HOW THE BREED DEVELOPED:
The Giant Schnauzer's believed origin is in southern Germany or Bavaria as it is also known. The Giant Schnauzer,
as the name suggests, is the largest of the three  Schnauzer breeds (the Miniature and Standard are the other two)
and is recognized by the American and British Kennel Clubs. The cross breeding used to develop the Giant Schnauzer
is not well known, but it is believed that the Standard Schnauzer was crossed with the native smooth coated drover
dogs, rough coated shepherd dog, and the Great Dane. Some say that the Belgian breed Bouvier des Flanders was also
involved.
PURPOSE THE BREED:
The Giant is a handsome dog; once seen he is seldom forgotten! His powerful appearance hints to the fact that he
was bred for performance. The Giant's history showed him as a great cattle and sheep drover. Once the driving of
livestock diminished in Bavaria, Giant Schnauzers where used by butchers and breweries as guard dogs. The breed
was known to the German show buffs in the twentieth century, but there is no doubt that it's ability to work as
guard and police dogs in the larger cities preserved the breed. Its intelligence, hardiness and courage has earned
the Giant Schnauzer a top ranking in police and sentry work in many European countries!
The Giant Schnauzer is an extremely faithful dog whose loyalty to family members is second to none.
COAT TYPES:
The Giant is generally categorized in two coat length:
- the European
or German
Coat (a.k.a hard coat) is much shorter and coarser
than American coat. The furnishings will only be slightly longer than the top coat. Beard and eyebrows usually
are easily distinguished but can be quite short.
- the American Coat
(a.k.a soft coat) is characteristic
of very long furnishings. The beard will also be very well defined in an adult dog. This type
of coat requires a lot of maintenance i.e. frequent trimming and lots of brushing to keep matting under control.
Many owners let a professional tackle grooming.
SHEDDING:
From the many questions we receive we should let you know that the
Giant will shed!
In general, if it has hair it will shed and no dog is
"hypoallergenic". Loss of hair is
not like "blowing" the coat such as a German Shepherd but more like humans loose their hair -
a little every day... This hair loss is not generally noticed much
if you brush your Giant regularly, but important to know if you are expecting not
to find any hair at all ;-) .
NUTRITION:
It seems that every breeder has his/her own recipe for success (sometimes what you feed your new pup is mandated
by the breeder in the sales contract when you purchase a Giant) and this is OUR take on the subject: If you choose
to feed your Giant a quality commercial dog food be sure to feed the Large Breed variety. This is especially important
for a large breed puppy! Regularly formulated puppy food contains too much calcium and other ingredient that cause
rapid bone growth. A large breed such as the Giant will take up to two years to reach its adult size and
growing too fast can cause
misalignment of the joints and hips.
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Abe guarding in the blind
Nina posing for this picture after chasing the other
dogs around the yard.
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ReiffHaus Giant
Schnauzers
"No other
breed of dog enriches our lives quite like the Giant Schnauzer."