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Schnauzers
Schnauzer board and train in Gloucester, MA
The name covers three AKC breeds, from an 11-pound Miniature to a Giant of up to 95 pounds, all developed in Germany as farm dogs, ratters and guardians. They share a beard, a quick mind and plenty of opinions. This page explains what each size brings to a training stay and where owners tend to go wrong.
Three sizes, one mind
Schnauzers learn fast, bore fast and bark at what they notice, and the Giant adds a guardian's wariness
The AKC scores the Miniature Schnauzer five out of five for trainability and also five for barking, with energy in the middle of its scale. The breed page calls Minis friendly, lively and eager to please and says they learn quickly, then warns that their high intelligence means training has to stay fun, because they can get bored with repetition. The same page states plainly that Minis have a strong prey drive and should never be off leash outside a fenced area.
The Standard, 30 to 50 pounds, earns the same top score for trainability and a five for mental stimulation needs. The AKC's training note for it is unusually frank: Standards grasp an exercise in very few repetitions, over-training is a big problem, and a Standard nobody teaches will teach itself, though not always what the owner wants. The Giant scores three for trainability and two for openness to strangers, and the AKC calls it territorial and protective, quoting a breed fancier who says it is not for the casual owner.
- Miniature: 11 to 20 pounds, trainability five, barking five
- Standard: 30 to 50 pounds, learns in a few repetitions and bores after more
- Giant: 55 to 95 pounds, reserved with strangers and protective
- All three: a farm dog's alertness and an urge to chase small animals
Programs by size
Foundation teaches the quiet cue and the long-line recall; Advanced proofs both near squirrels, strangers and traffic
In the one-week Foundation stay, a Schnauzer works through the core list of obedience and leash skills, place, stay, recall, impulse control and house manners, with daycare time and a go-home lesson. Here the trainer keeps each session short and changes the game often, because a dog that understood a cue after three repetitions starts inventing alternatives by the tenth. Recall is taught on a long line from the first day. Given the AKC's prey-drive warning, a Schnauzer's recall is insurance, never a reason to unclip near wildlife.
The two-week Advanced stay layers distraction proofing and real-world outings on top of that, plus neutrality and structured socialization, and ends with two coaching lessons for you. It fits a Mini that shrieks at passing dogs, a Standard that has started making its own decisions, or a Giant that bristles at visitors. For a Giant the neutrality work is the heart of it: calm while strangers come and go, rewarded check-ins with the handler and a settle at the door. If a Giant has already bitten or guards hard, Gabriella Pope may suggest a longer program with you present, such as Polished Pup.
Both programs are spelled out on the board and train overview. A stay is priced after a short assessment rather than from a list, while individual sessions start from $94, and Canine Citizen Academy is there for a Schnauzer heading toward the AKC Canine Good Citizen test. Say on the form which size you have, because handling an 11-pound Mini and a 90-pound Giant are different jobs.
Prey drive
A Schnauzer's chase is managed with a leash and redirected with games, because the drive itself stays
Old-time German farmers bred the Standard down to Miniature size to work as barnyard ratters, the AKC says, adding that Minis can do very well in earthdog events, a sport built around that instinct. A squirrel in the woods at Ravenswood Park or a chipmunk beside a trail in Dogtown Common is a job offer. Training cannot cancel the offer. It can teach the dog to look at you when the squirrel appears, and give the drive an outlet you approve of: a flirt pole, a tug toy or a hidden-treat search.
Ravenswood appears on The Trustees' list of properties with off-leash walking, but the AKC's advice for Minis is to stay leashed outside a fence, and it is sensible for the larger two as well. A long line of 20 to 30 feet gives a Schnauzer room to sniff and trot while you hold the end. The Gloucester Dog Park at Stage Fort Park is fenced, with one section for dogs under 25 pounds and another for larger dogs, so a ball game can happen where a missed recall costs nothing.
- 01
Start where a squirrel is visible but far enough off that your dog can still eat
- 02
Say your dog's name the moment it spots the squirrel and reward the head turn
- 03
Repeat until the dog looks back at you without being asked
- 04
Move a little closer only when that check-in comes quickly
- 05
Finish with a chase your dog is allowed, such as a tug toy or a flirt pole
Where it goes wrong
With Schnauzers, the classic mistakes are drilling cues, shouting over the barking and leaving a clever dog to entertain itself
Repetition is the first trap. Owners who run ten sits in a row are often surprised when the tenth is slower than the first, yet the AKC warns about exactly that in Minis and Standards. Three crisp repetitions and a change of game teach more. The second trap is volume. A Schnauzer that barks at the mail carrier and hears its owner shout is getting company in the job, so the stay teaches a quiet cue and, just as important, shows you how to block the window or gate that starts it.
The third is boredom. The AKC says Standards insist on being included in family activities and do not do well left alone or tied up in the yard, and that a Giant cannot abide being ignored. A Schnauzer left to patrol a fence line all day rehearses barking and chasing for hours, which is more practice than any training stay can match. Daycare days in a matched playgroup, Academy days with a trainer or a midday dog walk all break up the patrol.
- Three good repetitions, then switch to a different skill
- Block the window or gate before teaching quiet
- No unsupervised yard patrols while you are out
- A daily brain job: scent games, tricks or a short training session
Back home
After the stay, keep sessions short, the recall on a line and the doorway routine the same every time
At pick-up the trainer coaches you through the cues, rewards and distances that worked, in one lesson after Foundation and two after Advanced. Keep home sessions to a few minutes and stop while the dog still wants more. Leave the long line on for recall practice, and use the quiet cue at the door the same way each time someone knocks. Schnauzers notice inconsistency, and a rule that changes with whoever holds the leash will be tested.
For ongoing work, Dogtown Academy, $89 a full day or $69 a half, adds a trainer session to a day of play and enrichment, and Canine Campus runs 2, 4 or 6 weeks of day training with nights at home. A groom can be booked near the end of the stay: full service is $75 for a Mini, $85 for a dog of 26 to 50 pounds and $110 for a Giant of 51 to 90 pounds. Our Schnauzer grooming page explains the cut.
At Dogtown
Around a Schnauzer's stay
Training first, then a groom in the breed pattern, Academy days for the clever ones and daycare to break up the fence patrol.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Does a Giant Schnauzer need a different plan from a Miniature?
Can my Schnauzer learn to stop chasing squirrels?
My Standard Schnauzer gets bored and ignores me. Is it stubborn?
Will training stop my Schnauzer from being a watchdog?
Can my Schnauzer be groomed before pick-up?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- AKC: Miniature Schnauzer
- AKC: Standard Schnauzer
- AKC: Giant Schnauzer
- The Trustees: guidelines for dog walkers
- Gloucester Dog Park
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Bright dog, short sessions.
Tell us on the training form which Schnauzer you have, Miniature, Standard or Giant, and what it barks at. We reply within an hour on business days.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
