Are Schnauzers Easy To Train? The Truth + Tips & Tricks

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So you’re thinking about adding a furry friend to your family and wondering if schnauzers are easy to train. Schnauzers are known for being rather bright dogs, but are they easy to train?

Are Schnauzers Easy To Train:

Schnauzers are one of the smartest breeds around which makes them easier to train than many other breeds. When ranked against 131 other breeds they placed 18th which puts them well above average in terms of intelligence. With proper training techniques, a schnauzer will be easy to train.

In this post you’ll discover the truth behind why schnauzers are easy to train, when they can become challenging to train, how long it typically takes to train a schnauzer as well as helpful tips when training a schnauzer puppy.

Tip #4 is important in general, but even more important for schnauzers!

Let’s jump right in.

Table of Contents

Why Schnauzers Are Easy To Train

The schnauzer breed originated in Germany and was used to help farmers.

Not only would they protect their family, but they would also be trained to protect and herd cattle.

They were bred to be a jack of all trades on the farmland.

Herd, guard, hunt, you name it and they could do it. And do it well.

Of all the jobs, herding is one that really requires an intelligent dog to learn and master.

They have to be highly alert, know what subtle signs to look out for, have a strong work ethic and desire to do their job, as well as determination.

This means they were bred to have a strong ability to listen to specific commands, see and assess potential threats or problems, and react fast.

Because of this, when it comes to training a schnauzer with simpler commands like sit, stay, and come, they tend to learn these quite easily.

A study was done in the 1990’s to assess the intelligence of 131 of the more popular breeds.

Standard schnauzers ranked 18 out of 131.

So it’s safe to say their intelligence is above average.

Which makes them easier to train than many other breeds.

They also become very attached to their owner while having a strong desire to please by following commands.

Why Schnauzers Can Be Harder To Train

Since schnauzers are so bright and require lots of physical activity each day, they can become stubborn if certain needs aren’t being met.

While intelligence makes a dog much easier to train, it can also make them quite stubborn if their training doesn’t challenge them.

For instance, if you continue to train a certain trick to your schnauzer after they already know it, they may become disobedient because they’re bored.

They want to learn new tricks and be challenged.

Also, if they have too much pent up energy, it’ll be more difficult to get them to sit still and listen to you.

They need at least 60 minutes of good exercise each day in order to stay fit and healthy as well as not overly energetic.

Schnauzers need firm and consistent training to know their place in your family and to be well behaved.

How Long Does It Take To Train a Schnauzer?

The truth is, training is something that should continue to happen over the course of a schnauzer’s entire life.

Yes, it’s super important to start training them young so they learn the basics.

And the basics don’t take terribly long for a schnauzer to learn given the right training.

But as they get older, if they don’t receive periodic training, their good habits will fade and bad ones will take their place.

And once those bad habits are in place, it’s much more difficult to train out a bad behavior than to train a new behavior or maintain a good one.

However, here’s a rough estimate of how long it will take to train some of the more common tricks/behaviors:

House training: Two weeks to several months (consistency is super important here).

Crate training: One week to a couple months.

No biting: Two weeks to a few months.

Sit: One or a few days. Learning how to sit while at home with no distractions is much easier to learn rather than out in public, of course. The latter will take a little longer to learn but they must learn how to sit in private before attempting to learn how to sit in public.

Lie down: One or a few days. Same comments as sitting.

Shake a paw: One or a few days. Same comments as sitting.

Off: Several days to a couple weeks.

Loose leash walking: Two weeks to several months.

Are Male Or Female Schnauzers Easier To Train?

In general, a female schnauzer will be easier to train than a male.

There are of course exceptions to all rules.

But for the most part, female dogs tend to be easier to train than males.

PetMD says this is because females are smaller in size and reach maturity faster than males.

Which means they’re better able to focus on you when you’re trying to train them something new.

When a dog takes longer to reach maturity their attention span is shorter and their ability to focus is worse.

So if you’re a first time dog owner looking to get a schnauzer as your first furry family member, a female might be the better choice.

However, if you’re a seasoned dog owner who’s trained dogs before, you’d likely be able to train a male or female well.

Tips To Train a Schnauzer Puppy

You want to start training your schnauzer as soon as possible. Typically around 8 weeks old is a perfect age to start training them.

The earlier you help them learn proper behavior, the better. As mentioned earlier, it’s much easier to learn new tricks/behaviors than to unlearn bad behavior.

Here are some of the more important trainings any schnauzer should be taught:

Establish Yourself As Their Leader – When you talk about becoming a dog’s alpha, many people misunderstand this as being aggressive with them. Which is why I think calling yourself their leader is more accurate. It means being calm yet firm with your commands and being patient when their learning is a little slower.

It’s extremely important for a puppy, especially a schnauzer, to know who’s in charge and who should be listened to.

Sidenote: This doesn’t have to be you, but someone needs to be their established leader/alpha.
Start With Basic Then Move To More Difficult Commands – It’s always a better idea to walk before you run. Start your pup off with some of the more simple commands like sit, stay and come so they can get used to training in the first place.

Then once they’ve learned the basics, you can move to more advanced tricks and behaviors you’d like to teach them. Always remember to keep in mind that some dogs may need more time than others and not to get frustrated.
Use Treats & Affection – Positive reinforcement is the best way to let your puppy know they’ve successfully done what you’re asking them to do. If every time they sit properly they get a treat and some lovin’ from you, they’ll want to continue obeying this command.

Once they’ve got the command down pat, you can slowly stop giving them treats after every time they do it and instead do it once in a while.
Socialization – Socialization is extremely important for schnauzers. Because of their background, they’re known for being very loyal pups that want to protect their family at all costs.

What this unfortunately means is that if they don’t receive much socialization, every unfamiliar person or dog that they encounter will be seen as a potential threat to their family.

How you can avoid this is by having them meet lots of different dogs and people while they’re young. This way they’ll learn that strangers aren’t all potential threats and most of the time they’re friends.
House Train – Since your pup has a small bladder and doesn’t yet know how to hold their number 1 & 2 it’s important to take them outside within 10-20 minutes after eating or drinking. It’s also important to do this after letting them out of their crate.

Make sure the place they’re taken to each time is the same so they learn that this spot is for going potty.
Ignore Bad Behavior – The most challenging thing to do when your schnauzer does something they’re not supposed to do is simply ignore it. Not in the sense where you allow them to continue to do it, but you don’t overreact to the behavior.

You calmly go over to them, say in a firm voice “no” once, then take them to their crate. If you make a big scene, it’ll teach them that when they do something you don’t like, they get your attention.

Which will make them want to continue to do it. Ignore bad behavior and praise/reward good behavior.
Get Them Used To a Crate – You want to make their crate a safe haven for them. A place they want to go instead of a place they associate with punishment. While some people choose not to use a crate, they are very valuable for a dog to become comfortable being in.

In the case of an emergency, they will need to be crated at the vet and if they aren’t used to being in a crate it will only add to their stress in the situation. Crates can also become a place where your pup feels safe and secure.
Get Them Used To Having More Sensitive Areas Touched – Areas like their ears, paws, tail, etc. are generally more sensitive. Which is why it’s important to get your schnauzer used to these areas being touched while they’re small and young.

Of course be gentle with the areas, but at some point these areas will have to be inspected and it’s better they’re used to having them touched.

Is Training An Adult Schnauzer Different Than a Puppy?

Tactic wise, training an adult schnauzer is no different than a puppy.

It does, however, take a lot more patience.

An adult schnauzer will have lots of behaviors they’ve been doing for years that will need to be unlearned.

Which will take longer than training a young puppy their first tricks.

It’s like attempting to teach a golfer of 40 years how to change their swing. They’ve been swinging the way they are for 40 years and changing it in any way will be extremely difficult/uncomfortable.

Common Mistakes Made When Training a Schnauzer

Many people don’t know a whole lot when it comes to properly training a new dog in their home. And while they have good intentions, they’re likely to make mistakes simply because they aren’t aware of proper techniques.

Here are a few common mistakes that should be avoided:

Lack Of Socialization

While this was already mentioned in the tips section, it’s super important and worth re-emphasizing.

When you bring a new puppy into your home it’s not uncommon to want to spend lots of time with them inside your home. But you mustn’t forget to introduce them to other dogs and people.

Taking them to meet other dogs you know and trust is important to prevent any aggressive behavior toward strangers in the future.

If the only person your schnauzer interacted with as a pup was you, they won’t behave nicely around unfamiliar dogs or people.

Schnauzers are protective of their family so they need to learn that new people and animals aren’t potential threats.

Using Physical Or Verbal Abuse

Having a new pup will absolutely be frustrating at times. You can’t avoid it.

But being violent with them is not the right way to train a schnauzer.

Being their alpha doesn’t mean striking fear into them and demanding obedience through hitting or yelling at them.

This will only hurt your relationship with them in the long run.

Being firm, consistent and using positive reinforcement is the right way to show your pup that you’re the alpha/leader.

Do your best to keep your cool in frustrating situations. It will ensure you build a beautiful relationship with your schnauzer filled with love and trust.