Toy Schnauzer vs Osterreichischer Kurzhaariger Pinscher - Breed Comparison

The Miniature Schnauzer was actually a distinct breed as early as 1899. It is believed that the dog came from breeding the smallest Standard Schnauzers with Affenpinschers, Black Poodles, and the gray Spitz.

Miniature Schnauzers were registered as a separate breed in 1926. The Toy Schnauzer is registered as a Miniature Schnauzer but is actually a little bit smaller.

The Miniature Schnauzer was developed as a farm dog with the purpose of killing rats.

Hailing from Austria, the Osterreichischer Kurzhaariger Pinscher, better known as the Austrian Short-Haired Pinscher has always been depicted on paintings from the Baroque period.

The dog is a terrier-type canine and has always been used as a watchdog but he was also used to hunt because of the terrier qualities he possesses.

This dog has always been used for working on farms. Breeding of this dog started in 1921 and the dog was recognized by the United Kennel Club in 2006.

The Toy Schnauzer is a small dog standing at between 33–35cm tall and weighing about 4 to 9 kg.

He has medium length hair which is hard and wiry and which requires minimal grooming. These low-shedding dogs make the ideal family pets for those people who have allergies.

Colors of the coat are essentially black and silver, chocolate or a salt and pepper look. You'll find they have a beard and bushy eyebrows, giving him an almost human-like expression.

These dogs were brought about to be all-around farm dogs and ratters and they are tough, muscular, and fearless without being aggressive.

As a medium sized dog, both males and females stand at between 42 and 50cm in height and the dog weighs roughly between 14 and 20kg.

The coat is shortish, dense and smooth and is essentially black and tan with some white, fawn or brindle. The ears of the dog are fairly short and they look as though they wanted to be erect but then decided to be floppy. The nose is black and the eyes dark brown.

The tail is usually docked but when it is left long, it curls over the back. If you want your dog to be bred you can expect between 4 – 6 puppies.

Temperament:

These are playful dogs, getting on well with their human families and wanting to get involved in their activities. They are suspicious of strangers. They are good with kids, making them a good playmate, but they don’t like small children being allowed to climb over them.

They are able to get along well with any other pets in the house. It would be to your benefit to have the dog trained and socialized as he becomes obedient and good around people in social settings. He is an intelligent dog and will find training easy.

They also take their role as guardian and protector seriously.Because he was bred to be a farm dog, he wouldn’t e able to adapt to life on a tiny property in the city.

The Toy Schnauzer is spunky, strong-willed and confident. They all have different personalities and while some people report they are aloof, stubborn and uppity, others say they are playful, friendly and amicable.

A lot depends on the owners as dogs often develop the temperaments of the owners.

With this range in temperament, you can’t say with certainty how your Toy Schnauzer will turn out. Most of them just want to be involved with their human families and they make great family pets.

Have your Osterreichischer Kurzhaariger Pinscher trained and socialized if you want him to be amicable and obedient around you and your visitors.

He does well with a human family who are firm, kind and patient with him. He loves to be kept busy with both mental and physical exercise, thriving on challenging activities, and he will become frustrated if he is left day after day just to lie around.

Take him with you on walks, buy him nice chewy, stimulating toys, throw a ball or frisbee with him and include him in your activities.

This is a dog more suited to life in the countryside as opposed to life in the city. Care well for this splendid family pet and you’ll quickly begin to see why dogs like him are known as man’s best friend.

Your Toy Schnauzer has a life expectancy of 12 – 15 years if you care for them properly. They can, however, suffer from some health problems that so many other dogs might also have to contend with.

Some of these are -

Cataracts:

You’ll notice your pet's eyes taking on a filmy look. Most times these cataracts emerge in older dogs and they can be surgically removed.

Entropion and Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) are other eye diseases that may affect your dog. Most dogs are able to adapt well to their limited vision and can even adapt to lost vision.

Bladder Infection:

A bladder infection can be terribly uncomfortable for your pet and occurs when bacteria gets into the bladder. Females are more likely to get a bladder infection, but male dogs can pick up the infection too. Having a bladder infection increases the pet’s urge to urinate even when there is no urine to come out.

The little bit of urine that does come out may be cloudy or even have some blood in it. It is imperative to get your pet urgent veterinary attention. When you see your pet trying to urinate all the time with nothing happening, then this is the sign to get your dog to the vet for a course of antibiotics.

Congenital Megaesophagus: 

This is when food and liquid are retained in the dog's esophagus so that you find him regurgitating his food. This can lead to pneumonia.

The Austrian Short-haired Pinscher is a robust kind of dog that isn’t going to have you rushing to the vet very often. True, he does have some hereditary health issues but it is highly unlikely that you will find these health issues in your pet.

Nonetheless it pays to know about one of the more serious conditions -

Congenital Heart Condition:

This is a heart disease that is present from birth and could have been passed down from the parent dog to the puppy. A congenital heart defect occurs as a malformation of any valve, with the most common congenital heart diseases in dogs being patent ductus arteriosus, pulmonic stenosis as well as subaortic stenosis, all potentially inherited defects.

Sometimes a dog can live a fairly normal life with this disease but other times there are complications which can lead to congestive heart failure and atrial fibrillation, causing symptoms such as difficulty with breathing, cough and weakness. Your dog will need to get to the vet to discuss treatment options.

Most people have their Toy Schnauzers professionally groomed on a regular basis. He is a double-coated dog with a wiry coat. Some people, looking to maintain the wiry texture do hand-stripping, certainly if the dog is used for show purposes.

Diet:

No dog deserves to have dry kibble served up to him day after day. However, there are some excellent commercial dog foods on the market and you can choose the best one.

These foods provide a lot of convenience for the dog owner. Dogs also need to have their share of home-made food. It doesn’t have to be all complicated as dogs like simplicity.

Wholesome foods such as boiled chicken, brown rice and some nutritious vegetables such as sweet potatoes, spinach and carrots can do him the world of good. Schnauzers are also prone to pancreatis so you want to avoid giving him food that is high in fat.

Exercise:

Toy Schnauzers love an active lifestyle. They don't like sitting around inactive for too long.

Your Toy Schnauzer can adapt to life in the country or the city but he will certainly need to be well exercised. Walking your dog each day will be essential as will ball games and just generally giving your pet some of your attention,

Exercise:

They need quite a lot of exercise, and even though they can adopt to life in the countryside or the city, they will require regular walks, ball- and rope games to prevent them becoming bored, frustrated and destructive.

Grooming:

The Austrian Short-haired Pinscher sheds quite a bit so he will need to be brushed at least twice a week to remove the loose hairs.

Diet:

As a medium sized, energetic dog, you want to ensure you maintain your dogs energetic nature by providing him with excellent food.

Choose your commercially manufactured food carefully as some of them are of a poor quality and can actually be detrimental to your dog’s health. Choose a high quality kibble that has quality ingredients.

Home-made food such as boiled chicken, brown rice or pasta and vegetables such as carrots, spinach and sweet potatoes all chopped up and added to his kibble occasionally will do wonders for this dog. He will thrive on also getting in some raw meat from time to time.

Ensure a constant supply of fresh, cool water.