Miniature Schnauzers are fascinating creatures. They are friendly, playful, intelligent, and obedient. But did you know that they are also excellent jumpers? You might be surprised to learn just how high Miniature Schnauzers can jump.
In general, Miniature Schnauzers can jump about 4.5 feet high or even higher. Fences or walls should be at least 5 feet high to prevent them from jumping or climbing. This can be prevented by installing a proper fence, providing basic obedience training, socialization, exercise, and having a spacious yard.
Is jumping good for Miniature Schnauzers? Or is it not? Why do they jump? What can be done to prevent it? Stay with me, and let’s find out together!
How high can miniature schnauzers jump? The in-depth answer.
When talking about how high a mini schnauzer could jump, it narrows down to a range of about 4.5ft. It generally depends on the dog and its built. If the dog has a powerful muscular build, the height could be even higher than the normal range.
There can be various reasons why Mini Schnauzers would want to jump.
- When they get excited.
- When they are curious.
- They can be frustrated.
- They are just simply bored!
1. They get excited…
They are very excitable little creatures. They can easily get excited due to many reasons. Even the sight of a treat in your hand would make him want to climb on you.
And a squirrel or a cat is enough for them to jump up a tall fence and chase them away!
2. They are curious…
Schnauzers are very intelligent and smart. They tend to be curious to find new things. Miniature Schnauzers are known to jump up to people who are new to them as guests or friends.
Also, their curiosity makes them jump up the fences without ease and roam around once in a while.
3. They can be frustrated…
Your mini can get easily stressed out like any other dog. This can be due to,
- Hunger.
- Irritation.
- The need to take a leak.
Environmental changes around the house like parties, reconstruction, fireworks, unfamiliar people.
4. They are just simply bored!
In general, dogs get bored when they are left alone. They would feel lonely and anxious if you are too busy to spend time with your dog. This would make them want more attention, resulting in excessive jumping.
Recommended reading: Do Miniature Schnauzers like to play fetch?
How to keep your miniature schnauzer from jumping over fences?
As mentioned above, Mini Schnauzers are vivacious, curious creatures that are known to jump up the fences. Whether your miniature Schnauzer would jump over the fence or not usually depends on,
- The dog’s behavior
- Playfulness
- Mating
The dog’s behavior: This means if they are calm or arrogant by nature. Any dog can be different in its manners due to factors like environment, ancestors, breed, gender, and age.
Playfulness: This is the stimulation that makes them want to jump. This could be just a squirrel or a cat… Or just their own need for an adventure! Being very social dogs, minis also want to play with their friends. So they tend to find doggy friends from the street to play with.
Mating: It is only natural for any kind of animal to find a mate and breed when it’s time despite gender. But jumping over the fence to find mates can be a severe issue because it leads to unwanted pregnancies, injuries, and sexually transmitted diseases.
So let’s check how to prevent this problem!
- The fence should be tall enough.
- A secured base is essential.
- The space among the bars should be minimum.
- Entertain your Mini Schnauzer…
- Have a fabulous yard.
1. The fence should be tall enough…
To make sure the fence has the ability to contain a Mini Schnauzer, it should be at least 4.5ft tall. However, if it is taller, about 5ft, you can stay confident that your Schnauzer wouldn’t jump off it.
2. A secured base is essential…
The base of the fence must be secured into the ground because they are known to burrow underneath and dig their way to freedom!
3. The space among the bars should be minimum…
And again, make sure the bars of the fence are not too wide apart because they could easily get through them to the other side. After all, they are tiny compared to other breeds.
4. Entertain your Mini Schnauzer…
Keep your pet distracted with entertainment– A happy dog is more likely to stay inside. You can play games with him so your miniature Schnauzers wouldn’t want to jump outside. Here are some of the games you can play with your dog.
- The Name Game.
- The Shadow Game.
- Give.
- Hide and Seek.
- Find the Toy.
- Follow Your Nose.
- Return to Sender.
- You’ve Got a Friend in Me.
- Water games.
5. Have a fabulous yard.
It might be challenging to play with your dog at the time, especially if you have a busy schedule. So the best way to keep your doggy friend from jumping is to teach him to play with himself. Pet toys can be beneficial in this matter.
- Ultra Ball
- Soundless squeakers
- Food dispensing IQ treat ball
- Bone-shaped chew toy
- Knotted ropes
- Squeak toys
- Teething toys
- Snuggling toys.
Recommended reading: Are dogs aware of heights?
How to train your Miniature Schnauzer not to jump on people?
Being very sociable animals, Mini Schnauzers are prone to jump on people. For example, meeting new humans or the sight of a treat from the owner would excite them so much that they would want to climb up to people.
Jumping up is very typical for Schnauzers as it is how they want to get close to our faces and us. Cute, I know. But too much jumping can lead to unwanted problems!
So, let’s find out how we can minimize this behavior…
- Training.
- Rewarding
- Ignoring
- Using baby gates, puppy pens.
- If jumping at people happens outside.
- Hiring a trainer…
1. Training.
As a dog mom or dad, you know it’s essential to train your pup to follow commands. To prevent jumping, you can train your pet to sit or stay down until you can get him/her to do a solid 30 seconds without budging.
After that, you can then teach him the sit or down stay in areas you recognize as triggers for the jumping. For example, sites such as the front door where the guests come in or the kitchen, or any other room are prone to jumping.
Recommended Reading: Are Miniature schnauzer good off-leash?
2. Rewarding.
This is easy to do. You can keep a special toy or reward near the door that the pet knows she will get only if she stays calm while people come in.
3. Ignoring.
Okay, I know this is difficult. As a dog parent, it is hard to ignore your puppy for any reason at all. But this could be the solution for this matter. You can control your pet’s behavior by ignoring him if your miniature Schnauzer jumps up.
Keep your back turned, with no eye contact and no voice. Make sure it is a house rule that when a puppy jumps up, the interaction with it should be stopped until it settles down.
Finally, you can reward him when all he’s calmed down snd on the ground.
4. Using baby gates, puppy pens.
This can be used to minimize jumping as well. Just like when you have a baby at home, you can use these items to restrict them to an area without confinement.
5. If jumping at people happens outside.
Jumping up also happens in the street or park where the dog wants to greet another person or a dog. The solution is to ask the dog to do something incompatible with jumping, like to sit or stay down, so it cannot do that as well as jump.
6. Hiring a trainer…
You can also get special training with a dog trainer in this situation. Jumping up exercises and impulse control is a part of basic dog training. So you can ask help from your trainer in getting the techniques right and then breaking up the training phases.
The more chance a puppy gets to carry out unwanted behaviors like jumping, the longer it will take to go away. So it is thoughtful to get your puppy to stop this behavior as soon as you can.
How to train your Miniature Schnauzer not to jump on furniture or the bed?
Some Mini Schnauzers even jump high up to your furniture or bed, which can cause chaos around the household!
To prevent this, there are different methods you can try. Below is a list of things you can try…
- Using crates…
- Stay on the ground with your pet…
- Again, ignoring and rewarding…
1. Using crates…
If you want to keep your Miniature schnauzer inside your bedroom at night, but it keeps jumping up into your bed, you can try keeping it in a crate. That way can still sleep in your own bed while keeping your pet with you.
2. Stay on the ground with your pet…
If your Schnauzer keeps climbing up the chair or couch, it is better to train him to stay on the ground. You can sit on the floor and play with your puppy in order to keep him off the furniture, and in time, he will get used to it.
This is because, after all, it is playing with you that attracts the puppy to the couch more than the couch itself. In this case, if you’re not comfortable sitting on the floor, you can use a cushion or a mattress.
This way, you can use your Miniature Schnauzer that a floor is an excellent playground for him.
3. Again, ignoring and rewarding…
As mentioned above, you can always control your puppy by ignoring him, saying NO when he does these naughty things, and giving him treats when he listens to you, and climbing down.
Read this to understand whether Miniature Schnauzers are protective.
What are the possible problems if your miniature Schnauzer is used to jumping frequently?
Jumping is a nuisance and can cause serious problems not only to the people around but also to your Miniature Schnauzer. Some of them are,
- Getting injured…
- Getting distressed…
- Future complications…
- When gets bored.
1. Getting injured…
When your dog jumps up at other dogs in the street or park, this would lead to fighting or biting and getting hurt later on.
If your Schnauzer is in contact with small children or elderly people, jumping can result in falling and getting injured or scratched.
2. Getting distressed…
Jumping is cute. But too much can be really irritating with the dog repeatedly dirtying your clothes and knocking things from your hands.
3. Future complications…
Studies have shown that jumping from higher surfaces can cause wear and tear on muscles and joints and even cause osteoarthritis in dogs. So if your Miniature Schnauzer keeps doing this, it would lead to major complications in the future.
4. This could also be because he/she gets bored.
Even small breeds that jump can cause people to trip and fall, potentially hurting both humans and dogs.
Things to be aware of.
There are a handful of things you should consider when preventing your Miniature Schnauzer from jumping.
- Be patient…
- Be consistent…
- Don’t use harmful ways…
Be patient…
It’s imperative to be patient. You have to realize it will take time for your dog to learn, and you should not yell at or hit him because that will cause him unnecessary trauma.
Be consistent…
If some people at home allow the jumping and other people punish, it would be confusing for your Schnauzer to understand how to behave. So try to be consistent, and ask others that interact with the dog to do the same. Always try to combine the treat with lots of petting and praise.
Don’t use harmful ways…
Some people use electric collars or wires on their dogs. As a veterinary student, I disagree entirely with methods like this. This will lead to many problems such as,
- Psychological distress.
- Developing phobias.
- High levels of stress.
- Increased heart rate.
- Painful skin burns.
As dog moms and dads, we have to keep in mind that dogs are our loved ones and not our slaves. We certainly have no right to harm them in any way.
Conclusion.
As a Mini Schnauzer mom or dad, we must accept and embrace our puppy’s love and weaknesses without exception. And that includes Schnauzer’s jumping as well…
Along with the jumping height and reasons, I have also mentioned plenty of solutions you can use to prevent this naughty behavior of your pup. As a Veterinary medical student, I hope this article will help you diminish your dog’s bad behavior and enjoy more and more time with him/ her.
Good luck!
