what can people tell me about them? they arent really a breed i know alot about, but i do like the look of them. the only one i met in "reall life" was at ring craft classes, and in all honesty it was horrible. he growled and snapped alot and often went for other dogs. im not judging them all by this though, but i do wonder is it a common thing within the breed? does anyone on here own one, could tell me what they are like? what about coat care? are they fairly easy to deal with etc. what about the breed doing things like agility, obedience? are they fairly easy to train or not? just being generally nosy really, as i like the look of them, but never considered owning a schnauzer until fairly recently, and seeing as i like bigger dogs, i thought the giant would be a good one to get some more info about.
A friend of mine has had 2 and we`ve been on holiday and walked together a lot. They were both very well socialised and very good with other dogs. Both were affectionate, active dogs. They were natural guards. My friend took one to classes but he got very bored and refused to do a lot. They went to the groomers every 6 weeks. Both loved to swim and enjoyed getting mucky. I`d say they are a bit stubborn but have a soft centre.
thanks for the reply. how come they had to go to the groomer every 6 weeks? am i right in thinking their coat is like a terriers, and they get stripped or have i got that completely wrong?
The coat gets very thick. The usual cut is quite sculpted, but my friend used to get them clipped right out in the summer.
There is one in a training class I go to. She is extremely nervous of both people and other dogs and quite reactive. Her owner is a groomer so it's always got a nice hairdo!
My friend has two, she used to breed them. They can be a handful but if trained properly they are lovely dogs. I had the pleasure of meeting them last year when I stayed with her, they are very protective of the smaller dogs, they use their bodies to block, a stern glance often does the trick too! They even took Pip under their wing as one of the pack. I love them but wouldn't own one because of the coat, I would have loved a mini s.
My friend had 5 and bred one litter. They were all fab dogs but the male used to have 'episodes' where he collapsed. Comparing the giants to the minis my MIL used to keep I preferred the giants.
There was one I met on the heath a cople of years ago. It seemed ok but the sheer size of him made Parker a bit nervous! The main drawback for me would be the lack of longevity as I met someone who lost theirs at 8 and I don't think that is uncommon for such a large breed sadly. I would perhaps consider a Standard Schnauzer but I think they are the most uncommon of the three sizes so may be hard to obtain? Someone driving the council recycling truck stopped and came and spoke to me about Izzy the other week and asked me if she was a Giant Schnazuer!! She is even small for a Kerry Blue and they are more or less Standard Schnauzer size.
thanks for all the replies guys interesting to know other peoples views. like i said the one i met wasnt very nice at all, it was aggressive, and very bolshy, the owners werent much use though to be honest and didnt really do anything when it went for other dogs etc... may have to go and talk to some people at crufts, as they will be there showing as well as in DD.