s embarrassing that I'm getting bossed around by a 18-pound dog, and honestly I don't think I can take more stress in my daily life, but I don't know what to do. Any advice?
I love dogs, but this one is making it really hard to love him.
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zeta1454
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First Name: Leigh
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is a: P/S Mini Bitch
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Re: One year later, and my mini is still driving me crazy

Post by zeta1454 »

Hello George and welcome to the Forum :)

I wonder why you chose to get a miniature schnauzer after having a dog from two breeds that are so very different from a mini schnauzer. Miniature schnauzers are intelligent, lively little dogs that thrive on companionship, want to be involved in everything you are doing, many do well taking part in a variety of activities from scent work to agility and they need mental stimulation to keep their minds active as well as their bodies. They are also not a breed that looks to a human for commands / direction in the way that working and pastoral breeds do which have been bred for this over many years. Miniature schnauzers can think for themselves and, although they can do well at many training tasks, you do need to recognise their origins as coming from watch dogs and vermin hunters - barking to alert you of strangers and often a strong prey drive combined with a love of food and seeking out anything edible wherever it may be in my experience :))

Stubbornness is a common miniature schnauzer trait too and you will not have a good relationship with Danny if you try to ‘dominate’ him.

I don’t know how much support and advice you have had from Danny’s breeder both before and after you brought him home as a puppy but I think that, if you do want to keep him, you will need to look at trying to improve your relationship with him as it sounds from your post as though you are both suffering at present.

Much of the behaviour you describe sounds to me as though Danny is confused and frustrated as to what you expect from him and what he is able to give too. The humping activity is typical of dogs who have had a disturbed or traumatic early start in life and / or do not know how to express their feelings appropriately. We had a female mini schnauzer re-homed to us who had a disrupted start in life and she showed this behaviour whenever she was excited. I think Danny may not understand how to interact with you and the inconsistent ways you have tried to train him will not help. Training - especially now that Danny is an adult dog will take a lot of patience, regular and consistent positive reinforcement and no ‘dominance’ type training - if need be it could help to find a good training class or professional dog trainer that uses gentle positive training methods to give you guidance on this.

Physical exercise is good but actually 2 hours a day is more than a mini schnauzer should need and a better plan would be to use the time in games, training and activities that will challenge Danny mentally. Dog parkour or scent work are really good activities and some information on these should be available online. If it is not possible to enrol in a class currently (or at all) near where you live, you can still use some of the ideas from these within your home / garden. Hide small food treats in containers around the garden (or house) like a treasure hunt for Danny; get a challenge game for him to try; try out some dog parkour training with guidance from an online course. Mini schnauzers want to bond with their family but they are not a dog that stares lovingly into their human’s eyes as though they worship them. They can be the most affectionate, lively, and annoying (at times) little dogs for any family or individual but they need to be appreciated and understood for themselves and their individual characteristics and personality too - they all have their own little quirks.

Barking is definitely a mini schnauzer trait and, although you can train a dog to minimise the barking in certain situations and manage others to avoid provocation, you will never totally stop a mini from ever barking - it is hard wired in the breed.

I would also possibly consider whether Danny is getting too much carbohydrate in his food or treats or whether there are other additives in them which may be making him hyperactive. A fresh meat / fish diet with some added vegetables is a best option as many processed foods for dogs can cause health issues as well as behaviour problems.

If you feel that you could get more closely involved with training and fun activities with Danny, it will be worth the effort as miniature schnauzers are great companion dogs but, if you are looking for a dog that just wants to sit by your feet and is responsive to your every command, you may be better speaking to Danny’s breeder about re-homing him to them to find a home that will give him the kind of family environment he needs, and finding a dog of a more passive /placid nature instead.

There are a few links here that refer to my comments above:

https://www.nina-ottosson.com/

https://www.dogparkour.org/what-is-dog-parkour

https://scentwork.com/

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/train ... -for-dogs/
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

Magic - Silversocks Sharade at Darksprite
Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud


https://m.facebook.com/pages/category/C ... 916994967/
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schnauzer
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First Name: Christine
Dog #1: Suzi (RIP) 13/4/17
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is a: P/S Mini Dog
Born: 09 May 2017
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Re: One year later, and my mini is still driving me crazy

Post by schnauzer »

welcome to the forum.... Zeta has given you good advice
Christine & Gino (Siglette Shadow (born 9/5/17 ---

Suzi (15/5/04---13/4/17) (Sugarbabe) RIP loved you to the moon & back, miss you so so much precious girl
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Dawnspell
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Dog #1: Barney RIP 8/3/19
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is a: White Mini Dog
Born: 25 Apr 2019
Location: Guernsey

Re: One year later, and my mini is still driving me crazy

Post by Dawnspell »

This little fella sounds to be very anxious, confused and getting overwhelmed in many situations.

Saying a dog is stubborn is a funny term. Stubborn indicates they know exactly what you are asking and they are choosing not to do it. If you think of it in 2 different ways

1 They do know exactly what you are saying and are choosing not to do it indicates there is some measure of anxiety or fear about what you are asking. Therefore look at what you are asking and why he is being "stubborn".

2 He not doing as you ask, you see it as stubborn. Actually he has no idea what you are asking so he cant do it. You need to look at your communication skills with him and break it down to make it easier for him to succeed.

As Leigh says they really dont need 2 hours of walking a day. It actually sounds as though the walks are making him more anxious. They really do respond to mental stimulation rather than physical activity and love playing games. These in turn will build your relationship with him.

I've found the opposite of yourself both my boys have been really sensitive and shown a lot of empathy. My super active boy Jasper knows if I have a migraine or sinus infection and just comes and lays by me. My previous boys behaviour changed totally towards my Mum and became totally bonded to her she was then diagnosed with cancer. He "looked" after her whenever she stayed and was so gentle. She had never liked or understood dogs but Barney totally changed her view. Neither of mine would respond to being dominated, in fact I think if I tried holding Jasper down for some reason he probably wouldnt come near me for a week :))

If you wanted a robot dog that did everything that you asked as soon as you ask it then a schnauzer is not that dog. They really are like having a human toddler around that thinks for themselves but not always in the way you want them to :))

We could give you training advise but I think maybe you should find a behaviourist who can come and see whats happening on a one to one basis and give you a clear training plan and guide you through the process. It sounds as though some of his behaviours are pretty ingrained so it is going to take months of work with lots of patience to succeed.
Our first family dog
Barney - Pocketpark Biali Eyebright 6/2/13 - 8/3/19 Gone too soon
Motto for owners who groom their own Schnauzers -"Never mind it'll soon grow back"
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