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A common question people have in mind before bringing a new dog into their home is whether they’ll be loyal or not. There are many factors that could affect a schnauzer’s loyalty. But are schnauzers inherently loyal to their owners?
Are Schnauzers Loyal:
Schnauzers are absolutely loyal dogs. They were bred to be hunting dogs as well as guard dogs. This means they have a strong affinity with the people they’re close with. Schnauzers want to please their owner and are happiest when being loyal to their owner.
In this post you’ll discover 9 reasons why schnauzers are so loyal as well as whether or not schnauzers are only loyal to one person.
Reason #8 is the least known but has a big impact on loyalty.
Let’s jump right in.
Table of Contents
Are Schnauzers Loyal To All Their Owners?
Schnauzers can absolutely be loyal to all their owners.
Just like any other dog breed, they’ve evolved from wolves which are pack oriented animals.
This means they’re loyal to all members (dogs, cats, people, etc.) that are a part of their pack.
You may however notice that your schnauzer has a favorite person.
Since schnauzers were bred to be hunting dogs as well as guard dogs their instincts draw them exceptionally close to one person.
Whether it’s the person they take most of their commands from, and feel that person is their alpha.
Or it’s a member of the family that your schnauzer feels is their duty to protect.
They may have a particular affinity toward one person in your family/pack.
It doesn’t mean they won’t be loyal to their other owners or love them any less.
It just means there’s a good chance they’ll hold one person a little closer in their heart.
9 Reasons Why Schnauzers Are So Loyal
1) You Train Them
Schnauzers were bred to be hunting dogs as well as guard dogs. This means they’ll have a stronger relationship with the person who trains them and teaches them commands.
The person who gives them commands is their leader and they’re exceptionally loyal to them.
People often have a negative association when it comes to taking orders from someone.
Usually because they’ve had a negative experience with a boss at some point in their life.
But a dog values commands and direction from a loving leader because it gives them order and teaches them their place in the pack.
They want to know who their alpha is so they know who is giving the orders and feel safe following commands.
You may not be hunting with your schnauzer or giving particularly serious commands. But their loyalty toward you will still be strong even though they’re receiving more light hearted commands.
If they listen to your commands it means they respect you as their leader/alpha.
And where there’s respect there’s loyalty.
2) You Give Them Attention
Playing with your schnauzer and giving them attention increases their loyalty to you. This type of quality time is fantastic for bonding.
They absolutely adore the attention and it gives them an activity to do as opposed to simply lying down and resting.
When your pup is able to associate being around you with having fun, they’ll be more loyal to you and want to be around you more often.
Something quite funny that many homes experience is when a dog runs to the non-disciplinary parent.
Usually the dad because mom is stuck being the bad guy..
This doesn’t always mean they’re more loyal to their dad, but it likely means they know dad is fun and not likely to punish them.
Increasing quality time by giving them your attention (often through play) is certainly a reason for a schnauzer to become more loyal.
3) You Provide Them With Food & Water
Every living creature needs food and water in order to survive.
Without it, they obviously wouldn’t be able to last for very long.
And ever since your schnauzer has known you, you’ve been feeding them and replenishing their water bowl.
This inherently makes them considerably loyal to you.
Every morning and every evening you fill up their empty bowls so they can eat and quench their thirst.
They also likely get a few treats in between meals as well.
Whether it’s some scraps while you’re preparing your own food or some meat flavored treats.
Everytime you feed them you’re gaining some loyalty points. You’re their source of food and water! How could they not love you to bits.
4) You Help Them Experience The World
Unless you live on a farm where your schnauzer can roam freely, their only experience of the outside world is when you take them out.
Whether it’s for their daily walks, a trip to the dog park or going for an adventurous hike.
Odds are, your schnauzer absolutely loves these experiences. They get to smell all kinds of different smells, burn off some energy, and go to the bathroom.
That’s why their tail wags so much whenever their leash is brought out or someone utters the word ‘walk’.
Anything they do when their leash is on is likely their favorite experiences in the whole world. And each day they get to enjoy those experiences with you.
If you take them out, there’s a good chance they’ll be considerably loyal to you.
Taking care of a schnauzer’s most basic needs only increases their loyalty to you. Relieving themselves and getting exercise are two super important needs that you help them get.
5) Naturally a Loyal Breed
As already mentioned, schnauzers were bred to hunt as well as to be guard dogs.
This means they will naturally have a strong bond/loyalty to the person who gives them commands.
Dogs that are partnered with a hunter will develop a strong bond with their human hunting partner.
And dogs that are willing to guard specific people in your family only demonstrates their love and loyalty.
Schnauzers are fearless and have a strong desire to please their alpha/leader.
They’re naturally more loyal because instinctively they have a high level of respect for the person giving them orders.
Related Reading: Are Schnauzers Loyal To Their Owners? 9 Facts Revealed
6) Previous Negative Relationship(s)
While having a previous negative relationship will make it hard for your schnauzer to trust you initially.
Once you’re able to show them they’re safe with you, their loyalty will likely know no bounds.
If you gave them a new home while giving them the space they needed in order to trust you, they’ll be very loyal to you.
Whether they experienced physical & verbal abuse or were unfortunately abandoned, these events can make it hard for them to trust again.
But once that trust is gained, their bond to you will be extremely strong.
It may even go too far where they may experience separation anxiety.
They’re so loving and loyal to you that they can’t stand to be away from you.
This isn’t an ideal situation, but there will be no question about their loyalty toward you.
7) You Stood By Them
Being there for your pup when they’re hurt physically or emotionally is another reason why a schnauzer will be loyal to you.
Showing unconditional love is something that creates such a strong bond that not many things can match.
So if your pup was injured and you nursed them back to health.
Or they were depressed/emotionally scarred and you stood by them and helped them out of their rut.
Both of these acts of love demonstrate to your pup how much you care for them which only increases their loyalty.
8) Your Love Is Their Drug
When you pet your schnauzer and give them love & attention, it makes them ‘feel’ good in the most literal sense of the word.
Whenever you have physical contact with your pup or even hold eye contact with them, their body releases oxytocin.
Oxytocin is the happiness hormone. The more they have in their system, the happier they feel.
And a natural way for them to release this happiness chemical is when they receive love and attention from you.
In a very real way, your love is their drug.
Which of course makes sense why they would be loyal to you.
Every belly rub, eye contact, or cuddle session makes them feel so much better than when they’re by themselves.
It’s amazing the connection and ‘feel good’ that can come from a bond with your pup.
9) Instincts
Schnauzers come from a long history of wolves.
And the only way for wolves to survive in the wild was to be in packs to take care of one another.
As well as to hunt and ensure they had food to eat.
Without their pack, they likely wouldn’t be able to survive on their own.
This makes your pup have a strong urge to be loyal to their pack.
They don’t want to be kicked out of the pack in fear of not being able to survive.
They also understand that a group is better than 1 and want to work with their pack to care for one another.
While your schnauzer doesn’t have to worry about hunting anymore, they still are extremely loyal to their pack members.
There’s no way you’ kick them out of your pack but they want to make sure they keep their spot.
And being loyal is one sure-fire way they know how to keep their spot.
Other posts you might find interesting:
Are Schnauzers Good With Kids? 13 Things You Should Know
Can Schnauzers Swim? 6 Facts, 5 Dangers & 5 Helpful Tips
Why Do Schnauzers Sniff So Much? 21 Things You Should Know
Citations:
Oxytocin-Gaze Positive Loop and the Coevolution of Human-Dog Bonds
