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Giant Schnauzers

Appearance: The Giant Schnauzer is a large, powerful, compact breed of dog. It is one of several Schnauzer breeds. The Giant Schnauzer has a harsh, wiry outer coat which is weather resistant, and dense, soft undercoat. The top coat of the Giant Schnauzer is very important for show purposes. It must be wiry and harsh in texture with no tendency toward softness. Coat color is either black or salt and pepper (grey). This is a powerful, muscular dog, whose height at the shoulder should match its body length, giving it rather square shape when viewed in profile. When moving at a fast trot, a properly built Giant Schnauzer will single-track. Back remains strong, firm, and flat.

History: The breed originated in the Middle Ages in the Bavarian and Württemberg regions of Germany. Cattlemen wanted a larger version of the Standard Schnauzer for herding and driving, creating it by selectively breeding the Standard Schnauzer with the Great Dane , the Bouvier des Flandres , and other rough-coated cattle dogs. It was a popular herding breed, but its need for more food than some breeds made it less popular for farmers on tight budgets or with limited resources. The breed was first exhibited at a show in Munich , Germany , in 1909, under the name of the Russian Bear Schnauzer. Because of that show the breed gained in popularity and for some time it was known as Munich Schnauzer. It was used as a guard dog in breweries and stockyards, a police dog, and during World War I as a military dog. It became scarce during World War II, but its popularity grew again after the war, when it was used as a drover and as a guard dog. .

Temperament: The Giant Schnauzer is a large, powerful, dominant dog which needs a firm, consistent but friendly handler. Unnecessary harshness will only do harm. Early and consistent training is necessary as the Giant Schnauzer tends to be very willful and inexperienced owner may have problems in controlling Giant Schnauzer. It is not recommendable breed for someone not interested in spending lots of time in training. Its ability to understand a command does not always translate into obedience. Giant Schnauzers are very loyal and intelligent dogs. They often become so attached to their owner that they follow them around the house. Some Giant Schnauzers get along well with other dogs an cats, but others can be very aggressive. It is good that Giant Schnauzer is in contact with children and strangers from very early age, that way it will socialize properly.

Health issues: They should be brushed and combed twice a week at least. Trimming should occur every three months. They need several long walks each day. This breed used to be generally hardy; however, recently more auto-immune diseases have cropped up in this breed. Arthritis does occur in shoulders or hips, though usually resulting from a poor diet. Its life expectancy is about 11 or 12 years. Other health problems in the breed include: Autoimmune diseases (hypothyroidism, Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) (also called Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA)), SLO, Crohn's disease, and so on), epilepsy, hip dysplasia, incontinence, toe cancer.