Giant Schnauzer

Giant Schnauzer Dog Picture
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Standard Giant Schnauzer Characteristics

About the Giant Schnauzer

The Giant Schnauzer, also known as the Riesenschnauzer, was first created in Germany in the Middle Ages for use as a cattle herding dog.

Today, these dogs are used as both a companion dog and service dog.

A shadow is what best describes the personaltiy of the Giant Schnauzer because they love to be right beside their owner. These dogs are extremely loyal to their owners and very protective of them as well. They will bark and growl at any unknown person who approaches their owner. They are best suited for homes without chilren and other animals because of this protectiveness. They are very intelligent and will learn quickly when trained. This needs to be done early though because this breed can become overly aggressive if not taught properly from an early age. They will work very hard for praise and love trears.These dogs get bored easily and need to have a job to feel complete. If left without a purpose these dogs can become destructive.This breed is known for its ability to bark and can be used as a good guard dog. It is rare that you can teach this dog not to bark so if quiet is what you want then this is not a dog for you.

The skull of the Schnauzer looks rectangular as it narrows from the ears to the eyes and from the eyes to the nose. The length of the head is about hald the length of the back. Their cheeks are flat, the muzzle is strong, and their nose is large and black. Their lips are tight and are black in color just like the nose. Their ears can be either cropped or uncropped but both are proportioned to the body. Their deep set oval eyes are dark brown full of expression.The shoulder appear to be sloping against their straight legs. They have a straight, strong back which continues through to the cropped tail. Thr rear legs are well toned and sit atop the small, round feet. They have well arched toes with tough toe pads. The coat is very rough and wiry. The undercoat is somewhat flat and stands up off of the back. The outercoat is very coarse and creates the trademark look of the bushy eyebrows and beard. The most common colors are solid black or salt and pepper.

Giant Schnauzers are prone to bloat, cancer, dysplasia and epilepsy.

These dogs can live in an apartment if given enough exercise. They require at least a morning and evening extended play session or else they will be unable to settle into a relaxed mode.

Reviews:

Giant Schnauzer Personal Account - By Shellie

I never thought I could love a breed of dog as much as the Giant schnauzer. My experiences with my own giant, Hugo, have been mostly rewarding but with a few bumps on the way. Giants are very headstrong and stubborn. They are known to be one of the dominant breeds, requiring a firm hand in training. They have to have training from a very young age and a lot of socialization. They are guard dogs by nature and instinctively have wariness to strangers; of course this makes them good at their jobs. They have a lot of energy and without proper focus can be hyper to the point of being destructive. Very loving and loyal to their families, you couldn’t ask for a better “shadow”. Giants seem to be very sensitive to their owners’ emotions and moods. While their thick coats protect them from the harshest of weather, they would rather be inside with the family curled up with you on the couch.

Giant schnauzer personalities can be easy going or can be hyper and hard to handle. They are somewhat of a clown and love to entertain their human owners. They tend to do good with other dogs and pets if raised with them, but if not they can be somewhat dog aggressive and food aggressive. They do love to chase small furry critters such as squirrels. This is called "prey drive" and can vary different degrees from dog to dog.

Coming in 2 distinct coat types, with variations of everything in between, there is American coat and German coat. The American coat is a full heavy and fluffy coat. This type requires a lot of brushing and grooming to achieve the schnauzer “look”. The German coat is a much more course and wiry coat. There still needs to be ample grooming, but is much more forgiving of owners who don’t brush as often. Of course the look of the 2 coats is very different. Coat color can be found in black, pepper and salt, and black and tan. The black and tan is not AKC accepted, but this color still shows up in litters and goes way back to early foundation of the breed.

Giants, while large, are not true “giants” in the dog world. Far bigger than a lot of other breeds, they are dwarfed by some of the mastiff types and others. Averaging between 65-110 lbs (males outweigh the females usually quite a bit) and range between 24”-29” tall at the shoulders. Giant schnauzers’ ears can be cropped to stand or left natural and “floppy”. Their tails are docked to around 2” or so, if opted to be docked. If left natural giant’s tails can be straight like a Labrador retriever’s tail or curved and held loosely over the back. A lot of countries have banned ear cropping and tail docking.

Originally this breed was used in its homeland of Germany as guard dogs and to pull carts. Today this dog is still used all over the world for police work, search and rescue, and as companions.

Health problems that the giants have are hip displasia, food allergies, thyroid problems among others.

- Shellie

Resources

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