Why Do Schnauzers Cry? [Causes And Ways To Address It]

Knowing the reasons why a Schnauzer may cry can go a long way to understanding how to best respond. Having a crying dog is never nice to hear, but thankfully there are things you can do as an owner to comfort them and help to minimize and reduce it altogether.

So, why do schnauzers cry? Schnauzers are likely to cry out of boredom, stress, fear or a need for attention. In more serious cases, they may be crying out in pain and this could indicate a medical condition requiring a visit to the vet. Generally, with some some obedience training, mental stimulation, attention and exercise you can reduce this behavior. If you have a young puppy schnauzer, they could be crying because they are missing their litter mates and parents. In time, this should subside.

A crying dog is always a cause for concern. If it goes on for too long however, it can become a bit of a nuisance.

With this being said, you need to take not of your schnauzers temperament, habits and behaviors along with the context in why they may cry. This will ensure that you can determine whether or not that this is an irritating habbit or something more serious.

Learning the reasons why crying may occur will help you to identify the source; and help you find the most effective solution.

Let us now take a closer to help you take the best course of action.

Reasons Your Schnauzer Is Crying

Schnauzers’ crying, which is also known as whining, can become worrying if you do not know how to help your dog. However, a schnauzer may cry, or whine, for several different reasons.

We have to remember that a dog can only communicate with their owners through sounds. Whining is one of many sounds, along with barking, growling, and howling that may be used to not only get our attention – but to make us do what they want us to do.

Your dog will look to communicate with you; it is how they express their feelings, desires, needs and requirements. For dogs, whom are unable to do a lot of things on their own, therefore rely on you and they will let you know!

So, why does a schnauzer whine? Let us now go through the main reasons one by one:

• Separation Anxiety
• Loneliness
• Excitement
• Boredom (Lack of physical activity or mental stimulation)
• Desire for attention
• Stress
• Anxiety
• Fear
• Pain

There’s quite a few reasons as you can see. Interestingly, some even appear to be at the opposite ends of the spectrum e.g. a schnauzer may cry out of excitement and/or boredom.

Therefore, it can be hard to sometimes detect why your dog may be whining.

But thankfully, most of these causes can be resolved, even quickly, with some effective solutions.

For the most part, obedience training goes a long way to reducing crying. This is especially true in older schnauzers.

If you have a young puppy schnauzer, you should be aware that they are likely to whine and cry when you first get them. This is natural; they will be missing their litter-mates/parents and they are not used to spending time alone. This is sometimes referred to as separation anxiety.

Its a tough transition for them at first and it takes a bit of getting used to. In time, as they build confidence and learn to recognize you as their new owner who brings them food, keeps them warm and takes them for walks, this type of crying will naturally cease.

Separation anxiety may continue into the later years of life; as your dog becomes dependent on your attention and care. Leaving your dog alone for too many hours in a day, or not giving them enough attention even when you are around.

This is why it is important that you routinely make a fuss of them, ensure that you are never away for too long and consider a dog sitter/dog walker or visit from a familiar friend/family member if you need to or plan to spend some extended time away (5 hours+).

Outside of these factors, you may still hear the odd cry or whine from your dog from time to time; they may encounter times of anxiety or stress – and this things can never be totally controlled, managed or always prevented.

With all this being said, if you ever suspect they are injured, have a health condition or are in pain – your first course of action should be to take them to a vet for an examination. This will confirm or dissipate your suspicions and concerns and help you plan an appropriate course of action.

How To Stop Your Schnauzer From Crying

If you have noticed that your schnauzer is crying frequently, then its a good idea to attempt to introduce new ways to minimize this habit.

Habitual crying/whining is primarily caused in dogs that are unable to communicate effectively to you, and have found that expressing themselves in this way usually results in a favorable outcome.

Along these lines, we can safely assume that crying due boredom, excitement, the need for attention, begging, a lack of physical activity (exercise) and mental stimulation can be remedied.

The most effective three commonly used include:

1. Obedience Training
2. Variety of exercise routines
3. Particular types of mentally stimulating activities.

It’s essential to consider that these three methods may not completely resolve your schnauzers need to cry nor eliminate it entirely. They will not work right away and you will need to commit some time, patience and consistency in order to start seeing favorable results from their application.

You’ll also want to start with training at the earliest opportunity. This means, that the best time to begin is when your schnauzer is a young puppy or whom has recently been brought into your home.

This will help them to learn more effectively at a time in which they are growing and learning all about their new environment and the social hierarchy and pecking order in which they will live.

The earlier you start, the easier it will be to promote good behaviors in your schnauzer. Be aware that bad behavior do not take long to develop and can be hard to rectify if they become established.

If your schnauzer is already an adult and at maturity, thankfully, you will still be able to reduce crying. But be aware, it will take additional effort and patience.

Older dogs are generally more stubborn as they have been able to partake in a particular behavior for several years.

#1 Obedience Training

Obedience training is effective for most dogs, but is generally very effective for schnauzers. This breed is highly intelligent, strong-willed and high-spirited. They are known to be easy to train and very loyal to their owners.

Even in schnauzers that do not cry often will benefit from regular obedience training.

It is advised to start a schnauzer puppy on their training regimen from as early as 8 weeks old. While training does not start out intense, the basics are very beneficial and you will notice improvements in behavior even while they are still young.

One of the main benefits of obedience training is that your dog can develop ways to get your attention without feeling the need to cry or jump up. They’ll develop communication strategies and learn how to appropriately get your attention.

It will require some consistency, but obedience training will provide your schnauzer with an understanding of what they should and shouldn’t do.

In obedience training circles, crying is generally considered to be a negative behavior that should never be rewarded.

Rewards and treats will get your schnauzer to respond more positively – so you should look to use them as part of any approach to get them to act or not act, in a certain way.

If you’re looking for an obedience training program that you can do from home, be sure to check out our article on the brain training for dogs program.

#2 Exercise and Physical Activity

Providing enough physical activity and exercise is another really effective strategy when it comes to reducing crying in your schnauzer.

Your schnauzer may cry out of boredom, or they may be stressed or anxious within their current environment. For the most part, exercise and physical activity can help to overcome these issues.

Schnauzers ideally require one hour of walking per day; split into three 20 minute walks across the day.

Exercise (both walking, and bouts of running) will help them to expend energy. Excess energy can result in bad behavior.

Some ideas for keeping exercise diverse and exciting for your schnauzer outside of traditional walking include:

• Frisbee and playing fetch,
• Short, gentle run,
• Going for a inclined hike,
• Taking your schnauzer to an open field to play,
• Setting up an backyard agility course,
• Hiding treats around your backyard for them to sniff out and find.

Schnauzers that do not get enough exercise and mental stimulation my even result in digging, barking and chewing along with crying.

#3 Mental Stimulation

Keeping your schnauzers brain and mind active is very important because they are so intelligent and were initially bred to be working farm dogs. They therefore needed to be able to problem-solve when herding.

You can keep your schnauzers mind stimulated in a range of ways. Giving them problems to solve, playing fetch and hiding treats for them to find are excellent ways to do so.

So long as they are being regularly kept mentally occupied, you should notice your dog being more calm and likely to listen to you.

If you notice that crying and whining persists even after keeping them mentally and physically active then it is likely that something else and may require either dog behavioral specialist support or the consultation of a vet. They will be able to give you more specific guidance.

Do remember, that you need to be consistent and ensure that your schnauzer can stimulate their minds throughout the day. Its not enough to just let them keep occupied for a limited time during the day.

Additionally, both physical and mental exercise works best when paired with obedience training – they all work best when implemented together.

Why Does My Schnauzer Cry So Much?

You may even find that the solutions suggested above do not resolve your schnauzers crying. Or, it may even be the case that they have only ever so recently began crying and starting to whine.

In this case it can be worrying; and you may not know what is best to do.

In this situation, you should look to address your dogs environment and any changes that may have happened within it.

Your dog may be stressed by having to meet new people, animals, there could be loud noises or something that is reducing their comfort.

You should look to assess the situation and context; looking to try and discover the root cause of the issue. You may need to consider removing your schnauzer from certain sitaution, interactions or even improve their living conditions with a couple of changes.

Perhaps you need to invest in a new crate/bed, move it to a quieter part of the home et .

However, before changing their routine and way of life, you should look to inspect and get your schnauzers checked over; they could have an injury or developed a medical problem that requires veterinary assistance.

Injuries, Medical Issues and Pain

If you have ruled out other potential causes, then the next logical thing to do is to check over your schnauzer for injuries. This is a common cause of crying.

Look out for any behavior or signs that your dog is hurt – this could be limping, sensitivity on the paws etc.

If you personally are unable to identify the cause of the pain; but your dog is displaying signs of distress, then head to a veterinarian. Do not delay as it could make the issue worse.

A veterinarian will be able to run a more thorough examination and will be in the best place to make a suggestion as to the best course of action.

Sometimes, schnauzers may even pretend and fake ‘pain’ to get attention. While this is rare, it is a possibility and can be identified by a veterinarian or someone with greater knowledge and expertise of dogs and the breed. Thankfully this is not common in this breed but it does occur and is something to be aware of.

Finally

Schnauzers, like many other breeds of dog, resort to crying to communicate to their owners. Depending on when, how long for and how persistent it is will largely dictate the appropriate course of action.

While some crying is normal, especially in young puppies and new dogs brought into the home, excessive crying or unusual crying could indicate something more severe.

Ultimately, its important that you monitor your dog. Look at their behavior and try to observe a pattern of when your dog is likely to cry. Ensure they are getting enough attention, exercise and mental stimulation. Rule out any injuries and consult a vet if you are unable to detect anything yourself.

Normally, owners find that with obedience training they are unable to minimize crying that is most unnecessary.

Schnauzers may cry for several different reasons – but thankfully, there is a solution for most of them.