Why Do Schnauzers Bark and Bite (And How to Stop It)

When Livi, our Miniature Schnauzer, was a puppy, she barked…a lot. Because I had avoided dogs nearly my entire life, I wasn’t used to having a little fur friend who barked at people, butterflies, and our kids, as well as the dishwasher, the vacuum, and the doorbell. She has never been a big biter, but she will nip now and then if our son starts a little rough-housing with her or if the groomer makes her uneasy. Schnauzers are known to bark and, to a much lesser degree, bite. These are behaviors we have definitely needed to modify with training and re-training, and here is what I’ve learned.

Why do Schnauzers bark and bite? As guard dogs on German farms, Schnauzers were essentially bred to bark. This natural instinct urges them to bark at strangers and other animals. Schnauzers will generally only bite if they are agitated, provoked, or in pain, or if early attempts at biting are not stopped through training.

Schnauzers will bark, let’s be honest. Barking is a natural, instinctive way for our canine friends to communicate with us and with the other people and animals around them.

Barking is not intended to annoy humans, but it’s definitely something that not many of us enjoy. In addition, biting is never fun (read my story for some 3rd grade drama), and stopping inappropriate canine behaviors is our responsibility as pet parents.

Let’s talk about barking and biting.

We’ll dive into why Schnauzers bark, cover some training options, and then do the same for biting.

Why Do Schnauzers Bark?

Schnauzers were all historically bred as farm guard dogs. This means their first role is to alert you whenever there is an intruder, and like any other guard dog, nearly every Schnauzer will bark to get your attention as well as to deter a potential menace.

In addition, barking is not only in their nature, it is also one of the only vocal means they can use to communicate with you.

Outside of their guard dog instincts, Schnauzers may also bark for many other reasons.

For example, your Schnauzer may bark if:

• She is hungry. This is a way for her to get your attention if it’s getting close to feeding time.
• She is lonely, bored, or wants your attention. Schnauzers are intelligent, active dogs and (just like children) really like your attention and interaction. Your Schnauzer will do better overall if you spend time with her.
• She wants to play. As intelligent dogs, Schnauzers need to be mentally stimulated and enriched. When you can’t give her direct attention, puzzles or toys are a good option. Try these treat puzzles, snuffle mats, and treat dispenser toys. Our Livi specifically loves her snuffle mat and treat puzzles. They are all fun ways to have her meals, along with a treat or two.
• She needs some exercise. Miniature Schnauzers need about 30 minutes of walking or other vigorous exercise each day. Standard and Giant Schnauzers need upwards of an 1-2 hours per day. These are active, energetic dogs and need exercise to feel well and to help control any destructive behaviors.
• She needs to use the bathroom. Depending on how you’ve trained your Schnauzer to use the bathroom, a bark can be her signal that she needs to go out.
• She is chronically stressed or is in a current stressful situation. Schnauzers can experience stress and will respond to stressful environments in a variety of ways, one of which could be barking. Read my article Is My Schnauzer Stressed (How to Tell and What to Do) for some essential information.
• She has anxiety or is fearful. Similar to being stressed, your Schnauzer may be dealing with a form of anxiety or even fear.
• She is excited to see you. Sometimes she is just really happy to see you! Take the win and give her a big hug.

What Do Schnauzers Tend to Bark At?

Although Schnauzers are considered to be watchdogs, your Schnauzer’s behavioral adaptation and socialization can often determine what she actually barks at.

Schnauzer’s can be trained to accept much of the world, and socializing your Schnauzer early is essential. Once she is familiar with a wide range of people, other animals, situations, and environments, she will bark far less.

However, there are still general categories of people and animals your Schnauzer will probably always be inclined to bark at.

For example, even with early and consistent socialization, your Schnauzer will probably bark at:

• Other animals and new family pets. Schnauzers can be generally good with other pets, especially those that were in your home before your Schnauzer puppy. However, Schnauzers will need to be introduced to new pets slowly and safely. Ready my article Do Schnauzers Get Along with Other Dogs (and with Cats)? for steps to introduce your Schnauzer to additional pets in your home.
• Small rodents around your home and yard. Standard and Miniature Schnauzers were both bred to hunt mice, rats, and small rodents. They will still instinctually bark at any small rodent within range. We have a “pet” squirrel in our back yard that Livi still likes to harass with the occasional barking outburst.
• Big dogs, especially when they seem to be a threat. Because all Schnauzer breeds are genetically inclined to protect farm animals and families from predators, they can all be initially suspicious of other dogs, especially large dogs.
• Strangers near your home. Again, your Schnauzer’s guard dog instincts will potentially come into play around strangers. However, she will most likely bark less and less as she is socialized and gets used to people in and around your home. My article Are Schnauzers Affectionate contains some tips for warming up your Schnauzer to family and friends who visit your home. The good news is that your Schnauzer will probably still bark when you need her to alert you to something or someone who is genuinely unfamiliar.

Can You Train Your Schnauzer to Never Bark?

Your Schnauzer will always have an instinct to bark and, truthfully, there is no way to curtail it completely.

While there are shock collars on the market that can stop nearly all barking, I can’t personally condone using one. There are just too many gentler, humane, and effective training methods for decreasing your Schnauzer’s barking tendencies.

While barking can be annoying, all dog parents need to be realistic about the fact that our furry friends bark. Period.

However, there are many ways to teach your Schnauzer to limit her barking when it is not necessary or appropriate.

I’ll cover some basic steps as a starting point, as well as list additional resources that will definitely be helpful to you.

Steps to Limit Barking

1. Train your Schnauzer to bark on command.  Find something like a toy that makes it bark. Praise her once she barks and keeps on repeating the word “speak.” With this practice, she will learn that the word ‘speak’ means bark and she will learn to start barking on command.
2. After she has learned the word “speak,” teach her the word “stop” or “quiet.” You do this by saying the word when she is barking, and once she stops, you reward her with a high value treat. Within a short time, she will learn that the word ‘stop’ or ‘quiet’ means she needs to stop barking.
3. When a visitor comes to your home, tell her “stop” or “quiet” and if she stops, reward her. Continue to reinforce this good habit until she masters the words and their meaning.
4. Continue reinforcing the “stop” or “quiet” commands at every opportunity, rewarding her as she succeeds.

Additional Training Resources

I am a huge fan of Zac George’s training methods and his effective, humane approach. You can get his book, along with other training recommendations, from our Resources page.

In addition, take a few minutes to watch his video below:

---

Do Schnauzers Bite?

Overall, Schnauzers are not aggressive biters and are not known as an aggressively biting breed.

However, they can develop a habit of biting if not addressed quickly and early. One stage of life can give an untrained puppy the chance to develop bad biting habits: the teething stage.

Puppies Biting During Teething and How to Help

Puppies can begin biting when they are cutting teeth. Similar to human children, Schnauzers will look for things to chew on or bite in an attempt to decrease their discomfort and release any associated stress.

Your Schnauzer’s baby teeth will start coming in when she is between 6 and 8 weeks old, and the teething phase generally lasts between 1-3 months

Here are some tips for supporting a teething puppy:

• Purchase some extra puppy teething and chew toys and keep them handy around the house.
• Fill a stainless steel or ceramic bowl (plastic bowls can cause allergies) with ice cubes and let her eat them.
• Serve her some frozen healthy treats or vegetables such as carrots or bananas.
• Keep her on a light leash to gently restrain her from nipping at your or surrounding furniture.

And don’t be surprised or alarmed if:

• You see a small amount of blood on her toys, bedding, or your carpet.
• You find her baby teeth around the house (you may even want to save them).
• She seems extra agitated and stressed. Be patient with her, like you would a teething baby.

Additional Reasons a Schnauzer May Bite

Again, Schnauzers are not an aggressive, biting breed.

However, there are some situations that may bring out a tendency to bite. Most of these situations are in self-defense or as part of their guard dog instinct.

Here are some additional reasons your Schnauzer may bite:

• Past abuse. A Schnauzer that has been mistreated and harassed in the past might have developed this habit of biting as an act of self-defense. Slowly this habit becomes part of her and finds herself biting even when she is not facing any danger or threat.
• Rough play. Most Schnauzers start biting habiting when playing. As the owner, you just think it is just in a play, and on other occasions, they will not bite. Eventually, you will find that your Miniature Schnauzer is not able to tame its biting habit.
• Fear or anxiety. This is common especially when your Schnauzer is in a new environment. It might feel threatened by the presence of new people and other animals. In addition, some Schnauzers may try to nip the groomer. For some Schnauzer’s, a visit to the groomer causes a lot of fear and anxiety, and they may have reactive to bite.
• Lack of proper training. As mentioned above, Schnauzers are classified as watchdogs, and although they are not naturally aggressive biters, biting is in their DNA. If you notice your Schnauzer has started biting and you don’t take immediate measures to stop her, she will develop a biting habit and it may be quite difficult to tame her.

Can You Train a Schnauzer To Never Bite?

Unless your Schnauzer has been terribly mistreated in the past or finds herself in a truly threatening situation and needs to bite out of self-defense, the answer to this question is “Yes, for the most part.”

Generally speaking, a Schnauzer who routinely bites has learned the behavior and has been allowed to continue biting. As a result, with excellent intervention and training, you can train a puppy to stop biting and even re-train an adult or senior Schnauzer who has picked up the bad habit.

Here are some basic, initial tips for training your Schnauzer to stop biting, followed by additional resources you will find helpful.

Tips to Train a Schnauzer to Stop Biting

• React consistently to bites. Every time she bites, you say “NO!” with an affirmative voice. After that, ignore her and walk away. In this way, it will learn that the act of biting is hurting you.
• Teach her that her teeth do not belong on human skin. You do this by replacing a chewing bone or a toy whenever she tries to gnaw on your finger or toes.
• Some Schnauzers may bite on people’s hands when they are patted, stroked, or scratched. If your Schnauzer gets annoyed when you pet her, distract her by offering her a treat. This will help to condition her that human touch is safe.
• Stop playing with her if she nips at you. Walk away and do something else. When you remove yourself from playing when she begins to bite, she will learn that biting stops the playing. She will eventually know that biting causes you to stop playing and her behavior should change.
• If she continues to bite, you could consider using use a taste deterrent such as this wildly popular, safe, and effective Grannicks Bitter Apple Taste Deterrent. Simply spray it around the areas of your body and clothes where she tends to bite. Stop moving when she starts biting and wait for her to react to the bad taste.

And, again, Zak George comes through with some additional spot-on methods for handling biting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLEG7ci-y_I

---

Are Schnauzers Aggressive?

After all of this talk about barking and biting, you may be asking yourself if Schnauzers are mean or aggressive dogs.

For now, let’s address the basics.

Schnauzers are not overly aggressive dogs by nature. They are, however, two things for sure: intelligent and territorial.

As highly intelligent dogs (read my article Are Schnauzers Smart (How to Tell and 5 At-Home Tests), Schnauzers are confident, quick learners and can be everything from stubborn to playful to cuddly to overly protective, and everything in between. If you do not train your Schnauzer early and assert your authoritative role, she will be the one who is in charge.

Schnauzers were also bred to be somewhat territorial, and that nature can show up when they, or the humans they love, are perceived to be in danger. This territorial nature can take the form of barking and, in unusual situations, biting. You may also want to read my article Are Schnauzers Mean? (6 Ways to Curb Territorial Aggression) for a more in-depth discussion of this Schnauzer trait.

Let’s take a look at each Schnauzer breed and whether or not they are aggressive, keeping in mind that all Schnauzers tend to be territorial.

Miniature Schnauzers are perfectly amiable to people and other family pets (generally speaking). It is not in their nature to be aggressive, but sometimes they can be stubborn and bold, especially towards dogs of the same sex. Usually, they are peaceful and calm, yet quite playful.

Standard Schnauzers do not really possess an aggressive nature unless they are not sufficiently socialized. In such cases, they can show dominance and aggressiveness towards other pets of the same gender. Under ordinary circumstances, Standard Schnauzers are known to have a loving, protective, and devoted temperament. They are loyal to their family, and they physically like to be near their people.

Giant Schnauzers are known to be an energetic and intelligent companion who possesses independent thinking and a very large, sometimes formidable body size. Giants also has a dominant personality and bold approach to life. In other words, she can be a challenge even for experienced dog owners and other family pets. You will definitely need to train and socialize early. In spite of needing firm training, Giant Schnauzers are loving and loyal.

---

Schnauzers do tend to bark, but they can be trained to limit their urge. Keep in mind that their bark is intended to be an “early warning system” designed to protect you. Ethical and humane training can help to ensure that your Schnauzer’s barking is helpful, not debilitating.

In addition, Schnauzers are not known to be overly aggressive or biting dogs. If your Schnauzer is biting, she is most like feeling threatened or has learned to get away with biting. You will need to train her to stop biting under nearly all circumstances.

---