Description

Essentially the Giant Schnauzer is a larger version of the standard Schnauzer. These dogs have a square and robust look. The muzzle is blunt at the end, with a black nose. The eyes are small, with a beautiful deep brown colour. The Giant Schnauzer’s ears are small and V-shaped in their natural shape; although ear cropping has been traditional for this breed, it is illegal in some areas. Schnauzers’ tails were also traditionally docked – again, this is illegal in some areas.

The Giant Schnauzer has a robust but compact build that suggests power and agility. The legs are straight and strong, the chest is deep, and the hindquarters are powerful.

Origin: Germany

Look

The Giant Schnauzer has a harsh wiry outer coat, with a soft undercoat. The strong rectangular head is simply incomplete without the fuzzy beard and bushy eyebrows. Typically, Giant Schnauzers are solid black, or salt and pepper coloured (where the body is grey with white points).

Though they are sometimes described as non-moulting dogs, this isn’t technically true: the Giant Schanuzer does shed, but shedding is minimal. They generally need to be clipped to keep their fur in neat condition: a typical clip for a Schnauzer involves keeping the fur on the ears, legs, belly, and face, and clipping the rest of the body.

Health

While the Giant Schnauzer is generally a healthy dog, they are prone to a few health conditions:

• Hip dysplasia
• Elbow dysplasia
• Eye problems
• Skin diseases
• Squamous cell carcinoma
• Osteochondrosis Dissecans
• Autoimmune Thyroiditis

At Newdoggy.com, we recommend that you buy your dog from reputable breeders, who use genetic testing and good breeding practices to remove genetic conditions from their breeding lines.

Learning

The Giant Schnauzer is intelligent, but this intelligence is coupled with stubbornness and a certain level of self-confidence. They are feisty, strong-willed dogs, and need calm but firm handling. They can easily become bored, as they are energetic dogs that were originally bred to work (they were used as police dogs in the early 1900s in their native Germany). Your Giant Schnauzer will keep you on your toes, but their energy and intelligence can be channelled into their training.

Temperament

The Giant Schnauzer is a fantastic companion dog. They are calm yet bold, with a certain attitude of self-confidence, combined with affection and a desire to please. Schnauzers can be a little territorial, often barking or acting aloof with strangers (both humans and dogs) until they get to know them. Socialisation is important for this breed, as they are naturally suspicious of strangers, which can lead to aggression if left unchecked.

Living with

The Giant Schnauzer is not suited to living in apartments, as they are large dogs that need plenty of space and exercise. They prefer to be around people and hate to be alone. This breed is a great family dog, and is excellent with children. If you want your children to get outside more, you can send them out to play in the garden with your Giant Schnauzer!

Keep in mind that the Giant Schnauzer has a strong prey drive, and an urge to wander. It’s best to keep them on a leash when you go on walks.