Are Miniature Schnauzers Jealous? [Vet Advice]

Have you ever wondered if Miniature Schnauzers are prone to jealousy? Well, wonder no more! In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about jealousy in Miniature Schnauzers and how to address it.

While some Miniature Schnauzers may experience jealousy, others may not. This behavior can be caused by seeking more attention, stress, resource guarding, experiencing new things, or a lack of exercise. Fortunately, this behavior can be avoided with proper training, positive reinforcement, patience, obedience training, and proven tactics.

It’s natural for dogs to expect attention, care, and love from their owners, but when it goes to an extreme level, it can become unhealthy behavior. That’s why it’s important to understand the signs of jealousy in Miniature Schnauzers and how to address them.

So, let’s dive into the world of Miniature Schnauzers and learn how to keep our furry friends happy, healthy, and free from jealousy.

What are the signs that your miniature schnauzer is jealous?

I know now you must be wondering whether mini schnauzers get jealous in the same way that we do. Otherwise, is it some strange behavior that is different from ours?

So, I think at first you should get to know the signs that you can observe in your mini schnauzer when he or she is acting out of jealousy.

Here I will list out 9 signs that I came across when working with mini schnauzers & also some of which are I heard from their owners.

• Forced inclusion between you (the owner) and others
• Pushing or nudging at the owner
• Follow you everywhere
• Growl lightly
• Whining
• Going to the bathroom in places where they shouldn’t
• Performing tricks for no reason
• Nervous walking around the owner while petting another dog or cuddling a child
• Aggression

Forced inclusion between you (the owner) and others

When your doggo sees, you are closer. As an example, if you are cuddling with your husband/wife or children, he or she will force her way in between you and your family members, especially your doggie will shove her nose in between.

Pushing or nudging at the owner.

This is a normal behavior in dogs that they do when they want to communicate things like hunger, needing to go outside, or about something strange that they encountered.

Still, if your mini schnauzer is doing this just to get your attention, it is obvious that it is jealousy!

Mini schnauzers especially do this when their owner is paying attention to something else like watching TV, playing video games, etc.

This behaviour is similar to forced inclusion & both these show your mini schnauzer is demanding your extra attention out of jealousy.

Recommended reading: How high can a mini schnauzer jump? [Veterinary advice]

Follow you everywhere

Even when you are in the bathroom, your mini schnauzer will cling to your bathroom door & whine continuously until you open the door because they want you at their eyesight!

Growl lightly

Especially when some person is approaching their favourite person, you can observe this subtle growling. Actually, this growling is not aggressive, but They exhibit this as a warning sign, that not approaching their mummy or daddy.

Whining

I have seen this when the owner is interacting with strangers. Your mini schnauzer will start whining & will begin to circle you like he or she wants to come in between you & the stranger.

Going to the bathroom in places where they shouldn’t

When dogs want to express their emotions, they will try to exhibit them in actions. If your mini schnauzer is peeing or pooping in places where they shouldn’t, they may be trying to tell you something.

Performing tricks for no reason

You will actually find this quite humorous!

Nervous walking around you when you are petting another dog or cuddling a child

They will exhibit their unwillingness by this nervous walking.

Aggression

I clearly know aggression is a thing you hate to experience. But extreme jealousy can lead to aggressive behaviors. Aggressive behavior can be expressed in terms of excessive barking, growling, to family members, or even biting.

If your mini schnauzer is jealous when you are interacting with strangers, they will bark excessively, growl, or even tend to bite the stranger.

This also takes place when you are trying to pet or cuddle another dog.

Now you understandably know about the signs of jealousy behavior in mini schnauzers. So let us find out the reasons for these types of signs to appear in your pooch.

Why do some miniature schnauzers get jealous?

Here are the 5 reasons that can lead to jealousy in mini schnauzers.

• Experiencing” New “things.
• Seeking more attention
• Behaviour of resource guarding.
• Lack of exercise
• Stress conditions

Let us focus on each one now.

Experiencing” New “things.

This is the MAIN reason that causes jealousy in mini schnauzers. These “New” things can be,

• New schedule

With your busy schedules, you can’t stick to an exact daily routine around your mini schnauzer. But these alterations in the daily routine of your doggie can end up in jealousy because when you are not around him, he or she will start feeling lonely, which can eventually cause this.

• New home and neighborhood

Especially a new neighborhood can cause many problems! As there will be new neighbors visiting your home & also your mini schnauzer will meet new people during his daily walks.

Most importantly, a new environment will lead your doggie to encounter new dogs & other pets.

• New main caregiver

The dogs especially share a bond with the person who gives his/her more attention. The person who fills their bowls & takes them walks daily will naturally be their center of attention.

So alteration of this role can lead to this misbehavior.

• New pets at home

When mini schnauzers see you’re giving more attention, care love to a new pet, jealous can arise.

• New people/visitors living in the home

Visitors entering into his familiar environment also can lead to this problem.

• A new baby or child

Did you welcome a new baby to your home? Indeed it can be the reason for your jealousy in your mini schnauzer. After welcoming a baby to the family, naturally, the baby will be the center of attention of everyone.

Seeking more attention

As I mentioned above, seeking more attention can lead to this misbehavior of jealousy.

Resource guarding behavior

Many dogs have the natural instinct of resource guarding, including your mini schnauzer boy or girl. They mostly guard food, toys, persons, chairs, space, etc. To your loving pet, you are a most precious thing which gives him or her love & care.

When someone tries to interact with you, he will sense it as a threat to his most valued possession. So, your mini schnauzer will end up showing his/her unwillingness by things like growling, barking, whining, etc.…

Lack of exercise

Lack of physical exercise can result in this kind of misbehavior. So, this can make him anxious and feeling annoyed, which can result in arising this jealousy issue in your miniature schnauzer.

stress conditions

Lack of mental exercises & lack of space can lead to stress conditions, resulting in this misbehavior.

Now, do you have an idea about the jealous types that can arise in your mini schnauzer? Let me list out them for your convenience.

There do seem to be two main types of jealousy exhibited by Mini schnauzers.

• Jealousy of another animal or an object: This occurs when your pooch sees you giving another animal, or possibly an object, more attention than him or encountering a new animal at home or else in the neighborhood. It could be another pet at home, or another dog, your mini schnauzer, is encountering at the dog park for animals. For objects, it can be things like the television, gaming systems, etc.

• Jealousy of a human : This occurs when your mini schnauzer sees you interacting with someone else at your home or with a stranger.

How do you stop your miniature schnauzer from getting jealous?

At first, let me list out the 8 points that you can do to stop your mini schnauzer from getting jealous.

• Regular training practice
• Obedience classes.
• Stop excessive rewarding.
• Dealing with the baby issue with desensitization first.
• Teach your mini schnauzer to play in the crate alone.
• Prevent giving too much attention to one pet versus another. Put a dog leash on during walking.

Now let us look at each point in detail.
 

Regular training practice.

Consistency in the training & involvement of the subject of jealousy plays an important role here.

When your pet shows these signs, it is better to at least train him for 20 minutes daily. Especially focus on training obedience. Train him to commands like “go to your crate.”

The next one involves the subject or the cause in training. For example, if a new member is causing this problem, you can involve him/ her in these daily training practices, which will eventually make that stranger one of the gang.

Obedience classes.

Enroll your mini schnauzer in an obedience class. It is better to enroll him in a class that also provides socialization with other dogs, which will help manage dog-dog jealousy.

Stop excessive rewarding

You must stop this if you want to eliminate this misbehavior. Reason for this the fact that the thrill of negative attention can be misleading them to jealousy behaviors.

Also, you should ignore these jealous behaviors while rewarding positive behaviors.

Dealing with the baby issue with desensitization first.

First, you have to allow your mini schnauzer to smell an object or piece of clothing from the baby. If your pooch stays calm after smelling it praise him verbally & physically, & give treats.

This will act as desensitization for your dog. Then you can gradually train your mini schnauzer to be around the baby.

Teach your mini schnauzer to play in the crate alone.

If you’re the owner who has used to spend hours playing fetch & walking with your dog, and if you’re planning to get another pet or you’re expecting a baby, you have to gradually teach your mini schnauzer to spend time alone.

Because overdependence is one of the biggest mistakes that an owner can teach the dog unknowingly. So, training to play with toys in his crate is the best option available for this situation.

Prevent giving too much attention to one pet versus another.

You have to be careful not to pay too much attention to only one. Recent studies on this have proved that dogs care for these types of situations.

Also, there are some other things that you can do to avoid jealousy between your pets (on dog-dog jealousy)

•  Don’t pet, cuddle one dog at the expense of the other
• Have at least two of all toys and beds for the two dogs.
• Catch your mini schnauzer being good to the other pet and praise him/her when acting the way you want them.
• Feed the mini schnauzer & the other pet separately to avoid conflict during mealtimes.
• Put a dog leash on during walking: Especially do this when your mini schnauzer is experiencing a new neighborhood.

Adequate exercise. (both mental and physical)

Lack of physical and mental exercise makes your mini schnauzer anxious. He will become nervous and tense. Attention-seeking can arise due to anxiety behavior which can lead to the jealous problem.

Things to be aware of

• Do not isolate your mini schnauzer completely from other dogs due to the jealousy issue. If you shut him in a crate, wholly isolated from the outside world, his behavior will get worse, which can lead to violence.

• Don’t leave your mini schnauzer unattended around your baby or the small toddler until you are very sure of it.

• Your mini schnauzer shouldn’t be allowed off-leash around other dogs until you get control of his/her behavior. As he can harm people & other animals and get attacked by other dogs due to this misbehavior.

• Never punish your doggo as a reaction to this behavior. Yelling, threatening, spanking, or giving any other punishments to your dog will never do good on this jealousy issue.

Conclusion

Miniature schnauzers are no different than any other dog and they also can feel jealousy. They desperately want to be the center of your attention. If we allow these types of misbehaviors to go on, they will become a habit eventually. The best tactic to restrain this is consistent training with positive reinforcement.