10 things you need to know about the Schnoodle before you go ahead and buy one

The somewhat comically-named Schnoodle is a hybrid dog type that is one of the less well-known deliberate hybrid breed crossings that are so popular all over the UK today.

The Schnoodle is also perhaps the hybrid crossing with the greatest potential for significant physical variances between individual dogs that fall under the schnoodle heading too, and so one that it can be difficult for those trying to find out more about them to get to grips with.

Whilst pedigree dog breeds have breed standards and formal descriptions in place to dictate what they look like and the type of personalities they are apt to have, this is not the case for hybrids like the Schnoodle.

With this in mind, this article will tell you ten things you need to know about the Schnoodle dog type, before you go ahead and buy one. Read on to learn more.

The Schnoodle is a cross breed with six potential parent breed variants!

The Schnoodle is a cross breed or hybrid dog type, which is at its most basic, the result of the crossing of a poodle with a schnauzer. However, both poodle and schnauzer breeds respectively come in three individually recognised size variants; being toy, miniature and standard for the poodle, and miniature, standard and giant for the schnauzer.

Schnoodles can be hugely variable in size as a result of this

As a result of the potential six options for the parentage mix in any given Schnoodle, this translates in effect to six potential parental size options, going right along the spectrum from small but not tiny, to very large erring on the giant side.

A Schnoodle bred from smaller poodle and schnauzer parents might be as small as 25-30cm tall and weighing less than 4.5kg, whilst at the top end of the scale, could be as large as a dog standing up to 66cm tall and weighing 34kg or over.

The Schnoodle is not a pedigree dog and cannot be registered with the Kennel Club

The Schnoodle is a cross breed dog, even though the crossing is made deliberately to produce a dog with the best traits of the two defined parent breeds. This means that Schnoodles are not classed as pedigree dogs and as such, cannot be registered with the Kennel Club or entered in Kennel Club breed shows.

Schnoodles are quite expensive to buy for a mixed breed dog

According to our Pets4Homes statistics, the average asking price for Schnoodles for sale in the UK at the time of writing (September 2019) was £712, which is a little higher than the broad norm for the average pedigree dog of most breeds and so, particularly notable as the Schnoodle is not itself a pedigree dog.

Schnoodles are very intelligent as a rule

Both of the Schnoodle’s two parent breeds are canine brainboxes, and the poodle in particular is very intelligent – they are in fact ranked in 2nd place out of 138 different dog breeds in the Coren ranking of working intelligence on a breed by breed basis.

This means that Schnoodles too tend to be highly intelligent dogs, which learn quickly, thrive on the mental engagement that training provides, and that can learn and execute a wide range of different commands when motivated to do so.

Schnoodles tend to have a low-shedding coat, and may suit allergy sufferers

The poodle side of the Schnoodle heritage tends to result in a coat that is wiry and low-shedding, and the hair that is shed is apt to get trapped in the rest of the fur rather than falling out all over the home.

This makes the Schnoodle a dog that is worthy of consideration by people who are otherwise commonly allergic to most dogs, as they may be less likely to trigger allergy symptoms.

However, their coats are also high maintenance

The flipside of this is that the hair that doesn’t fall out of the dog’s coat when it is shed gets caught and tangled up in the live coat, where it is apt to form knots and tangles if left to its own devices. This means that the Schnoodle coat requires quite a lot of grooming and attention in order to keep it healthy and in good condition.

Schnoodles need lots of exercise

The Schnoodle is a high energy dog type, and they need a lot of exercise in order to thrive. Even smaller Schnoodles benefit from at least 90 minutes a day of interesting and varied exercise, and larger dogs of this type might need two hours or more of daily walks.

Schnoodles can be highly strung

The Schnoodle is funny, fun loving, friendly, affectionate, and enjoys being involved in family life, but they are not keen on being left alone for long periods of time, and tend to get easily bored.

They need a lot of mental stimulation as a result of their intelligence and a lot of exercise thanks to those high energy levels, and if these needs are not met, your Schnoodle is apt to become something of a handful.

Schnoodles require an owner that understands and can get the best out of them

The Schnoodle is a versatile dog that can be a good fit for many different types of homes, not least due to the various size options across the type. They also tend to thrive within active families, and are a potentially good pick for canine sports.

However, they are clever, lively and easily bored, and so need an owner that appreciates this and understands them, and which can get the best out of a dog of this type and provide them with an appropriate lifestyle, which not everyone can offer to a dog like the Schnoodle.