A schnoodle is a mix dog breed whose partners are a 🐩 Poodle and a Schnauzer. We will look at the breed characteristics and who this breed may be a good fit for. 

The schnoodle is a loyal and loving dog that can be a great companion animal! They can be a bit wary and suspicious 🥷 of new people and strange dogs. Schnoodles are friendly and affectionate and playful with children. They come in many different sizes and would be great for both homes 🏡 with yards or apartments. They are also an alert watchdog and they can be vocal to alert owners of visitors. Schnoodles do not like to be alone and they can become destructive if left alone for a long period of time. They can either develop a habit of barking or becoming destructive. 

The Schnauzer was originally bred in Germany 🇩🇪 in the 14th century as a farm dog. The Giant Schnauzer is an independent, strong working dog that performed many different jobs to include flock and property guarding, cattle 🐄  driving and killing vermin 🐁 . People loved the characteristics of the Schnauzer so much that they wanted the same traits but in a smaller package. 

This led to the creation of the Miniature Schnauzer who was a smaller companion animal. 

Poodles were originally bred in France 🇫🇷 as a water retriever used for hunting 🦆  . They were originally only bred in the standard Poodle size. People also wanted a smaller companion animal of the Poodle and the Toy and Miniature Poodles were created. 

Doodles started being bred in the 1990s after a veterinarian in Australia wanted to create a hypoallergenic service dog. 🐕‍🦺 The labradoodle was created from that effort. These doodles became so popular that other breeds started becoming doodles as well, to include the Schnauzer. 

The Schnauzer was combined with the Poodle who is a highly intelligent dog that is easy to train. Poodles are outgoing and affectionate, making great companions. 

When the Toy Poodle is combined with the Miniature Schnauzer the result is a great companion doodle who is happy and bonds well with its owner. 😍

Sizing it all up

Schnoodles can be of any size from 6 to 75 pounds. The giant size variation happens with the Schnoodle because of both of the parent breeds.

The Schnauzer comes in 3 different sizes: miniature, standard, and giant.

The Poodle also comes in 3 different sizes as well: toy, miniature, and standard. 

The height variation of the schnoodle can be 10 to 26 inches tall. 👍

Schnoodles are classified in 3 different sizes.

Toy schnoodles which are 6 to 10 pounds and 10 to 12 inches tall.

Next is the miniature schnoodle who is 13 to 20 pounds and 12 to 15 inches tall.

Lastly there is the standard schnoodle that weighs 20 to 75 pounds and is 15 to 26 inches tall. 

There are some massive size differences in this doodle! But that just makes them a better surprise. 🎁

Color Coding, Fur Real

Schnoodles can have a combination of fur types. They can be either wavy or straight or even curly. The most dominant coat color is black from the Schnauzer parent. The schnoodle coat color can also be gray, silver, sable and some white or a combination. It is typical for Schnauzers to have a dark face mask so that may be a trait in  the schnoodle as well. The future schnoodle coat color is difficult, if not impossible to predict. 👍

The schnoodle coat may not shed or may shed minimally. They need to be brushed daily and washed once per month. They will probably need to be trimmed ✂️ about every 4 to 6 weeks. That can be done by a local groomer 💈 or you can step up your grooming skills and do it yourself. Don’t forget to check for long ear hair. Poodles notoriously have long ear hair and if not trimmed it can lead to ear infections. Your schnoodle may have inherited this trait from their Poodle parent. 

Working it out

The schnoodle is an energetic 🔋 dog that loves to be active. The schnoodle enjoys regular exercise and needs to be active for 60 minutes per day to stay happy. This doodle breed takes quite a commitment from their owners to ensure that their doodle is active enough. It would be better for the schnoodle to be somewhere with a fenced yard 🏡 for larger doodles to make sure they can run around enough. 

Smaller schnoodles would be fine in an apartment or condo home as long as they are getting enough exercise for their health. 🏃

Come, Sit, Stay

Schnoodles are intelligent and athletic dogs. They can be very easy to train if their personality takes after the Poodle 🐩  parent. Usually they enjoy training and working with their owner. They can be trained in many different areas including obedience and agility. They also like learning new tricks. 

Some of the training challenges can come from the Schnauzer parent. Schnauzers can sometimes be stubborn and difficult to control. 

Both of the parent breeds have a history as hunting 🦆  and working dogs so they may need extra training involving interacting with cats 🐈‍⬛  and small animals. The schnoodle may have a strong prey drive inherited from both of their parents. 

Schnoodles like all dogs can quickly learn bad habits and need early socialization and puppy training for a proper healthy start. A good training program with positive reinforcement is recommended. The Schnoodle may also need an experienced owner. First time dog owners will want to make sure that they hire a trainer and have a full understanding of both the traits of Poodles and Schnauzers prior to getting a new schnoodle. 👍

Quality of Life

Schnoodles are a generally healthy breed. Mixed breeds tend to be healthier than their purebred parents. 🩺 The Schnoodle can still be susceptible to all of the medical diseases that their parents can. Some of these medical issues that could be a problem are epilepsy, progressive retinal atrophy and Addison’s disease just to name a few. The good news is that the majority of their potential medical issues can be tested for. 🧪

So now you want a Schnoodle…..

If you are thinking about getting a schnoodle you must make sure that you are in love with any combination of traits that a doodle surprise could offer. 🎁 Your doodle may look exactly like a Shnauzer but act exactly like a Poodle. Would you be ok with that? What about the other way around? If you can love 💗  ALL of the traits of both parent breeds then DO IT! Doodles are the best! 

I would check at Poodle rescues and also at Shnauzer specific rescues, they may have a mixed breed/hybrid there as well. Also check regular rescues. Just realize that if you want to rescue you may have to wait to find your dog or travel to pick it up. But there are great benefits to rescuing instead of buying. 👍👏

If you decide to buy a puppy please do your research on the breeder and don’t be afraid to ask the right questions. And good luck to you! I hope you find your forever puppy! 🥰

If you would like information on 22 Hypoallergenic Doodle Breeds check out this post!