Do Schnoodles Shed? (Very Little)

The Schnoodle is a mixed-breed designer dog that’s a cross between a Schnauzer and a Poodle. You might have fallen hard for this dog’s scruffy coat and cute looks, but if you’re curious if this hybrid breed sheds a lot, you’re in the right place.

In short, Schnoodles shed very little due to their ancestry, as neither Schnauzers nor Poodles are heavy shedders. Grooming this designer dog will be considerably more challenging, though, and that’s mostly due to its wavy, wiry coat texture.

If you’re eager to learn more about the Schnoodle’s shedding habits, then this is the article for you. I’ll look at the dog’s lineage in-depth and describe what kind of shedding you should be ready for. I’ll also discuss grooming and care, so check it out!

Schnoodle Shedding Guide

As I touched on in the intro, the Schnoodle is a crossbreed of the Poodle and the Schnauzer. Both breeds are low-shedding, and so the Schnoodle will be as well.

Let’s take a closer look at these parent breeds, beginning with the Schnauzer.

Schnauzers come in three sizes: miniature, standard, and giant. When breeding for Schnoodles, a breeder will typically use either a Miniature or Standard Schnauzer.

The good news is that, whether yours is a teeny-tiny Schnauzer or a Giant Schnauzer, the dog is still low-shedding. And that’s due to the Schnauzer’s coat type, which is wiry and dense.

Admittedly, Schnauzers are double-coated dogs. This means the Schnauzer will blow its coat in the summer and winter to prepare for the respective warmer and cooler seasons ahead. These coat changes do result in several weeks of higher-than-normal shedding.

Even taking that into consideration, however, on a scale of 1 to 5, I would rank the Schnauzer’s shedding as a collective breed as a 2 – regardless of the dog’s size.

You can expect a similar rate of shedding out of your Schnoodle if its dominant parent is a Schnauzer. And potentially even less shedding if the breed is predominately Poodle.

Breeders will typically use either a Toy Poodle or a Standard Poodle when selecting a Poodle to breed with a Schnauzer, and these are even lower-shedding than Schnauzers. On the same scale of 1 to 5, I would rank a Poodle’s rate of shedding as a 1.

That’s right; it’s about as low-shedding as you can get. That again applies regardless of if yours is the smaller or standard-sized Poodle.

So how are Poodles even lower-shedding than the Schnauzer?

For two reasons, really.

The first is that the Poodle is single-coated. This reduces the dog’s shedding, as it won’t blow its coat twice per year and increase your rate of cleanup.

Second, Poodles have a curly coat that catches and entraps hair. A Schnauzer’s coat is long and wiry but not curly.

If you want to reduce your Schnoodle’s shedding rate even further, opt for one with more Poodle genes than Schnauzer. Your dog will have that adorable, curled coat with only one layer of fur!

Grooming Your Schnoodle

While the dominant lineage of your Schnoodle will change its look dramatically (long, shaggy hair vs. curly), either way, you’re in for a tough time when it comes to grooming this dog.

Schnauzers have a dense, wiry coat. Between the density and the double layers of fur, if your Schnoodle is more Schnauzer than Poodle, you’ll use some elbow grease every time you brush the dog.

How frequently should that be, by the way? Daily brushing is generally best, regardless of whether your Schnoodle is blowing its coat or not.

This allows you to prevent mats and tangles in the long, wiry Schnauzer coat of your Schnoodle, especially around its legs and in its beard.

You’re also catching and collecting all that loose, dead hair before it comes out of your dog and makes a mess. This is hugely important when your Schnoodle is blowing its coat twice per year.

As if that wasn’t an incentive enough, brushing your dog distributes oils for healthier skin and produces an appealing sheen across the coat.

That’s not all. Schnauzer owners are used to hand-stripping their dogs, and that’s a habit you’ll have to get into if your Schnoodle is more Schnauzer than Poodle, unless you want to hire a professional groomer or trim your Schnoodle.

Hand stripping entails pulling out old, dead hair by hand. You’d use a sort of plucking motion. You can learn how to do this yourself or take your Schnoodle to the groomer and let them do it.

You might also wish to trim your Schnoodle’s coat if it’s getting too long. If you do this, make sure you’re only trimming the overcoat. It takes a lot longer for undercoat hairs to grow back, and your dog needs the undercoat to maintain its body temperature.

What if your Schnoodle is more Poodle than Schnauzer? Well, your grooming routine will be easier in some ways but more difficult in others.

For example, you don’t necessarily have to brush your Schnoodle every day if it has a Poodle coat (but if you can, great!). The dog doesn’t have a double-layered coat that will shed, so there’s less risk of loose hair.

That said, you do still want to brush your Schnoodle about every other day or every few days to remove dead hair, spread skin oils, add shine to your dog’s coat, and prevent painful knots and tangles.

You don’t have to hand strip a Schnoodle with mostly Poodle lineage, but you will have to keep its coat nice and tidy through trimming.

Now, there are dozens upon dozens of Poodle coats to choose from depending on if you want your dog to have a more youthful visage or if you’d prefer them to be a show dog.

Any of them should be applicable to your Schnoodle if it has a strong Poodle lineage. That said, many Schnoodle owners are okay with a teddy bear cut (short around the body but longer around the face) or a puppy cut (short and shaggy throughout).

Your Schnoodle will also require frequent baths, just like its Poodle parent. It’s also best to bathe your dog every two to four weeks, depending on how much activity your Schnoodle gets and how stinky they are.

Always use dog-friendly shampoo, and the gentler the formula, the better. When your Schnoodle comes out of the tub, allow them to air-dry rather than towel-dry them (or use an air blower), as towel drying can lead to painful knots and tangles.

About Schnoodles

Are you still debating if you should bring home a cuddly, precious Schnoodle? Allow me to provide some information in this section that will make your choice a bit easier.

Schnoodles are designer dogs that are the result of Schnauzer and Poodle breeding. They’re known to be affectionate, highly intelligent, active, trainable, and friendly.

Is a Schnoodle the right choice for apartment dwellers? That depends on the size of Schnoodle you adopt.

Toy Schnoodles weigh only six to 10 pounds and grow 10 to 12 inches at most. An apartment is plenty roomy for them.

Miniature Schnoodles are 12 to 20 pounds and stand 12 to 15 inches tall. A standard-sized Schnoodle is 20 to 75 pounds and measures 15 to 26 inches high.

A Miniature Schnoodle would be fine in an apartment but be sure to give the dog access to a park so they can run around. Otherwise, the pup might feel a little constricted.  

If you want a Standard Schnoodle, you’re best off with a big home and a fenced-in yard.

Schnoodles are quite friendly overall but don’t always immediately warm up. They’re also watchdogs, so plan to socialize them with other canines in the house.

Keep in mind that Schnoodles have a decent prey drive, so socialization is again a must if you have cats. The earlier in a Schnoodle’s life that the dog learns to befriend cats, the better.

With proper socialization, this hybrid breed is known to get along quite well with children too.

If you’re hoping for a quiet dog, the Schnoodle is not it. The cute pup can bark to excess for seemingly no reason, so training them is a good idea.

Bottom Line

Schnoodles are small-to-mid-sized designer crossbreeds that are a combination of Schnauzers and Poodles. Depending on which parent has the most dominant genes, your Schnoodle might have a curly, single-layered Poodle coat or a long, wiry, double-layered Schnauzer coat.

Although grooming the Schnoodle can be a challenge in either scenario, the love, sweetness, and affection this dog gives make it strongly worth considering as your next pet!