Hi all,

I’m trying to find the impossible it would seem, in that I’d like a low shedding dog of small/medium size, that will be able to run with a bike, have good recall, be good with kids, generally sociable out and about (ie not fiesty with other dogs), not needs hours of exercise every day, be happy sitting in an office for 6hrs a day and being left for a few hours every now and again.

I can’t risk a cross-bread of indeterminable origin as I need to know how much it will shed due to Mr Kip having really rather major animal allergy. Think Darth Vader with asthma around cats and high shedding dogs.

Schnauzers seem like a possibility but there is talk they can be dominant and unsociable with unfamiliar dogs.

So, over to the collective, who knows anything about Schnauzers, or can recommend me another dog that may tick the boxes?

Cheers.

My Mother had one 10 years ago, lovely little fella happy and playful yet content to sleep and rest on the sofa.

I liked him, Mum liked him quite a lot.

Bedlington terrier? Our current one is a medium sized dog (and much bigger than breed standard), though most are smaller. Ticks most of your boxes. Doesn’t need ‘hours of exercise’, but does need a reasonable amount. Needs to be well trained if you want to avoid ‘fiesty-ness’ with other dogs.

Took a look at the Bedlington too. Not sure if the terrier natural suits recall, how does yours get on with it?

Mate’s got a whippet lurcher – doesn’t shed. Not sure if normal though

We have a miniature Schnauzer. She is brilliant. Smart, easy to train and very affectionate. Can be strong willed at times and occasional selective hearing….

Happy to run up and down hills but never biked with her – reckon longer distances would scupper her.

A standard or indeed a bigger miniature I think would be great too.

Our lady is our 2nd. Our previous lady ran until she was 15 then unfortunately succumbed to old age. She was equally great.

I do like a Schnauzer….

No one here owns a standard anything. It’s all niche.

One of the B&B owners I deal with has a couple. One is a bit ‘snappy’ with anyone who doesn’t live there full time. (The B&B guests don’t get to meet them). They like a good bark, very good guard dogs.

“due to Mr Kip having really rather major animal allergy. Think Darth Vader with asthma around cats and high shedding dogs.”

Errmmmm are you sure about this?

I’m similar to the above description and although I love dogs I couldn’t live with one. Dog pollen gets everywhere. It’s not the hair but the natural oils on the dogs skin that cause the allergy (think I read that somewhere)
I’d have to take antihistamines daily, have a large supply of inhalers and constantly wash.

We have had a miniature schnauzer for 6 years and would agree with benz. As with all dogs if you treat them like replacement spoilt children then you will end up with some behavioural issues though as I have seen with mother in laws one. They tend to be quite excitable when young unless you are firm with them during training.
Never met one that was snappy but they are quite vocal if anybody who is not part of thier pack enters their territory, but is more of a defensive mechanism than aggression.
Great thing is that they are of a good size for taking places, don’t need a car with big boot space for instance, and people tend to feel less threatened by small cute dogs in public spaces rightly or wrongly.

Oh and all the ones I have met love children if that is important to you

Anyone own a Standard Schnauzer?

I had a Standard Schnauzer but I decided to add some modifications – greyhound legs, lhasa apso tail and pitbull head. Goes like **** now and gets a lot of attention round the town.

Shirt haired lurcher, you have to work hard on recall and running with bikes will be tough and only for short distances.
TBH the dog you want doesnt really exist and even if it did the big factor is how much effort you put into training it.

Thanks for the info people.

Survivor: It’s actually the proteins that are present in both the saliva and the urine (apparently) which is why you get more allergies from cats who like to clean themselves more. The proteins are then attached to the hairs which float about the place ruthlessly attacking those who are allergic. The best advice we’ve been given suggests low shedding dogs have less of a mechanism to transport those proteins out into the air. This could all be rubbish which is why we’d want to test out a dog first. However, we do know that Working Cockers, Black Labs and Golden Retrievers all set him off.

There’s some good info here which we’ll look at a bit more, I think the mini’s are just a bit too small for us and yep, we know full well that the amount of effort you put into training is what you get back.

I think next step is finding a reputable local dealer and actually meeting some beasts and seeing how Mr Kip gets on. Cheers.

Have you looked at a standard Poodle , pretty much non shedding very trainable and intelligent . You can keep them groomed with a short coat for easy maintenance . Happy to run and run and if you provide some sort of mental challenge they’re ok left alone .

Yes, as above or some sort of poodle hybrid?
My gf has a Labradoodle. Gorgeous gentle dog, no shedding.
What about a Cockerpoo?
Rescue dog would rule out the surprise element.

Took a look at the Bedlington too. Not sure if the terrier natural suits recall, how does yours get on with it?

Our has pretty much perfect recall, though we still watch out for foxes and deer etc, and give him a warning beforehand.
It’s not easy training a Bedlington, but it can be done.

Have you looked at a standard Poodle

Not a small/medium sized dog though

he’s just a messenger boy.

There’s always a compromise .

We had a standard for 17yrs – replaced with a Giant.

Schnauzer (male) was stubborn, had issues with anxiety separation wehn young(probably our fault), but a cracking dog. Totally loyal, proper guard dog, would run for a good while, didn’t shed too much, liked to chase joggers. He was a lot easier to manage once we had a second dog (staffy) to keep him company.

There is a very active group Schnauzer forum. If you can see past the furbaby chat (why do people do that – they’re dogs ffs) then you would probably find someone willing to let your kid meet one of their dogs.

Standards are rare in comparison to minis and giants – don’t see many about these days. Could be tricky to find a litter

Do have a read about whippets and whippet-based lurchers.

As long as you’re flexible on the recall thing and don’t wanna ride with it for miles.

Can you do a home trial with a rescue dog, to test out the allergy thing?

Sorry for OT but I think ‘Standard Schnauzer’ would be fantastic name for a bike 😀

but they are quite vocal if anybody who is not part of their pack enters their territory,

I hate this about Schnauzer’s the bark just goes does my head in.

I’m going to second CheesybeanZ suggestion of a standard poodle. Okay they aren’t a small dog, but so what, on pretty much ever other account they tick all the boxes.

In my wider family we have 2 standard poodles and 1 miniature Schnauzer and I prefer the poodles by far.

We had a standard Schnauzer when I was a kid.
Lovely dog and great temperament around kids.

He was a rescue dog and was a sod for stealing food, but I guess that is due to being neglected before we got him.
They also look great when freshly clipped.

Oh and he was called Fritz.

If shedding is an issue and you want a small / medium sized dog, what about a Tibetan Terrier?

We have one – he’s about the same size as a Cocker, long hair if not clipped but doesn’t shed. He’s quite happy chilling in the day but enjoys getting outside. he’s really good with the little chap who is nearly three. He is a bugger for chasing the cat though.

We have a six year old standard. She’s got a lovely temperament and wants to be friends with everyone, especially children. When younger she wanted to play with every other dog we met although she’s a little bit calmer now. No signs of dominance, our rescue clearly wants to be the boss at times but Heidi ignores it and treats the whole thing as a game.

Schnauzers are very intelligent with plenty of personality, some say too much, and are constantly up to mischief. “There’s never a dull moment with a schnauzer” is a common quote. Life is one big game to her.

I’d agree with everything allfankledup wrote to the extent it could be the same dog. They thrive on company, particularly human, and separation anxiety is a real issue.

Standards, minis and giants are all different breeds with different traits and personalities so don’t confuse them. Minis can have a high pitched yip while standards have a much deeper bark. They have a strong guarding instinct and do love the sound of their own voice but she’s not aggressive in any way.

All in, Heidi is flippin hard work but extremely rewarding and my best mate. The rescue is just the family dog.

What about a Spanish water dog? Don’t malt much, can run and are supposed to be pretty friendly. Bonus points for it being quite an old breed that hasn’t been tinkered with too much by breeders. Less likely to develop nasty illnesses as a result

Get a whippet. They’re absolutely bone idle!

Again, thank you to everyone who has given advice on this post. Sorry I let it hang without checking back but just haven’t had a chance.

As per usual when it comes to dogs it seems that every one has there own personality and foibles and if schnauzer is the way we want to go we need to do our research and follow good practice by checking reputable breeders, seeing both parents etc.

We have by no means fully decided on a final breed choice and whilst I love the look of the Spanish Water Dog, I think it’d be a bit too big for us (plus Mr Kip is not quite so big a fan of the can’t see where it’s going look). The same goes for the Standard Poodle. I’ve had retrievers and lab crosses before plus my folks had German shepherds and they are just a bit big for the inside space we have, especially with a small excitable child bouncing about the place.

Yes, I know that said child would have to be watched/careful around any dog, but I still have vivid memories of being knocked over by our golden retriever as a kid when he was just walking past!

Should we ever make a decision (we’ve been looking at this a while now but it was only when we did respite guide dog boarding that we found the true extent of Mr Kip’s allergies) I’ll post pics, because as we all know, this post is useless without pictures!