Are You Ready To Adopt A Miniature Schnauzer?
Posted on: 23 September 2016
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Adding a pet to your household can enhance the quality of your family's life but only if you adopt the breed that is best suited for your family's lifestyle. Many people find miniature schnauzers to be great companions, but you should ensure your family is prepared to cope with the unique demands associated with this breed before adopting a miniature schnauzer into your home.
Here are three characteristics you should be prepared to cope with if you are thinking of adopting a miniature schnauzer in the near future.
1. Regular Grooming
All dogs need to be groomed in order to keep their skin, coat, and nails in good condition. Miniature schnauzers come with a particularly rigorous grooming requirement since this breed has hair and not fur. Unlike the coats of other breeds, a miniature schnauzer's coat will continue to grow over the course of the dog's lifetime.
If left unattended, painful mats and pests could develop within your dog's coat, causing your miniature schnauzer to be uncomfortable. Be sure that you are prepared to tackle the costs associated with grooming your dog every 6 weeks (as recommended by experts) or be willing to invest the time to learn how to groom your miniature schnauzer at home before making the decision to adopt.
2. Socialization
It's important for all dogs to be socialized regularly, but socialization becomes vital when you own a miniature schnauzer. The miniature schnauzer is a terrier breed, which means their temperament can be feisty, playful, and talkative, and they often have a strong chase instinct. While these traits help to make a miniature schnauzer a delightful play partner when the dog is balanced, schnauzers that are not socialized on a regular basis can begin to display serious behavioral problems.
A miniature schnauzer that lacks proper socialization can be standoffish and suspicious. Be sure that you can devote time to socializing your dog with other people and animals before making the choice to adopt a miniature schnauzer.
3. Health Monitoring
Miniature schnauzers are prone to developing pancreatitis. This painful inflammation of the pancreas can be life threatening, and it often requires immediate veterinary care in order to ensure that the patient doesn't become dehydrated or sustain permanent damage to the pancreas.
If you are thinking of adopting a miniature schnauzer into your family, you must take the time to learn about the signs of a pancreatitis attack. You should also ensure that you have the financial resources available to seek out emergency veterinary care for your miniature schnauzer if needed in the future.
Taking the time to determine if you are prepared to invest time and money into grooming, socialization, and health monitoring will help you determine if adopting a miniature schnauzer is the right choice for your family. For more information, contact a company that specializes in pet adoptions.