This article was originally published in Showsight Magazine, January 2016 issue.
There are three varieties of the Schnauzer: The Giant, usually 25 to 28 inches over the shoulder, weighing between 65 and 120 pounds; the Standard Schnauzer, a medium sized dog 18-20 inches over the shoulder, weighing between 35 and 45 pounds; and the Miniature Schnauzer, usually 12-14 inches over the shoulder, weighing about 15 pounds. The Schnauzers come in solid black or pepper & salt color (a kind of silver grey). In the Giant variety one sees mostly blacks; in the Standard and Miniature sizes, mostly pepper & salt. Black & silver as well as white are additional colors in the mini’s, although much more rare.
Most black Giants have some grey hairs, and as they get clipped these grey hairs increase. This is perfectly normal. If you want to avoid your dog getting grey into his coat, you must strip his coat twice a year. Or use the coat king regularly when you brush. To strip means to pull out the hair by the root. However, most dogs are clipped and the dog is black, so some grey hairs are really of no importance. At Skansen Kennel, we specialize in all three varieties of Schnauzer.
The Giant Schnauzer belongs to the working group and is bred for his working and protective abilities. He is an excellent family watchdog, taking his work quite seriously. He becomes very protective about his car, house, and owner. Because of his size, I recommend that he gets basic obedience training as a young dog so he is well controlled. His protective work is instinctive and does not have to be trained.
He has a hard, wiry coat which protects him in most weather. He can live outdoors, but like most dogs, he prefers to be inside with the family. There are two types of coats are popular in the United States. The first is a hard, wiry coat the Germans originally intended the breed to have. This is a very easy coat to care for, as his leg furnishings are sparse, and a couple of groomings each year are all it needs.
The other variety is a much softer coat, with lots of hair on the legs and a profuse beard. This kind of coat obviously requires much more care—the hair on the legs tangles easily. It is, however, quite attractive, and the coat does make one think of a furry bear, which makes some people very fond of this variety. It is definitely a matter of taste—but if the dog is going to spend a lot of time outside where there are foxtails or it is muddy, etc., choosing the harder coat is important.
Most family pets are the heavier coats. To distinguish between the two styles or amounts of hair, we call the original style German and the American style is the Miniature Schnauzer look-alike but of course much larger. Regardless of the variety of coat, he does not shed, which is of course very convenient for an indoor pet. Also because of his non-shedding coat, children and adults allergic to dogs can very often tolerate the Schnauzer, just like the Poodle. He is a very hardy animal who is not prone to any special degenerative diseases, and lives a long life if properly cared for. Like all large breeds, hip dysplasia is always possible. However, by breeding only good stock, we have managed to breed 99% of our dogs clinically free of dysplasia. The one percent that do get it are replaced at no cost to the buyer.
If you ask Giant owners how they are to train, you will of course get many mixed answers. Personally, I feel they are one of the most intelligent breeds to work with. They love any kind of unrestrained work like retrieving, jumping, attack work, barking on command, and tracking (they have superb noses). They are not the best precision workers, as they get impatient with too much repetition, but with a good trainer, they make excellent competition obedience dogs.
Because they are highly intelligent, they are not always easy for beginners to train; they soon outsmart any inexperienced person. If the trainer establishes himself as pack leader in his dog’s life from the beginning, he is very easy to work with. In other words, he is usually a dominant animal which, of course, is one of the reasons he is an outstanding watchdog. Like most dogs, he is excellent with children if raised with them. This is very important, and I do not recommend a family with young children to bring in an older dog not previously raised with children. However, if they are raised with them, they make terrific playmates; they will play all day, can be trained to pull the kids in carts, and love to go swimming with them.
They get along well with other dogs but, two males used for breeding will usually not tolerate each other. Spayed and castrated dogs are just as good watchdogs, and they usually do not have problems getting fat after being altered. We recommend that all pets be altered. They do require a lot of exercise and attention as pups and young adults. By exercise we mean taking your dog for a run on the beach or dog park, go hiking or running by a bike—all off leash. Playing in the backyard or walking on a leash up and down some blocks is not enough. If you don’t have time to exercise your giant pup he will be difficult to train. However, once they have grown up, they are happy to just sleep next to you all day. Like any big dog, they should have at least one to two hours of good exercise daily. If exercised properly, they are as good an apartment dog as any smaller breed.
I hope this answers your questions about the breed. If you have any more questions, please call or write. We usually have pups available and when sold, they are 10 weeks old uncropped or 3-4 months old if cropped. By then, they have their tail docked and dewclaws removed. Also, one shot against distemper and parvo. They will have been wormed for round and tape worms, the two common worms in California. I have raised Schnauzers for fifty years with more than 1300 homebred champions and innumerable obedience titles. Attention to proper temperament is always the Number One priority.
My breeding program is based on trying to produce as beautiful a dog as possible, with a temperament that makes him an excellent family pet, as well as a family guardian. Seventy-five percent of my Giants live in homes with one or more children. The Standard Schnauzer is very much like the Giant. He is, of course, smaller so easier to control by the elderly and children. He makes a great apartment dog. The standard is the oldest of the Schnauzer, dating back as long as 500 years ago. He mostly comes in the German or medium length coat, never in the American, softer style as the Giant and Mini. He is very easy to maintain, extremely intelligent and trainable. Like the Giant, he needs to run and gallop free as a pup. He is very much a one man, one family dog and takes it seriously to defend your house/home.
