Giant schnauzer
Giant schnauzer is the largest and calmest of the schnauzer varieties, but he does not lack courage and curiosity about the world. This impressive dog has a rough black coat or pepper and salt. He is an excellent guardian and defender – his appearance is awesome.
Nature
The giant schnauzer is the calmest representative of the schnauzer family. Although he is balanced, he does not lack temperament and curiosity about the world of smaller cousins. He is characterized by swashbuckling nature, courage and strong character, as well as sensitivity. The owner should be firm and able to subordinate him, but he should not treat him too harshly. The giant is not suitable for a pen. She needs a strong bond with her family and a feeling that he is loved by her. He is the dog of one master and although he treats every household member-friendly, only the chosen one trusts him faithfully and is faithful.
The representative of this breed matures for a long time, is cheerful and often behaves like an unruly puppy until old age. Good-natured, caring and understanding generally get along well with children. However, due to its size, it is better to supervise playing with children.
The giant is an excellent guardian and defender – his appearance is awesome. Has a developed sense of ownership and territorial instinct. By nature, he doesn’t trust strangers, but he can’t be aggressive for no apparent reason. Of course, poorly brought up and improperly trained can become dangerous to the environment.
Schnauzer is unlikely to get into a row with his kinsmen, but when attacked by a large dog he will not remain indifferent. He treats little pets with indulgence. As a rule, it is tolerant of pets.
Giants hate boredom and inaction. They are active and durable dogs, which need to ensure the right amount of movement and occupation. They are happy to fetch, swim, accompany runners or cyclists (training can be started only with an adult dog).
Skills
Bold and strong schnauzers were initially used to guard and guard herds. They performed well as service quadruplets in police and army. Today they are mainly companion dogs, although they are also used for rescue work, searching for explosives or drugs.
You can practice basic obedience, tracking or defense with them. They do well in some dog sports: agility, flyball, obedience, canicross and dog trekking.
Giant schnauzer. Training and education
The giant schnauzer is intelligent and clever. He learns quickly, but monotonous exercises bore him, so you have to set new challenges. The training is to be fun and based on praise and rewards (the clicker method works).
A dog of this breed is sensitive to the sound of the voice – a good word is often enough to encourage him to cooperate, while the raised voice and dissatisfaction of the guide are a sufficient punishment. All physical violence causes a lot of damage to the four-legged psyche and his relationship with his guardian.
In raising a dog of this breed, consistency and firmness count as well as gentleness. The toddler should know the rules and his place at home. Socialization is also important – it must meet people, other dogs, get in touch with new situations and visit different places. We start learning with a small puppy – preferably in dog kindergarten classes.
Who is this race for?
A suitable dog for young, active people, but also suitable for families with children and elderly people. The owner does not have to have a lot of experience in raising dogs, but he should be firm and patient. Properly managed giant schnauzer does not cause problems, but needs a lot of movement and mental exercises.
Giant schnauzer. Advantages and disadvantages
Disadvantages
- it can be noisy
- requires systematic hairdressing
Advantages
- strongly attached to the owner
- friendly and patient with children
- tolerates other animals
- teachable and susceptible to training
- can play dog sports
- great guardian and defender
- properly cared for does not lose hair
Giant schnauzer. Health
The giant schnauzer is hardy and hardy, tolerates both low and high temperatures well. In the summer, however, it should not be exposed to long exposure to full sun, and you must also ensure that it has constant access to water.
Representatives of this breed rarely get sick. They have a predisposition to hip dysplasia (x-rays are required to obtain breeding rights – the correct result is A or B) and rarely elbow. Gastric dilatation and torsion occur, and cancer in old age.
Sometimes allergies, inflammation of the ears and skin problems occur, which are usually the result of improper nutrition and care. Bitches tend to have an imaginary pregnancy.
Feeding
Most giants have a good appetite and are not picky. It is most convenient to give them ready dry food from reputable companies, intended for large breeds, containing substances that protect and regenerate joint cartilage.
Self-prepared food should be supplemented with calcium, vitamin and mineral preparations. Because of the possibility of a stomach twist, the daily portion must be divided into two or three smaller portions and keep your dog calm after a meal.
Care
Giant schnauzer requires systematic care, which you should get used to from the puppy. Regularly performed procedures will not only make it easier to maintain cleanliness and the typical appearance for the breed, but will also help strengthen the bond with the mentee.
The schnauzer coat consists of a hard, close, rough coat hair and a soft, dense undercoat and requires combing every two or three days with a dense metal comb and brush powder. Particular attention is required for longer fur on the chin, fringe, belly (so-called curtain) and limbs. If there are tangles there, separate them with your fingers and gently comb (you can use preparations that will facilitate this).
After the walk, check to see if turnips, sticks or grass seeds have become tangled in the fur. Hair is systematically removed from the inside of the auricle and tartar and the nails are cut. If we feed a pet with homemade food, it is necessary to wash the beard every day and remove food residues from it, which will prevent odor and skin problems.
Schnauzer requires regular trimming (plucking of dead hair and part of the undercoat) and cutting. They are usually done every three to four months, although the frequency depends on the type of hair and its regrowth. If carried out correctly and systematically, the schnauzer does not molt or lose hair at home.
Trim can be with bare fingers (special overlays are also used) or with a blunt trimmer (a sharp one will not remove the hair completely, but will cut and destroy it). Before the treatment, the coat must grow back properly, because only then the hair can be easily removed and the treatment will not cause pain to the dog.
Hair is plucked on the back, the sides of the torso, the upper part of the neck and head and partly on the limbs. Properly made trimming is time-consuming, but it visibly improves the quality and color of clothing.
We bathe the giant in shampoos for rough-haired dogs. Appropriate conditioner should be applied to long hair on the chin, stomach, lower chest and limbs. After bathing, thoroughly wipe the dog with a towel and dry it with a medium temperature dryer, combing the coat with a brush.
Preparing a schnauzer for the exhibition requires skill and good knowledge of the pattern, so it’s better to entrust it to a specialist. Approximately three months before the show, trim the dog on the back, sides of the torso, the top of the neck and head, and then trim the coat with a clipper.
You also have to cut the hair under the neck, on the cheeks, ears, tail and partly on the inside of the thighs. With thinning scissors or ordinary scissors, the hair on the forechest, hind legs and front legs (posts are formed) and the head (to resemble a cuboid) are shortened and aligned. The feet are given a rounded cat paw shape. Hair under the belly is cut so that it forms a slightly falling line (curtain) from the weakness to the elbows. In addition, the hairstyle is corrected 5-10 days before the exhibition.
We put a giant schnauzer on a thin ring (the most convenient are leather), matching the coat color. You can also use a snake chain and a thin leash.
Accessories
We bring the giant in a strong leather or material collar and on a solid leash. It is best to take care of balls, large cotton cords, darts (of such size that he does not swallow them).
You can give him natural chews – pressed skin bones, smoked ears, dried rumen or tendons. It is also good to get your pet used to the transport cage.
Giant schnauzer. History
The ancestors of the giant schnauzer – like other varieties – are rural dogs that lived hundreds of years ago in the south of present-day Germany and Switzerland. They were used to guard, protect carriages and horses, guard herds and control rodents.
They had a similar body structure, but different in height and type of coat. Some were short-haired, others were long and soft or thick and hairy. They were called grooms pinschers, and then simply pinschers.
Modern schnauzer history began in Germany in the 19th century. Initially, breeding was based on random matings. In 1836, Dr. Ludwik Reichenbach divided pinschers into short and rough-haired. In 1842, the latter began to be called schnauzers (in German, “die Schnauze” means muzzle or beard).
The first to use this term Swiss Jeremias Gotthelf (real name Albert Bitzius) – pastor, author of novels, essays and stories, in which he depicted the life of the nineteenth-century village. In 1895 Josef Berta founded the Pinscher Schnauzer Verband breeders’ association in Cologne. In 1921 they were renamed the Pinscher Schnauzer Club, which brought together three varieties of schnauzer. Pedigree books were also created, and breeding of varieties began to go in a strictly defined direction.
Large quadrupeds in the type of giant schnauzer were known in Germany as early as in the 15th century. in the drawings of Albrecht Dürer. The modern history of this variety begins in the second half of the nineteenth century, when a group of breeders became interested in rural dogs from Württemberg and the surrounding area of Munich, which accompanied brewers’ wagons and were called beer schnauzers.
In order to ennoble the breed, with time the blood of a black German dog and a black large poodle was added. The breed was presented at an exhibition in Munich in 1909 under the name Russian bear schnauzer (the term Munich schnauzer was also used). In 1925, giants were recognized as service dogs and banned from combining with medium schnauzers.
Template
Giant schnauzer – Group II FCI, section 1.1, reference number 181
- Country of origin: Germany
- Size: height at the withers 60-70 cm (bitches closer to the bottom, males closer to the upper limit); weight 35-47 kg
- Coat: rough, hard and dense; rough coat hair (must not be bristly or wavy); on the limbs less hard than on the torso; a short coat on the top of the head and on the ears, creates a characteristic long beard on the muzzle, and bushy eyebrows above the eyes; dense undercoat
- Color: pure black with a black undercoat or pepper and salt
- Reaching puberty: 2-3 years
- Lifespan: 10-13 years
- Weather resistance: high
Interesting facts
The international canine organization FCI recognizes two colors of giant schnauzers: black, and pepper and salt. Black and silver and white varieties were bred in the United States.
