A terrier in a tidy package
The Miniature Schnauzer began as a German farm ratter — a dog expected to hold his own in a stable yard — and the self-importance survived the move to the sofa intact. With dogs he knows, though, the Mini is generally friendly, game for anything and properly playful, and at twelve to twenty pounds he is sturdy enough for real games with medium-sized housemates without the toy breeds' fragility. Raised alongside another dog from puppyhood, most Minis settle into devoted, sparring-partner friendships that last for life.
Where scraps start
Terrier wiring shows up in predictable places. The Schnauzer greeting style can be rude — straight in, face to face, announcing himself at volume — which some dogs answer badly. Possessiveness over laps, beds and a favourite human is common and worth nipping in the bud with boring consistency. The pattern to respect most is same-sex friction: two males, and classically two females, who were inseparable as youngsters can fall out seriously at maturity, so choose sexes thoughtfully and take early squabbles seriously rather than assuming they will grow out of them. A timid, easily bullied dog is also a poor partner; the Mini will accept the promotion to household tyrant if it is offered.
The barking conductor
Every multi-dog home has an alarm system; a Schnauzer volunteers to run it. One sharp announcement at the window recruits every other dog in the house, and a Schnauzer paired with another reactive barker can produce a household that erupts at every passing pedestrian. A trained quiet cue — taught properly, rewarded heavily — is the single highest-value training investment in this combination, and it has to be in place for the Schnauzer before you can fairly ask it of the pack.
Making the match work
The classic good partner for a Mini is a steady, slightly larger, easygoing dog who cannot be rattled or recruited into feuds — the Schnauzer supplies the sparkle, the housemate supplies the ballast. Introduce on parallel walks rather than face-to-face at the door, keep high-value items out of the equation for the first weeks, and keep training the Schnauzer individually: his manners must belong to him, not depend on the other dog's presence. Households that do this usually report the same thing — the Mini runs the home, and everyone, including the other dog, seems to enjoy it.
Loopholes are a family problem
A clever terrier audits the household for the softest human and files his appeals there. KinsLe Family Sharing works differently for that audit: the owner grants profile access to the relatives named by the owner, so his profile is open to the family sharing a home with the little conductor whose first bark recruits the whole pack at the window.