Different breeds of dogs.

GIANT SCHNAUZER

 by Dennis Fisher

This article is one of a great many articles written by Dennis Fisher about a very wide variety of subjects concerning different  dogs, such as obedience training, breeding, showing, health matters, training problems and other subjects.  All these articles appear on Dennis Fisher's websites.   Visit  http://www.allaboutgermanshepherddogs.com the site that has been set up specifically for German Shepherd Dog enthusiasts, or http://www.freedogadvice.com  if you interested in a breed   other than German Shepherd Dogs

The color of the Giant Schnauzer is  either entirely black or a pepper and salt combination of black, gray and silver with touches of white.

Because the coat is heavy, it does require a fair amount of grooming and the undercoat has to be stripped on occasion.

Cropping of the ears in countries like the United States and Europe, where cropping is allowed, is optional in so far as the shows are concerned.   In other countries the dogs are shown with the normal hanging “V” shaped ears.

Although it is a large breed it does not require as much exercise as some other “working” breeds.

This large dog, often a little  more than 27 inches at the shoulder is  a highly intelligent animal that does  respond  to training but the training must be carried out by an experience trainer with knowledge of the breed.   It is by nature a very dominant dog and from an early age it must be taught to respect the owner.

This is not as easy as it sounds and a mild-mannered, gentle, patient  approach may not be as successful with this breed as with many other large breeds of dogs.

 Whereas with some breeds only a fairly mild correction is necessary where the animal has shown disobedience to commands, with the Giant  Schnauzer firmer  training methods may be necessary.   This does not necessarily mean harsh training methods, but the dog must not  have any doubts whatsoever as to who is the boss.

 Giant Schnauzers have done very well indeed in Obedience competitions and have often held their own against the more popular well-known breeds that are competition specialists.

But I believe that the reason for this is because these winning Giant Schnauzers were handled  by highly skilled, experienced owners  who knew precisely how to train a Giant Schnauzer.  

It is an animal that has   been successfully  used in Police work.

My experience of the smaller schnauzer in my training classes seems to indicate that even with the smaller, far less powerful Schnauzers, although very intelligent, they are self-willed, obstinate dogs that required very firm handling.

With a dog as large and as powerful as the Giant Schnauzer it is obviously essential to be in complete control at all times.

It is worth while repeating that firm training  does not necessarily mean harsh or cruel training methods, but it does mean that the Giant  Schnauzer has to respect the trainer who must insist that all commands are carried out  whether the dog wants to or not!   .

It is a breed that is extremely devoted to the family and  very protective but because some specimens are so dominant it may not be the ideal animal to have around with young  children whose  authority the animal will not readily accept.