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Breed guide · Dogs
She reports every footstep in the corridor. I thank her for each one.
Last updated 14 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
Tap a card to see what is going on.
At home
That look at your plate, as if they have not eaten for days, ten minutes after breakfast.
What's going onIt is a very good act. The breed is prone to high blood fats and an inflamed pancreas, so table scraps are off the menu. Measure their meals, and make sure everyone at home knows.
At home
Every delivery, every lift door and every footstep in the corridor, reported in full.
What's going onFarm Schnauzers were kept to warn of strangers, so they are doing a job. Let them bark twice, thank them, and call them away. They are keen to please, and learn the routine fast.
At home
Locked on to the cats by the bin store, the pigeons on the balcony and the geckos on the wall.
What's going onThey were bred to catch rats in barns, and the drive is still there. Keep them on a lead near bin stores, cats and birds, and give them a toy to chase and shake at home.
At home
A dog who barely touches their bowl, then has an accident indoors.
What's going onUrinary stones are common in the breed, and in Dubai heat they need to drink more than they will choose to. Put water in more than one room, and add some to their food. For straining or blood in their urine, contact your vet the same day.
At home
A beard that collects water, breakfast and whatever they found under the sofa.
What's going onThe beard and eyebrows come from the working farm dog. Wipe the beard after meals so food does not sit against their mouth, and keep that wiry coat groomed so it stays comfortable in the heat.
At home
Small, gritty bumps along their spine that you feel before you see.
What's going onThey can be blackheads (Schnauzer comedone syndrome), which this breed is prone to. Do not squeeze them. Mention them to your vet at the next visit.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their past
Built for: Catching rats in a German barn and barking at strangers in the yard.
In Dubai: A flat with no rats, and a lot of visitors.
Their day
Built for: Burning off every meal they ate.
In Dubai: Walking less than they were built for in the summer.
Their food
Built for: Whatever the farm gave them.
In Dubai: People who find it very hard to say no to that face.
The barking and the begging mostly come from that gap.
You cannot give them a farm. You can give them a job and a plate they cannot talk their way around, and the ten things below show you how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the risks on a Miniature Schnauzer's record at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
Ratters dig, and they will dig either way. One place where it is allowed saves the rest of the house.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
Ratters dig, and they will dig either way. One place where it is allowed saves the rest of the house.
What to do
A sandpit, a tub of play sand on the balcony, or a snuffle mat. Hide part of their daily food there and let them find it. From 7 years, a shallow tray of soft sand is kinder on stiff joints.
They were bred to go after rats, and they will go after a cat.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
They were bred to go after rats, and they will go after a cat.
What to do
Keep them on a lead wherever cats, birds or rats might be. Practise recall on a long line in a quiet, fenced place, and keep the lead on near roads until recall works when a cat runs.
A ratter who gets to chase and shake something with you is calmer everywhere else.
Every age, gentler for puppies and from 7 years
Why
A ratter who gets to chase and shake something with you is calmer everywhere else.
What to do
A flirt pole (a toy on a rope at the end of a stick) or a tug toy. Let them catch it, shake it and win sometimes. Teach "drop" by swapping the toy for a piece of their kibble. Slower, lower games as they get older.
Barking at strangers was half their job.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
Barking at strangers was half their job.
What to do
Let them bark twice, say "thank you" calmly, call them to you and reward them. Shouting back only sounds like you are joining in. Close the curtains on the view they report most. New barking, or barking at nothing, in an older dog is worth telling your vet about.
Many Miniature Schnauzers are sociable, and a bad meeting can change that.
Every age, most of all before 16 weeks and 6 months to 2 years
Why
Many Miniature Schnauzers are sociable, and a bad meeting can change that.
What to do
Short hellos with dogs they do not know, then walk on. Meet the same calm dogs often. If they start falling out with another dog, contact your vet.
They will work for food, and rich, fatty treats do not suit this breed.
Every age
Why
They will work for food, and rich, fatty treats do not suit this breed.
What to do
Measure their day's food each morning and use part of it for training. Short sessions, two or three a day. Ask your vet which treats are right for them.
Their wiry coat holds heat, and urinary stones are on their record.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
Their wiry coat holds heat, and urinary stones are on their record.
What to do
From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds: if you cannot keep it there, they cannot walk on it. Carry water, keep bowls in more than one room, and keep their coat clipped for summer. A yearly urinalysis (a urine test) is in your plan from six months to four years.
Dental disease is on their health record from puppyhood.
Every age, starting in puppyhood
Why
Dental disease is on their health record from puppyhood.
What to do
Brush once a day with a small, soft brush and dog toothpaste, starting with a few seconds and a reward. Wipe their beard after meals so food does not sit against their mouth. Professional dental cleaning every 6 to 12 months is in your plan from age two to four.
High blood fats are the first risk on their health record, and arthritis is on it from 7 years.
Every age, most of all from 2 years
Why
High blood fats are the first risk on their health record, and arthritis is on it from 7 years.
What to do
Measured meals, no table scraps, and a walk every day in the cool hours. As they get older, add rugs on marble and a ramp for the sofa. A yearly lipid panel (a test of blood fats) is in your plan from age two.
Blackheads, lumps and weight changes are easier to feel than to see under that coat.
Every age
Why
Blackheads, lumps and weight changes are easier to feel than to see under that coat.
What to do
Run your hands along their back for bumps, part the coat and look at the skin, and check between their toes. Brush them several times a week as you go. Weigh them once a month. Tell your vet about a new lump the same week you find it; the small, gritty blackheads along the back can wait for the next visit.
Five of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
Miniature, Standard or Giant
German farmers bred the Standard Schnauzer down to a smaller ratter for barns and yards, and the Giant is the biggest of the three. They are separate breeds, not sizes of one dog, so make sure your breeder is breeding Miniatures.
Colours
Most people picture the salt and pepper coat, a mix of grey and silver. Miniature Schnauzers also come in black and silver, with silver on the beard, eyebrows and legs, and in solid black. Every one of them comes with the beard.
The first six months
Their vaccinations, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first, with baseline screening for high blood fats. Get them used to having their mouth handled and their teeth brushed from the first week, and start their measured meals on day one.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
Put a water bowl in more than one room, keep a measuring cup by their food, and buy a small, soft toothbrush. A tub of play sand or a snuffle mat gives them somewhere to dig. Find a groomer early, too.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Ask the breeder what the puppy eats now, and book their first vet visit for the first week home. Table scraps are off the menu for life, so agree that with everyone who feeds them before the puppy comes home.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
They'll keep reporting the corridor. If they go quiet and turn down their dinner, contact your vet the same day.
Before they were yours.
The 1800s
German farmers bred the Standard Schnauzer down to a smaller dog that could catch rats in the barn and bark when a stranger came into the yard.
What they still carryThe rat drive, the alarm bark, and the beard and eyebrows.
1888
The first Miniature Schnauzer on record was a black female called Findel, born in Germany in 1888.
What they still carryA small dog built like their bigger cousin, with the same opinions.
1926
The American Kennel Club recognised the Miniature Schnauzer, and the farm ratter became a popular family dog.
What they still carryAn easy family dog who still barks at every visitor.
Today
In the UAE a Miniature Schnauzer lives in a flat or a villa, still reporting every visitor, still certain there is food they have not been given.
What they still carryA farm ratter's appetite in a home full of people who love to share.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Miniature Schnauzer suits you, so might these.
Standard SchnauzerThe same kind of dog: the schnauzer the Miniature was bred down from, bigger and a little quieter.
Scottish TerrierAnother small terrier with a wiry coat, from Scotland, a little more independent and a little less vocal.
DachshundThe same alert, vocal temperament and keen watchdog bark, in a long, low scent hound with an easy coat.
MaltipooA similar size and regular grooming, in a softer poodle cross whose coat sheds less.
