Toy Schnauzer vs Tibetan Spaniel - Breed Comparison

Known fondly as the Tibbie and being referred to as little lions’, the Tibetan Spaniel is an ancient dog breed.

They appear in ancient art dating way back to 1100BC. This tells you that this small dog has been around for a jolly long time.

When you look at him, you can see that his predecessors were the Pekingese and the Lhaso Apso. It’s odd actually that he is called spaniel, as he doesn’t look like a spaniel at all and he has certainly never been a gun dog. He is more of a companion breed.

Even today, you’ll find these dogs living with monks in monasteries. The American Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1984.

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.

Weighing between 4 to 7kg and standing at 23 to 30cm, the silky, double coat is fairly long and it sheds throughout the year.

The coat can be any color really, from tan to cream to brown and black and even a mix of colors.

The eyes are dark brown, the ears medium length and feathery and the tail is long and feathery too. The nose is fairly short and blunt.

Temperament:

The Tibetan spaniel is a small, active dog breed but not known to be shy or timid. He is an assertive dog, and intelligent too.

He would be better off having training and socialization as he is strong willed, stubborn and independent. He is loving, sweet and devoted to his owners.

He makes a good watchdog dog and will adapt well to life in the city or in the countryside. He can be both social and aloof, enjoying having his human family around him even though he may not be interacting with them.

He is playful and gets on well with children in the home as well as with other pets. He makes an excellent pet for older people too – he just needs to get his regular exercise.

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.

The Tibetan Spaniel dog is energetic and active, but doesn't require a lot of exercise. This makes him suitable for life in the city as well as the countryside.

He'll enjoy going on walks but he will also look forward to ball games.

They’re social dogs and will relish any interaction with their human family. Give him the love and care he deserves and you’ll be rewarded with a loyal, loving friend.

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.

Tibetan Spaniels are generally healthy, especially if you provide them with good food and exercise.

Whenever you’re looking to buy a puppy, make sure that you do research on where the puppy comes from. You don’t want to bring your puppy home and find that you’re faced with a host of health problems.

Progressive Retinal Atrophy:

This eye problem effects photoreceptor cells which deteriorate over time and ultimately lead to blindness. It is an inherited disease that occurs in quite a few different breeds of dogs.

Dogs with this disease should never be bred. It isn’t a painful condition but you usually notice it when your dog has night blindness. Day blindness also occurs and later on cataracts can develop too.

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.

Exercise:

The Tibetan Spaniel isn’t fixated on games and exercise like some other dog breeds are, but even so he isn’t a couch potato either. He will certainly require some moderate exercise such as a good walk every day.

Diet:

You canine friend relies on you to make good food choices for him. Just like human beings have to watch what they eat if they want to remain healthy, dogs can’t just eat anything.

Feeding him an inferior diet will allow sickness. Commercially manufactured dog foods should be chosen with care, and there is a lot of information on the packaging to guide you.

Getting enough minerals and vitamins is imperative for good health. You should also try to give him some simplistic home-made food, while steering clear of toxic foods that could give your pet a whole lot of digestive problems. These are things like chocolates, crisps, peanuts, grapes, onions and spicy, exotic foods.

Just stick to simple, nutritious foods such as boiled chicken, brown rice and vegetables.

General Care:

• Tibetan Spaniels will benefit from early socialization and training because then they become obedient and well mannered to have around with you wherever you go.

• Provide a warm, dry, quiet sleeping space.

• Get your pet to the vet when he’s sick. As it is, he will need vaccines against serious pet illnesses as a puppy.

• Have your pet spayed or neutered to prevent an unwanted litter.

• Provide general grooming – a brush twice a week, checking inside the ears for redness, checking the eyes and checking for any unusual lumps.

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,