The Miniature Schnauzer is a beautiful dog with a coat that requires extensive, time-consuming grooming. This canine breed has a double coat of long, wiry hair on the outer coat and dense, short hair underneath. To properly groom your Mini Schnauzer, brush or comb the dog's hair daily. In addition, your Mini Schnauzer will need a professional trim in the spring and fall and a bath every two weeks.
Brushing and Combing
The Mini Schnauzer's long, wiry outer coat is reasonably easy to care for. The dense undercoat, on the other hand, can easily become matted, and this is why you should brush and comb your Mini Schnauzer daily. Once the coat becomes matted, more knots and tangles can form that will be hard to comb out.
Grooming the Body
Use a pin-brush, a pet slicker brush or a fine-toothed face comb to groom your Miniature Schnauzer. Initially, brush with the grain (in the direction that your dog's hair grows). Start brushing along your dog's front legs from the top down, and then do the back legs, the belly, underarms, back and tail. Repeat this routine again, except this time brush against the grain to lift the coat. If you find any knots that will not brush or comb out, clip them out with scissors. Between professional grooming visits, use hair trimmers once every two months to keep your Mini Schnauzer's legs, belly and hind area trimmed. Trim just enough to make sure you can comb through the hair to prevent matting. Always trim the hair in the direction that it grows to ensure that you do not razor burn your pet's skin. Razor burns can result in a bacterial skin infection that is difficult to treat.
Grooming the Face
Use the fine-toothed comb on the face and head area, paying special attention to the eyebrows, muzzle and beard. Comb the eyebrows down toward the nose. If they are beginning to grow below the tops of the eyes, cut them at a sharp angle toward the outside corner of each eye. Use blunt-edged scissors, and cut from the middle of the eyebrow outward so that the hair on the innermost part between the eyes is longer than the outermost part. The innermost part of the eyebrow should be half the length of the muzzle. Groom the hair on top of the muzzle by parting it in the middle and combing downward on each side. Comb the beard forward and downward under the chin. You do not have to trim the muzzle and beard; however, if the beard becomes too thick or difficult to comb through, you can thin it out with thinning shears.
Bathing
Bathe your Mini Schnauzer once every other week. It is imperative that you brush or comb the dog prior to bathing. If you bathe your dog with any mats or knots in its coat, you will cause worse matting and larger knots. Gather together a towel, shampoo, pin-brush, slicker brush and blow dryer. Remove all collars from your Mini Schnauzer, and place the dog in the tub. When spraying your dog, do not get water into its ears, as this can cause an ear infection. Spray the beard by pointing the sprayer away from the head and spraying down the beard. To spray the head, lift your dog's face upward and direct the spray away from the face, toward the back of its body. Do not use human shampoo to clean your dog. It can cause drying and flaking of the skin; natural pet shampoos are best. When lathering your Mini Schnauzer, rake the shampoo through its beard and legs instead of rubbing, to avoid tangles. Rinse your Mini Schnauzer thoroughly. There should be absolutely no shampoo residue left on its coat. Towel dry your pet, but squeeze the excess water from its legs and beard instead of rubbing those areas with the towel. Rubbing may cause tangles. Blow dry your Mini Schnauzer with a hair dryer set on medium temperature. While drying, use the pin-brush to brush your dog's beard and eyebrows downward, and then brush its leg hair upward against the grain. Once dry, brush your pet with a slicker brush for a smooth, polished look.
