i have the oportunity of a mini schnauzer as a playmate for my boy(mini schnauzer jack cross)how ever although i like to brush and comb properly every day i like a natural looking dog rather than a clipped or stripped coat would a full mini schnauzer be suitable for this, my boy ,as a cross has a generous wirery top coat and a soft very short undercoat  a beard, ruffs but no eyebrows and looks very smart and tangle free

Personally, I think you would be struggling to keep the mats at bay unless the coat is stripped ;)  I used to own a Tibetan Terrier (left in full coat) and a full-coated Afghan X and neither of them were as bad for tangling/matting as the Mini Schnauzer's leg hair that I deal with ;)

The dog would soon resemble an exploded cushion :(

Hi Pru, I have 2 minis and their coats are quite different.  The boys coat is quite soft and fluffy and he does get tangles in the tummy, armpit and leg area when his coat is getting long.  I have him trimmed as opposed to stripped every 2 months or so and I groom him once a week.  My girl has a very coarse top cut and really "silky" furnishings and hardly every gets matted so it could be a bit pot luck.  If you're handy with a set of trimmers and happy to groom once a week you would probably be ok.

I like my minis looking like minis but not quite as exagerrated as the show minis (their fur is kept a bit shorter for ease of maintenance) but I can understand what you say about the natural look.  I like poodles with mad afros rather than sculpted fur but having never owned one I wouldn't know whether this would be more difficult to maintain.

I hope this helps x

> The dog would soon resemble an exploded cushion

Sorry but that comment made me laugh (not that an ungroomed dog is funny!)

not just you george pig!

Put me down for a giggle as well.

And me!

LOL it is funny to see, but not so funny for the dog ;)