Owning a giant schnauzer is both a pleasure and a challenge, one thing for sure is they are never boring; these powerful dogs make great pets if you are prepared to put in the work to train them, this is an overview of things you should consider when deciding whether a giant schnauzer is right for you.
When out and about, we get a great many comments from other people, “What breed is that?” “I didn’t know they came in a giant size!” “Wow, that’s a huge dog!” “I’ve only ever seen the smaller ones before.” Despite the breed being less popular than you imagine, they are admired by many and I don’t understand why more people don’t own one in the UK as they are loyal, loving protectors, who will guard your property and make great companions. They are faithful and alert as well as strong headed but they are trainable as long as you are consistent and firm.
If you are thinking of getting a giant schnauzer please think about what owning one actually means and what things you need to consider; firstly they are big dogs and as such they need room, their tail alone can knock things over if they are in a confined space, please consider how much space you have before getting one, I’m not suggesting you need a mansion or acres of land but do consider the size of the fully grown, 50kg, clumsy, excitable lump known as a giant schnauzer before you invest in one. Also any vet procedures are normally much more expensive for a larger dog, another consideration when having a large breed.
They are often described as great for people with allergies, this may imply that their coat doesn’t take a lot of work but I beg to differ, they need a lot of brushing and the beard is just a magnet for debris, food and dirt and if you are planning on having them clipped (or stripped) then this is an ongoing maintenance job which will take time and/or money, please consider this too as it can be extremely costly, care of their coat is vital to keep your dog healthy and ensure no foreign bodies are lurking in there!
They generally love water, they will happily launch themselves into a stream or river if there is one on your walk, so be prepared to intervene if you do not wish your dog to come back stinking of the local bog whilst out on a walk! Also on the subject of water, when they drink they soak up loads of water in their beards, this then gets re-deposited all over your floors, so a mop will be needed for endless mopping up, they drink a lot!
Giant schnauzers need an awful lot of exercise, these dogs are built to work and they need to run and find an outlet for all their energy, especially younger dogs, they need long walks with runs and activities to keep them engaged. They need “jobs” to keep them busy, these “jobs” don’t need to be complicated, just challenging for them. A simple “job” might be to find a favourite toy that you can hide around the house, we get ours to wait in the hallway whilst we hide the toy and they come in and find it and this can be done with food treats as well if you wish to change it up, the important thing to remember is to challenge your dog mentally, so learning a new command or a new game will keep them interested, some people get them to carry things for them in a back pack, any challenge for these intelligent dogs will keep them mentally stimulated and this is important for a giant schnauzer’s well being, of course if you’re up for agility training then most giant schnauzers will love this activity, many giants enjoy agility, training, tracking or nose work, just find what suits you and your dog. If you don’t give them something to do, they will find their own entertainment like digging up your plants or chewing up their bed etc! As long as you give them interesting things to do, your dog will be a contented, loyal and loving companion.
As not particularly food motivated creatures, the giant schnauzer can be challenging to teach but with perseverance and consistency they will get there eventually but be prepared for setbacks, they can be very stubborn at times!
Giant schnauzers are often fiercely loyal to their owners and very territorial, they make great guard dogs, if you want your dog to be friendly and confident around other people then good socialisation from an early age is essential, they can be aggressive and unfriendly if not socialised well and overly enthusiastic on greeting people they do know if this is not controlled from an early age, but they can thrive quite happily with proper socialisation. They are often referred to as “Velcro dogs” and this is with generally pretty accurate, as they will want to be with you, wherever you are, they will happily go pretty much anywhere you are, including the bathroom and even sitting on your lap whilst you are watching TV (they really don’t care that they can weigh up to around 50kg, your lap looks great), they want to be touching you or next to you most of the time, be prepared for a shadow that follows you around wherever you go. If you have taken on board all of these quirks of having a giant schnauzer and still think they are the dog for you, then you will be rewarded with a loyal, loving, full-of-character companion, who will never be boring and will change your life forever!
