No Off-Leash Policy

It is the policy of SLR that Miniature Schnauzers should never be off-leash outside 

All Schnauzers were originally bred to hunt vermin on farms and in barnyards, so their prey drive is naturally very strong.  This is an inherent characteristic of the breed.   If you own a Schnauzer, then you run the risk of them chasing after small animals if they are allowed to be off leash in unfenced areas outside.  Even Schnauzers who have been trained for years in obedience have been known to break an ingrained sit/stay command to pursue a squirrel, a rabbit, a racoon, or even a stray cat.  Without warning, Schnauzers will bolt without warning and will ignore anything their owner/trainer is trying to command them to do as they take off after their prey.  You may think that your very well trained Schnauzer is disciplined enough to respond to your commands every time, but it only takes one lapse for them to bolt away from you and take off running.  If they do, you may very well lose them forever.  Most of the Schnauzers our rescue has obtained from shelters over the years were because they were allowed to be off leash by their former owners and were found wandering, hungry and lost, days, maybe even weeks later.  And while these scared hungry runaway Schnauzers are tragic, at least they were rescued and saved.  Some off leash dogs that run after prey are not so lucky.  Here is one story.  

A good friend of ours, who is also a highly regarded Miniature Schnauzer breeder, recently lost one of her dogs, who was off leash at the time, during a short walk between her kennel and her kitchen.  This woman lives in a house surrounded completely by woods that is almost a half mile from the main road.  On that tragic day her beloved Schnauzer spotted a deer at the edge of the woods near the house and took off after it.  The deer ran through the woods and straight across the main road with the dog chasing it as fast as her little legs would carry her.  The pursuit took deer through the woods and across the road on the other side.  As the deer disappeared into the woods beyond the road the poor little Schnauzer chasing after it was hit by a truck and killed instantly.  

So, for the safety and love of your new Schnauzer please do not allow them to be off leash outside unless they are in a fenced, supervised area.  I know people sometimes think that their dog is different or they can train their dog not to bolt at the site of prey but trust me when I say that we have heard too many horror stories to trust that it can be done so please don’t even try.  Your schnauzer’s life is in your hands.  Be responsible and do not let them become lost, injured, or even killed because you trusted them to be off leash.