The Schnoodle (= Poodle Schnauzer mix) is a great dog! And Schnoodle puppies are becoming more widely sought out and popular in Australia.
And deservably so. Why?
Because they give pet owners a lot of advantages:
Schnoodle Advantages
- Do not shed hair so are great for the house proud and most allergy sufferers. And unlike many Doodle or Poodle mixes, this is a sure thing. Because both parent breeds have hypoallergic (non-shedding) coats you can be 100% confident the resulting Schnoodle puppies will also be non-shedding. That means no hair on your car upholstery or floating around your house!
- Have endearingly plucky and cheeky personalities. The Miniature Schnauzer is a cheeky dog. It may even talk back to you!
- Are a convenient size at around 10 kg for a MIniature Poodle x Miniature Schnauzer.
- Good trainability – While the Miniature Schnauzer ranks at #12 for most intelligent dog breeds, the Poodle is up there at #2 (behind the Border Collie). Though highly trainable, the Miniature Schnauzer may sometimes choose to do it’s own thing despite knowing very well what you are asking of it! The Poodle is likely to be a bit more predictable. So the Schnauzer Poodle mix gives the best of both worlds. Most of us want our dogs to be obedient, but not act like robots! A bit of personality makes it all more fun 🙂
- Are apt to be less “reactive” than the pure Miniature Schnauzer. This is because the Miniature Schnauzer is derived from the Standard Schnauzer, which was bred to stand guard over German farms and chase off vermin.
- The Poodle genes may make the Schnoodle a bit safer with small pets than the typical Miniature Schnauzer due to the latter’s propensity to hunt down critters.
But there are a few things about regular Schnoodles that we thought could be improved upon…
Schnoodles may not be as healthy as other designer breeds
Schnoodles are a schnauzer poodle mix breed. The problem with that, is these 2 breeds are closely related. Usually when we produce a designer cross-breed we end up with puppies that are healthier than their parent purebred lines.
However, with the Schnoodle this is not necessarily the case. This is because both the Poodle and the Schnauzer arise from similar genetic origins. This means the breeds are related and carry a few of the same genetic faults.
The relationship between dog breeds according to DNA sequencing shows this:
Why infuse the Schnoodle with the Golden Retriever?
For better health
The Golden Retriever, on the other hand, is only distantly related to the classic Schnoodle parent breeds. You can see that in the DNA map above. This is one of the advantages of infusing it into the Schnoodle to improve overall health and longevity in our “Grauzer” puppies.
For a more cooperative nature
And of course the Golden Retriever brings in more of the temperament we want. It is ranked at #4 most intelligent dog breed so is highly trainable.
Plus, being a retriever, it has an inbuilt desire to please (a reason they are also sometimes used as guide dogs).
For greater safety with small pets and kids
It’s innately soft mouth – perfect for carrying ducks for duck shooters – also makes it naturally gentle with children and small pets. The same is not generally so of the purebred Schnauzer.
For a bigger dog
Most owners love smaller dogs, but there are also heaps that prefer a larger pet. Often there’s one member of the family who prefers large, and another with their heart set on small. The Grauzer (Groodle x Schnauzer mix) is a medium sized but sassy option bred to provide the best of both worlds 🙂