If you are thinking of taking in a schnauzer or if you already have one living with you, it is vital to know its character, what its qualities are and what is the best way to educate it from a young age. In this way, you will ensure that as an adult it is a balanced, sociable and happy dog.
For this reason, in this article on our site we are going to give you several keys and tips to train a schnauzer correctly. Despite their strong personalities, it's easy to teach them the basics if we know how to do it. So, read on and you will get to know this dog breed better and you will both enjoy your company to the fullest.
Characteristics of the schnauzer
This breed is originally from Germany and there are several sizes, so we can find miniature, medium or giant schnauzer. All of them are characterized by a coat with a softer inner layer and a rough outer layer and colors of black and silver, s alt and pepper, black or white. Also, something that easily differentiates this breed is the very dense eyebrows, beard and whiskers.
The character of this breed stands out for its strong personality, their self-confidence, their intelligence and, furthermore, they are known for be somewhat stubborn These are very active, curious, brave, loyal, reliable dogs with a stable temperament. Therefore, we must have an authoritarian attitude with them, but never aggressive. So you should never hit them, yell at them, or educate them negatively. Positive reinforcement is much more effective, that is, rewarding good and desired behaviors.
We should also know that they are very close to their family, so it is very important that all family members spend time with them. So much so that, in addition to defending their loved ones above all else, if they spend a lot of time alone at home they end up being destructive and even suffer from separation anxiety.
The importance of socializing
To know how to train a miniature, medium or giant schnauzer it is necessary to know the importance of good socialization. It is preferable that this occurs in the first months of the puppy, which is when it can learn more things and its character is formed, but if you have an adult dog that must be properly socialized, it is also possible, especially with the help of an ethologist. canine.
Like any other breed, if not properly socialized, educated and trained, they can become territorial, suspicious and even aggressive. Therefore, adequate socialization from an early age is vital, so that when they reach adulthood they are balanced and happy.
Thus, in order to socialize a schnauzer puppy correctly, we must keep in mind the following:
- Remember that your puppy must be vaccinated in order to be in contact with others and that the first animals you decide to have contact with are preferably balanced and calm. In this way we will avoid bad experiences as a puppy that will only lead to an adult with trust and behavior problems.
- To start interacting with other dogs, it's a good idea to look for them that are similar in size and age to yours and, in a few days, introduce others that are larger and older. To introduce animals of other species you must follow the same guidelines.
- It is always better that the meetings take place in a neutral territory, that is, in a new area of the street or in a new park for the dogs, where neither of them previously believes that it is their territory and that the other invades it. Look for nice and safe places like a pipi-can or park frequented by more dogs.
- In addition to getting the puppy used to all kinds of pets and the noise of the street, it is also vital that all the members of the family get involved and the dog knows them well so that later on they do not there are coexistence problems. Also, we must allow him to meet more people.
Set rules and limits
To educate and train a schnauzer correctly it is very important that, from the moment it becomes part of our home, we set rules and limitsand let us help you understand them.
To do this, it is vital that everyone who lives with the animal agrees on what it can and cannot do, as well as the exact words that are going to be used to teach it the commands and make it understand situations. This is crucial because if one person indicates an action or command with one word and another does it with a different word, the dog will not understand the relationship and will not learn it.
In addition, you will also have to think about the schedules and routines your pet will have, since you also have to be consistent in these aspects to that the dog can have balance. Likewise, he has to understand in which areas of the house he is allowed to be and in which he is not, so it is good that he has his own fixed spaces in which he has water and food, the bed, blankets and toys. By leaving clear rules and limits, always in a positive way, your pet will be able to have the stability that a dog needs and be happy.
Correct bad habits
Even complying with the above, especially if there are things that we have not helped him understand since he was a puppy, it is possible that the dog develops some bad habits or has bad behaviors. For example, he may be asking us for food all the time while we eat, he may pull a lot on the leash on walks or break some objects.
So when your dog doesn't listen to you, doesn't follow familiar rules, or misbehaves correct misbehavior with positive reinforcementThat is, never scold, punish or hit him, since all this is really not effective and can even seriously worsen your dog's behavior.
To use positive conditioning, just say NO firmly, without yelling, or stop what you're doing at that moment, for example stop walking if the problem is that it throws excessively on the leash and do not resume walking until he stops, calms down and returns to your side. So, every time he does things well you should reward or congratulate him, either with a treat from time to time, with a few words that he associates with something positive or with some caresses.
Basic Commands
Teaching basic commands to a dog is a way for him to create a strong and positive bond with us and the whole family and, at the same time, it will help him feel useful within the family, a very important fact for his proper development and balance.
Since schnauzers are generally a bit stubborn dogs and, in addition, they are always very attentive to everything that happens around them, it is easy for them to get distracted from what we are trying to teach them, so sometimes we must be patient.
So if you're wondering what to teach your miniature, medium or giant schnauzer, the answer is you have to start with the simplest thingsand basic that are part of your care. For this reason, from puppyhood you must educate him to relieve himself outside the house, starting by indicating a place in the house to which he can go when he needs it and little by little he will go to relieve himself in the street and not inside the house.
At the same time that he learns where to relieve himself, you can teach him the basic commands for dogs and that they cannot be missing if we want him to be balanced and happy. It is about learning to stay still, sit, lie down or stretch, come and walk by your side. Also, especially if we have a giant schnauzer, we will have to teach one to jump and pounce on people.
Other commands
When we have managed to get our pet to learn all the things and basic commands mentioned and we make sure that we offer him all the care of the schnauzer, then we can start teaching him other commands more advanced such as fetching toys, spinning around, pawing, rolling over or playing dead, among many others.
To follow all these tips for training a schnauzer you will have to rely on reinforcement or positive conditioning and never force or punish him. You will see that in this way it is much simpler and more effective, in addition to avoiding many possible future problems, making your schnauzer a happy, stable and balanced adult dog and enjoying each other's company.
