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Boombang
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Posts: 5
Joined: 27 Feb 2021, 13:44
First Name: Alex

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Post by Boombang »

Hi all, I have posted in the standard section in the hope of sourcing a schnauzer late summer and thought would say hello here.

Our neighbours have a wonderful schnauzer and I have wanted one for over 20 years (Colin from the TV series Spaced is probably to blame).

My wife grew up around dogs and would love another, now feels the first time that is viable as my job is mostly home working, and she is generally home the days I need to be in the office. My son is 5 and now big enough to handle a moderately sized dog, he too would love the company.

At home we have a reasonable garden and live between a vast country park, endless fields with free access and a dead end lane that leads to byways and bridleways.

We have ruled out a giant due to my son and logistics. A lot of friends have had mini schnauzers but none of those people are anywhere near as active as us. We felt it would be unfair to expect a dog of that stature to be taken on multi hour walks around the countryside. It can be very hard going through winter around here and the general robustness of a standard seems the best fit (noting we do not expect a puppy to do so much and would build to it over months and years).

Not the right place to ask (and plenty of standard vs mini threads) but if anyone thinks we are wrong on the volume of exercise a mini can take I would love to hear it - although my strong preference is a standard a mini has obvious packaging advantages and gives us far more options for breeders.
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zeta1454
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Re: New to forum

Post by zeta1454 »

Hi Alex, miniature schnauzers are actually robust little dogs and, if gradually introduced, an active lifestyle is definitely not ruled out once they are through puppyhood. One of our pups went to live in Norfolk and had a walking holiday with his family doing the Norfolk Coastal path; a friend has a mini who accompanied them in their campervan on a holiday to do the ‘Wainwrights’ in the Lake District and several young families we know with minis have a very active lifestyle. There is also, of course, (if you have not come across the book “Following Atticus” by Tom Ryan in the USA) the little mini schnauzer who climbed mountains:

After a close friend died of cancer, middle-aged, overweight, acrophobic newspaperman Tom Ryan decided to pay tribute to her in a most unorthodox manner. Ryan and his friend, miniature schnauzer Atticus M. Finch, would attempt to climb all forty-eight of New Hampshire’s four-thousand-foot peaks twice in one winter while raising money for charity. It was an adventure of a lifetime, leading them across hundreds of miles and deep into an enchanting but dangerous winter wonderland. At the heart of the amazing journey was the extraordinary relationship they shared, one that blurred the line between man and dog.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/111 ... ng-atticus

The critical points to remember when looking for a puppy is to find a good breeder that you can trust to raise fit, healthy, self confident dogs and who should be able to guide you as to which of the pups in any particular litter are likely to be the most adventurous. It may be that almost any dog may be trained to enjoy muddy walks but some are definitely more happy having an active lifestyle and this is probably less to do with breed than with individual temperament in my view. You will need to build up formal exercise and demanding routes gradually to avoid over stretching and causing damage to growing bones but I don’t see any reason why a miniature schnauzer from a good breeder should not be a great fit for your family.

Minis are very companionable little dogs and love to join their families on adventures and it is likely that the minis you know in the less active households have simply adapted to their family’s lifestyle as they have not been given the opportunity to exercise more. We always took our first three minis on holidays to Scotland, Ireland and Wales over the years and they all participated in long daily walks through woods and along coastal paths with great enthusiasm :)

If you do prefer a standard, you may find it much harder to source one and they are definitely a challenging dog to train and much bigger overall than a mini. In the hope that dog shows and similar events (such as Discover Dogs) return to allow the public the opportunity to meet dogs and breeders face to face, I would recommend going to as many of these as you can in your search for a pup, as it will help you to establish a relationship with a breeder, explain your family’s lifestyle and have a better opportunity of getting a puppy in the future - especially if you want the standard as so few are bred each year.
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

Magic - Silversocks Sharade at Darksprite
Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud


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Boombang
Puppy
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Joined: 27 Feb 2021, 13:44
First Name: Alex

Re: New to forum

Post by Boombang »

All very interesting thank you very much. My preference would be a standard regardless but a mini would still be wonderful if

It does make sense the dogs adapt to a sedentary lifestyle just as we would. That said none were unhealthy or neglected.

Would an adult mini or indeed standard be up to 5km jogs or 15+km off road bike rides?
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zeta1454
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Joined: 19 May 2011, 16:58
First Name: Leigh
Dog #1: Magic
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Born: 20 Apr 2010
Dog #2: Trilby
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Born: 15 Mar 2012
Dog #3: Pip
Born: 21 Feb 2014
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Location: North Yorkshire
Contact:

Re: New to forum

Post by zeta1454 »

Boombang wrote: 28 Feb 2021, 14:13 All very interesting thank you very much. My preference would be a standard regardless but a mini would still be wonderful if

It does make sense the dogs adapt to a sedentary lifestyle just as we would. That said none were unhealthy or neglected.

Would an adult mini or indeed standard be up to 5km jogs or 15+km off road bike rides?
I think maybe if your priority is for a dog built for endurance and activity rather than a family pet which will participate in walks and runs on a regular basis but not over long distances, you may be best looking for a dog that is bred for these kinds of activity rather than hoping that a breed you like will fulfil that role.

It is not just the physical strength or ability of the dog in these kind of sports / activities but whether they have the temperament for the kind of exercise you are talking about. I have no personal experience of standard schnauzers but they were bred as general purpose dogs originally and, like the miniature schnauzer, may enjoy more leisurely and exploratory exercise over long distances if need be but not a ‘route march’ type of continuous running. They enjoy activities that test their intelligence and challenge them mentally more than just physically. Miniature schnauzers were certainly not bred for endurance activities, nor were standard schnauzers in terms of running. The latter were watchdogs and ratters and the smaller miniature schnauzer was originally bred less for a country / working life and more as a companion dog.

There are some links here which may give you some ideas of the kinds of dog which you may be better looking for if the endurance / long distance exercise is a priority for your family:

https://www.bicycling.com/news/a2004396 ... ing-style/

https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-st ... r-runners/

https://moderndogmagazine.com/articles/ ... ners/65318

https://www.purelypetsinsurance.co.uk/b ... -partners/

I do think it would be a good idea if you can to visit Discover Dogs or any similar event so you can see a good range of breeds and talk to owners and breeders about your plans for the family pet in terms of exercise too as there may be the perfect breed that you have not considered yet :)
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/
Boombang
Puppy
Posts: 5
Joined: 27 Feb 2021, 13:44
First Name: Alex

Re: New to forum

Post by Boombang »

The running and riding isn't an issue at all, I had just found very little on Schnauzer endurance when searched and nothing on more intense activities - I hadn't planned on taking a dog on those activities (I go alone) it was more curiousity.

Today was a typical weekend day. 2 hours over at our allotment this morning, this afternoon 3 mile stroll with some geocaching. Rest of the day in garden and sorting bits in garage.

Typical weekday I am up 6ish and could do a 30-60 minute walk before the school run, same in the evening.

I am somewhat allergic to dogs as is my son, schnauzers being the only breed that do not cause allergic symptoms and luckily a breed we love.

A discovery event would be great so long as was outdoors!
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zeta1454
Moderator
Posts: 5136
Joined: 19 May 2011, 16:58
First Name: Leigh
Dog #1: Magic
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Born: 20 Apr 2010
Dog #2: Trilby
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Born: 15 Mar 2012
Dog #3: Pip
Born: 21 Feb 2014
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Location: North Yorkshire
Contact:

Re: New to forum

Post by zeta1454 »

That sounds perfect then :)

Unfortunately Discover Dogs is usually held indoors but there are usually many shows around the country where all breeds of dog are shown outside so it could be worth looking out for any of these in your locality later this year.

There is useful information on this link regarding exercise for puppies and how to build up strength in young dogs:

https://shoppuppyculture.com/pages/age- ... exercise-1
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/
Boombang
Puppy
Posts: 5
Joined: 27 Feb 2021, 13:44
First Name: Alex

Re: New to forum

Post by Boombang »

We do have an 'all about dogs' show locally, it's less about dogs and more about market stalls selling all sorts though. My son did get to hold a tarantula though.

Thank you for the link, that's a nice easy to read article. We had read elsewhere guidelines of walking 5 minutes per month once they are ready.
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