Miniture Schnauzer - Can anyone help please?

We have had 2 miniature schnauzer and if we were to have another dog would chose one again. We have grandchildren and cats and had no problem and they don't shed. As they don't shed they need clipping which can become expensive. I'd recommend them totally.

My hairdresser has a miniature Schnauzer. They don't have children but I believe she's quite well behaved with visiting children.

They shed very little but do need hand stripping at a groomers every 8 weeks or so . They can be barkers . They are very energetic ...VERY

My personal recommendation would be for a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I have one currently and I have 4 grandchildren aged from 2-10 . He's rock solid with them but we went to training with him from 12 weeks. More importantly, we trained the children .

They know to use kind hands with Sammy . Sammy was trained from 12 weeks to realise a) he's not the boss and his food is not to be protected . I'm pro dog but not stupid, Sammy is never left alone with the children. Cavs are soft mouthed and smart ( Sam has quite a repertoire of tricks) , don't need huge amounts of exercise but do need lots of human contact.

They're a great size too. Not too small. But easy to pick up.

I believe kids and dogs go together - so good luck whatever choice you make .

My three grandchildren grew up with two miniatures, they are gentle dogs and so loving

Hand stripping? What's that? Serious question, I don't know much about dogs but might consider getting one if I move to a smaller house (hopefully next year)

Best dogs IMO are Lhasa Apsos. Like schnauzers they don't shed and need professional grooming every 6-8 weeks. They are loyal and good company, and live to a long age.

Like all dogs they need socialisation and training but mine are wonderful with children.

But I know both Schnauzers and King Charles's and they are great little dogs too.

We were considering getting a miniature schnauzer but the owner of one lovely little dog that I'd been admiring told me his pet was perfect - apart from the yapping! So we are now the besotted owners of a minature schnauzer / miniature poodle cross breed, Oscar. He's five months old , very friendly with everybody including children, the postman and other dogs, (fairly) obedient and learns very quickly, being very food-orientated. His fur needs a lot of attention, being non-shedding and prone to tangling and he has a whole bagful of dog grooming products.
He is great company, always ready to go out for a walk and best of all, he practically never barks.

Thanks everyone all that advice is really, really helpful. Oldgoat - Oscar looks and sounds absolutely lovely. One of the things that concerns me about having a dog is the possibility of getting one that is barky, if there is such a word! I certainly like the idea of one that doesn't shed, but hadn't considered the fact that this means extra grooming, so thanks for that. As we will be (hopefully) dog walking on the beach on a fairly regular basis this is an important point. I will certainly consider the other two breeds recommended as well, so again, thank you.

We also have had bassets. They shed but are brilliant with children, very gentle and don't yap.

Ana ,Stripping or hand-stripping is the process of pulling the dead hair out of the coat of a non-shedding dog, either by using a stripping knife or the fingers.

A hard, wiry coat has a cycle where it starts growing and then sheds as it reaches maximum length. Hand-stripping coordinates the shedding and makes room for a new coat to grow.

The hair is removed with either a stripping knife or stripping stone, with the top coat removed to reveal the dense, soft undercoat.

If done correctly, the procedure is painless. Many dogs are reported to enjoy having their hair stripped, especially when they are introduced to it as puppies.

Hope that helps

www.barkingdogs.net/excessivebarking.shtml
Schnauzers are in the most barky category, as are other toy breeds.
I remember a trial being done on TV and spaniels come out the best of the popular breeds for inappropriate barking.

Oddly, Oscar doesn't seem to mind us having a go at his coat to remove the knots. (When I think of all the fuss DD used to make when I did her very curly hair!!)
We have just bought one of those mat removers with blades NandG but I'm a bit afraid of using it. DD's neighbour has a cockapoo which walks on the beach where they live, every day. They struggle to keep on top of his tangled coat and when he last went to the groomers to be trimmed great showers of sand flew out of the knots.

Thanks, NanaandGrampy

Imagine if it was humans Ana ...I'm off to get stripped :-))

I know what you mean about worrying about hurting them Oldgoat . Luckily one of my nieces has trained to be a dog groomer and as we don't show Sam , he's our pet - she bathes and does his coat etc every 8 weeks .

In summer he has a short haircut all over and in winter we leave his body coat, but trousers, ear , tail and feet get trimmed .

I know a couple of minature schnauzers who are gorgeous - but my favourite similar sized dog that is good with children is the Border Terrier. They also need stripping from time to time but you can learn to do it yourself as my DD has done. Make sure you visit the bitch and if possible get references from owners of dogs from the same bloodlines. I waited two years to get the Jack Russell I wanted as the family were brilliant with little ones. So important to me. The pic is my JR with visiting Border and DGS

Cavaliers are gentle, loving and easy to train, but don't even consider buying one. They have very bad health problems for which the parents should have been tested (very expensively) and even then your chances of getting one without inherited heart disease are small. And there are much worse problems which are common among them.
Poor little Cavaliers, average lifespan is heart-breakingly short.

I have my little Maltese/Yorkshire cross doggie, both breeds probably considered "barky", but she hardly utters a grunt. Only if someone knocks at the door or fireworks are going off. So not all breeds considered barky are so. I think it is personality and training if they do bark a lot. There are things available to help curtail it.

I love the breed of Schnauzer, they look so cuddly. I also trim my own dog. I recently bought a dog grooming arm for attaching to the table, which has two nooses and I put her in it, used a cordless trimmer and she is now all done and bathed and feeling so much better. It has saved me a fortune probably over the seven years to do her myself. If you start as a pup, they get used to it.

It did take me two years to find my doggie though, looking regularly for the right one to come along. She was with her mummy and daddy and all her siblings, from a loving family of mixed aged children, handled regularly. Her mummy's only litter and not too expensive so they didn't seem to be doing it for the money.

I would definitely go for a cross breed, Schnauzer and Poodle maybe. Just don't go for a bulldog and a shih tzu, you would end up with a bull shih t!

Neither of our schnauzers were yappy.

Thanks again everyone. All that feedback has been really useful. Rubylady - very encouraging, thanks, we will be very careful about selection too. Taking all your comments on board and looking at the pros and cons I think overall the Schnauzer may win the day. Particularly as we were talking to a guy on Teignmouth seafront yesterday who was out with his (gorgeous) dog and he told us he was a delight! Thanks again chaps. Grans Power!

The problem with all miniature dogs is how they are bred and the consequences. Breeding the runt of the litter, with the runt of the litter, etc- to produce a very small (cute) dog is NOT a recipe for a healthy dog- yapping would be the least of your worries.

Ir you do get one, make sure you see them with the mother, in the breeder's home. Miniature dogs are the most numerous and 'popular' dogs bred in puppy farms as people buy them for their 'cute' factor- at lower prices.

Have to disagree Watermeadow , we have a Cavalier who has no health problems.
Of course we did our homework and bought from a reputable breeder whose stock lines are good in terms of inherited ailments.

We certainly expect a reasonable lifespan for our little chap.

Most breeds have a chance of inherited issues, hip dysplasia, temperament challenges , etc.

Labs can suffer from detached retina, exema is common in German Sheperds, Jack Russell's can suffer from glaucoma, Lhasa Apso can have kidney issues , the list is endless.

I am so happy for you- you were lucky. How old is s/he now?

What watermeadow says has been proven beyond doubt - a good breeder is not garanteed. They have been bred in a way that causes so many health problems, including brain being to big for the head. So so sad.

Sam is 3 Granjura.

I do know like any breed Cavaliers have their issues of course. But there is rarely a breed who doesn't .

I don't know if people know but most breed associations keep intensive records on each line. When I bred Bernese Mountain Dogs each year I got a print out of all the breed lines , all the mating sand all the litters . Each was annotated with hip scores etc , so with some work you can choose a pup from the least affected lines.

Over time it builds up into quite a knowledge base.

It enables responsible breeders to do their best when producing litters.

I believe most associations can provide this information if anyone is interested in doing some real in depth research before purchasing.