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Welcoming a dog into your family is one of the best decisions you can make. And if you love the look of a schnauzer, you’re likely wondering how good they are in terms of being a family dog.
Are they little terrors that will only make your life more difficult or will they be a wonderful addition to your home?
Do Schnauzers Make Good Family Pets:
Schnauzers make great family pets. They were bred to be of great use to people and have a strong desire to work and please their owners. They’re also very intelligent, easy to train, low maintenance, loyal, and affectionate which makes them great for families with children.
In this post you’ll discover 13 reasons why schnauzers are great family dogs, how quickly schnauzers can be trained as well as 3 tips to ensure your schnauzer is the best family dog they can be.
Tip #3 is often the most overlooked!
Let’s jump right in.
Table of Contents
Top 13 Reasons Why Schnauzers Are Good Family Dogs
1) Easy To Train
One thing on every parent’s mind before they bring a dog into their family is whether the breed they’re looking at is easy or difficult to train.
When you have a house full of kids running around (or soon to be), the last thing you want is a dog that’s impossible to train.
Thankfully, schnauzers are considerably easy to train.
A study was done in the 1990’s involving 131 different breeds that ranked them from most intelligent to least intelligent.
Schnauzers ranked 18 out of the 131 different breeds.
Which means they have an above average intelligence and are able to learn new tricks and behaviors after only 5-15 repetitions!
So long as your training is consistent you should have no problem training a schnauzer.
The sooner they know how to behave in your home the better.
Related Reading: Are Schnauzers Easy To Train? The Truth + Tips & Tricks
2) Great With Kids
Schnauzers were bred in Germany to protect their farm families as well as livestock and cattle.
Because of this, it’s instinctual for them to protect and be of service to their loved ones.
Which means they’ll only be pleasant with kids around.
Of course, many kids have to be taught how to be around dogs just as much as your dog needs to be taught how to be around your kids.
No being too aggressive, pulling on their ears or tail, or screaming in their face.
If they accidentally hurt your schnauzer they may react with a nip or snarl, but that’s likely the extent of it.
Also, some dogs become so used to their two-legged brothers/sisters being handsy with them that it doesn’t bother them at all anymore.
In general, a schnauzer will be great with kids around and likely take to being their protector.
3) Extremely Loyal
Again, going back to a schnauzers heritage, they’re used to being of service to their humans.
They get a lot of pride and enjoyment when helping.
This makes them extremely loyal to their loved ones.
They want to help in any way possible.
Whether it’s keeping their family protected from potential threats or following your commands.
They aim to please.
They value and respect their place in your pack and will be loyal to each of their family members.
Related Reading: Are Schnauzers Loyal To Their Owners? 9 Facts Revealed
4) Fun Loving & Affectionate
Even though schnauzers were bred to be working dogs they’re still fun loving and affectionate.
Whether it’s frequent cuddle sessions, going outside to play a game of fetch or showering you with kisses, they’ll often showcase their love for you and the rest of your family.
They’re capable of being silly and playful while also wanting to protect.
A perfect balance for a family dog.
Related Reading: 12 Surprising Ways Schnauzers Show Affection (#3 Is Funny)
5) Excellent Guard/Watch Dogs
If you want to feel extra safe when outside, a schnauzer can help provide that feeling.
Whether it’s protecting you or your kids, schnauzers are always alert.
They have deep, loud barks that make them seem much bigger than they actually are.
If they feel a potential threat is walking by your home or attempting to enter uninvited, they’ll let you know and attempt to scare them off.
This also goes back to the reason why they were bred.
It’s natural for them to protect their family and take pride in doing so.
Related Reading: Do Schnauzers Make Good Guard Dogs? What To Expect
6) Value Rules & Structure
While this may appear untrue when they grab a slipper and run off wanting you to chase them down, it’s true.
Schnauzers value rules and structure.
They want to know their place in your family.
If the line is blurred on who’s to follow the rules and who’s to lead the way, your schnauzer might develop anxiety or become overprotective.
A schnauzer that’s trained often and knows who’s their leader/alpha is much happier.
They know their place and want to do their role well.
Which means listening to your commands and knowing when to relax as well as when to be on the lookout for potential threats.
If their training is consistent, they’ll respect your leadership and obey your commands.
And be happy to do it.
7) Adaptive
Schnauzers are quite adaptive.
Whether it’s living on a big plot of farm land or in a city apartment, they’ll learn to love where they’re at.
As long as they’re getting enough exercise, they’ll be happy to live wherever you’re living.
They need roughly 60 minutes of good exercise each day.
If they get their 2 walks a day (possibly 3) and have a good play session in between, they’ll be indifferent about where you live.
8) Fearless
Another quality that comes from their herding, guarding and hunting background is being fearless.
In 3 words AKC describes schnauzers as smart, spirited and fearless.
If you were to find yourself in a scary situation with your schnauzer, odds are they would never back down from defending you.
No matter the size of the opponent.
Their courage is quite remarkable and they take protecting their family seriously.
Related Reading: Are Schnauzers Protective? The Truth + 6 Reasons & 4 Tips
9) Help Motivate You To Be Active
Because they need around 60 minutes of daily exercise they’ll be a constant reminder that you need to get up and get active!
Some days you may be tired and uninterested in taking them out and find their bugging to be annoying.
But, in the long run you’ll appreciate the extra steps you get each day because of your schnauzer.
And the added motivation of having a buddy you love dearly to be active with makes it all the better.
10) Good With Other Pets
As long as a schnauzer is socialized from a young age, they’ll be just fine with other pets.
The only challenges that could come up with other pets would come from your schnauzer being too isolated while they were young.
Isolation means they wouldn’t learn that unfamiliar dogs, cats or people can be friends instead of potential threats.
So as long as they meet plenty of different animals and people before they turn the age of 1, they’ll be perfectly fine with other pets.
Related Reading: Schnauzers Get Along With Other Dogs? 11 Breeds Reviewed
11) Lots Of Energy (But Not Too Much)
As previously mentioned, schnauzers need roughly 60 minutes of good physical activity each day.
Which means they’ll have plenty of energy to play with your family and likely never turn down a walk, dog park visit, or game of fetch.
But, on the flip side, they aren’t too energetic where they require frequent exercise or they’ll be a nuisance.
Border collies are an example of a dog breed that requires a certain type of owner because they need so much physical activity.
Schnauzers are in a nice sweet spot.
They need a good amount of exercise which is why their energy is high, but not out of control.
12) Low Maintenance
Schnauzers are hypoallergenic, don’t shed much (no more than a person), don’t overly drool and don’t have excessive grooming needs.
Whenever bringing a dog into your family you don’t want to have to deal with too much more of a mess than you already do.
Which is a nice benefit of schnauzers.
They’re generally a lower maintenance breed.
And if anyone in your family has allergies, a schnauzer won’t cause them anymore discomfort than their typical seasonal allergies.
13) Overall a Healthy Breed
In general, schnauzers are a healthy breed and aren’t prone to any health conditions/diseases in partiuclar.
On average they live for 13 to 16 years.
How often they need to see the vet is largely dependent on how much exercise they get, what they eat and how well they’re maintained over their life.
Top 3 Tips To Help Your Schnauzer Be a Fantastic Family Dog
1) Proper Socializing
Schnauzers have a natural urge to protect their family.
Which is why proper socializing is super important when they’re young.
From the age of 2-months to 12-months, do your best to introduce them to as many different dogs, cats, animals, people and places as possible.
This will teach them that strangers are friends and that they don’t need to feel threatened by them.
That way they won’t behave overly protective for no reason and will be able to develop great relationships with new people/animals they meet.
2) Consistent Training
The more consistent you are with your schnauzers training, the more well behaved they’ll be.
Simple as that.
While schnauzers are smart and can pick up on tricks/behaviors quickly, they still need constant reminders of the behavior you want to see.
If they go too long without some form of training they may pick up bad habits along the way.
And bad habits are much more difficult to train out of a pup than maintaining good ones.
3) Bi-Annual Vet Check Ins
The best way to ensure your schnauzer lives a long, healthy life with as minimal complications as possible is with regular vet check ins.
If you take them to the vet at least twice a year, they’re more likely not to have negative health conditions reach late stages.
When things are found early and preventative action is taken, they’ll live longer, happier lives.
Being proactive with vet visits is the best way to keep your schnauzer around as long as possible.
As opposed to reactive visits.
Other posts you might find interesting:
Schnauzers & Running: 4 Facts, 4 Dangers & 4 Tips
7 Ways To Tell If Your Schnauzer Is Depressed + Helpful Tips
12 Surprising Ways Schnauzers Show Affection (#3 Is Funny)