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Rescue a
Giant Schnauzer
Giant Schnauzer Puppies for Sale<
Giant Schnauzer
(Riesenschnauzer)
Photo courtesy of Skansen Kennel.
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Giant Schnauzer Breeder
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Giant Schnauzer
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Pronunciation |
Giant
SCHNOW-zer |
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Description |
The Giant Schnauzer is a large, powerful, compact
dog with bushy eyebrows, whiskers and a beard. It looks like a larger image of
the Standard Schnauzer. It has a
harsh, wiry outer coat and dense, soft undercoat. Ideally, the dog's height is
the same as the length, resulting in a rather square impression. The strong,
arched neck should blend cleanly into the shoulders. The head is about half as
long as the back from withers to tail attachment. The muzzle and top of the head
should form parallel planes. The large nose is black. The eyes are dark brown
and oval. The teeth should meet in a scissors bite. The front legs are straight
and parallel. Dewclaws should be removed on the hind legs and may be removed on
the front legs as well. The tail is generally docked to the second or third
joint. Cropping the ears is optional. The coat comes in solid black or salt
& pepper. |
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Temperament |
Giant Schnauzers are an intelligent, versatile working dog. Bold and spirited. Calm, loyal, loving and responsible. The Giant Schnauzer is a true "Velcro" dog. It loves to be with its owner at all times. They are easy to train and respond best to firm, consistent training with a positive attitude and plentiful rewards. If the Giant Schnauzer is properly trained, it makes a fine pet. The objective in training this
dog is to achieve a pack leader status. It is a natural instinct for a dog to have an order in their pack. When we humans live with dogs, we become their pack. The entire pack cooperates under a single leader. Lines are clearly defined. You and all other humans MUST be higher up in the order than the dog. That is the only way your relationship can be a success. Giant Schnauzers tend to be on the dominate side and need an owner who understands canine behaviors and know how to display authority, in a calm, but stern, confident manner and be consistent about it. Without it they may become over protective, serious, with a hard headed temperament, as they believe they are alpha to humans. Socialize well around many different people to avoid them becoming suspicious of everyone they are not familiar with. Through absolute consistency; you need to show them you mean what you say. They are tremendous guards and their large size alone is a deterrent to trouble. Giants who know their place is below humans, are well socialized and who receive enough daily mental and physical exercise will usually love everyone, a sweet-natured goofball. If well socialized when young a Giant can become a wonderful "people" dog. One owner states, "Our Molly is actually a therapy dog at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, but would still protect our home till the death if pushed. Our family is very active, either hubby or I do two trail runs a day with our crew and this tires them out and is also lots of fun for both them and us." Some of the great qualities of Giants is that they can excel at obedience/agility/carting/protection work, if properly trained they are a dog that can do it all. They need an owner who displays consistent leadership, or they will feel it is their job to take over as top dog. If not given the proper amount of exercise and left to their own devices, this breed can turn very destructive, if their energy and busy minds are not channeled properly. Since they are one of the very few large breeds with a non-shed coat, they are attractive to folks but if not with an owner who knows how to display consistent leadership, they are often given up before the dog reaches age two. This breed can become dominant with other dogs and should be socialized extensively both with other dogs and people as a young puppy. It is usually good with other pets and some can be good with other dogs if properly socialized as puppies. They can be fairly reserved with strangers. Giants have been bred for generations as guard/watch dogs, they are huge and have a relentless, imposing bark when they hear/see/perceive anything out of the ordinary. |
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Height, Weight |
Height: Dogs 26-28 inches (66-71
cm.) Bitches 23-26 inches (58-66 cm.)
Weight: Dogs 60-80 pounds (27-36 kg.) Bitches 55-75 pounds (25-34 kg.) |
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Health Problems |
Giants are more prone to cancer than most breeds,
especially toe cancer which kills many Giants annually even if caught early.
They are at increased risk of bloat. Epilepsy is all too common in this breed
and hip dysplasia is rampant. |
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Living Conditions |
The Giant Schnauzer is not suited for apartment
life. They are fairly active indoors and will do best
with acreage. |
Exercise |
Giants have a huge need for exercise and if not
vigorously done at least twice daily they bounce off the walls and are difficult
to deal with, even a very well trained one, they have to expend the excess
energy they were originally bred for or they just can't settle at night.
They need to be taken on a daily, brisk,
long walk, jog or
run alongside you when you bicycle,
at least once a day combined with an additional walk or another type of
exercise. These energetic dogs will take as much exercise as
they can get, and just love play sessions during which they can run free. If you get a Giant, plan on daily long walks, running, hiking, biking, swimming, or to get involved in agility (obstacle course), advanced obedience, schutzhund (protection), carting, tracking, or a similar canine activity. If you do not have time to devote to any of these, this is not the breed for you. |
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Life Expectancy |
About 12-15 years. |
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Grooming |
The wiry coat is reasonably easy to look after,
but the undercoat is dense and it will become matted unless it is combed or
brushed weekly with a short wire brush. Clip out knots and brush first with the
grain, then against the grain to lift the coat. The animal should be clipped all
over to an even length at least four times a year and ear care continually is
important. A person can
easily learn how to do it. Pet dogs are generally clipped, but show dogs may be
stripped. Trim around the eyes and ears with a blunt-nosed scissor and clean the
whiskers after meals. They have no doggie odor and shed little to no hair. |
| Origin |
The Giant Schnauzer is called the Riesenschnauzer in Germany, which means "the giant." The Giant Schnauzer is thought to have
come from crosses between dogs such as the Standard Schnauzer, black Great Dane and the Bouvier des
Flandres. The breed standard was established in 1923. The
word "Schnauze" means "muzzle" in German. The Giant
Schnauzer was first used as a cattle driving dog in Bavaria, then later as a
guard dog by the police and military. The Giant Schnauzer excels at schutzhund
and also makes a good companion dog. |
| Group |
Herding, AKC Working |
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Recognition |
CKC, FCI, AKC, UKC, KCGB, CKC, ANKC, NKC, NZKC,
APRI, ACR |
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CKC = Continental
Kennel Club
FCI = Fédération
Cynologique Internationale
AKC = American
Kennel Club
UKC = United Kennel
Club
KCGB = Kennel
Club of Great Britain
CKC = Canadian
Kennel Club
ANKC = Australian
National Kennel Club
NKC = National
Kennel Club
NZKC = New Zealand
Kennel Club
APRI = American Pet Registry
Inc.
ACR = American Canine Registry |
"This is Giant Schnauzer Ch. Galilee’s Pure of Spirit. She was the #1 show dog in the US for 2008 all breeds. Here she is winning best in show at the Onondaga Kennel Association Show in March, 2008 in Syracuse, New York." Courtesy of Andrea Barber Photography.
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Mater, the Giant Schnauzer puppy at 8 weeks old. "To better understand my dog, you almost have to be around my son! They are two peas in a pod! My son is 5, and Mater is a year and a half. I got Mater when he was 8 weeks old. His ears were never clipped, so it seems to add to his goofy personality. Like the breed states-he is protective and gives off a thunderous bark at strangers and noises he is not familiar with. He is well socialized and loves all dogs-big and small. He is not dominant around any dog breed that he has been exposed to, but he will however try and dominate a small child if they act scared of him-so I need to step in and show him that he is the dog, and they are the human and he can trust them. He gets along best with kids 4 years or older because then they are old enough to throw him a ball and run with him. His exercise takes place at a school playground/park behind our duplex and the usual group of 8-12 kids play with him and he loves it. He is not aggressive, but protective."
Mater, the Giant Schnauzer puppy at 9 weeks old sleeping with Gavin
Giant Schnauzer Pictures 1
Giant Schnauzer Pictures 2
The Three
Schnauzer Breeds
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