Of German heritage, the Miniature Schnauzer is a sturdy little dog who possesses a friendly, playful nature with young and old alike. Unlike other dogs of its size, the Miniature Schnauzer is known to be calm indoors and lovable with most everyone. They are intelligent and highly aware, so owners must be consistent and firm when training them.

Miniature Schnauzers are typically easy to train and very loyal dogs. With the possibility of the small dog syndrome appearing, owners of Miniature Schnauzers must clearly and gently show their role of dominance within the household. They do better as the only dog, but with enough socialization they can usually get along well with other dogs. With that said, here is the right mindset that you need to be in to starting your new dog:

Acquiring an animal's respect and confidence is the primary stage towards effectively training him. Setting this basis is particularly significant when training a dog. Dogs are very collective and naturally respect a dominant lead.

By setting yourself up as the pack leader your dog will look to you for guidance and approval. Until your dog has learned to trust and respect you, it will be challenging for any instruction system to be successful. Trust and respect are not attributes that can be forced, they must be acquired through positive contact with your four legged companion. When your dog sees you as the pack leader, you will have an eager and able student on your hands.

Most new dog owners confuse love and friendliness for loyalty and respect. Of course you want to be affectionate to your dog, but make sure that when you show affection to your dog it is at fitting times. It is also crucial to not let the puppy or dog to get away with whatever it wants to. It is to your puppy's best benefit to have limits, rules and expectations.

By having foreseeable rules and penalties for breaking the rules you are mimicking pack conduct. In a social pack dogs understand the rules and penalties for not following them.

Good luck training your new Miniature Schnauzer puppy!