Breed Standard
Giant
General Appearance
The Giant Schnauzer should resemble, as nearly as possible, in General Appearance, a larger and more powerful version of the Standard schnauzer, on the whole a bold and valiant figure of a dog. Robust, strongly built, nearly square in proportion of body length to height at withers, active, sturdy, and well muscled. Temperament which combines spirit and alertness with intelligence and reliability. Composed, watchful, courageous, easily trained, deeply loyal to family, playful, amiable in repose, and a commanding figure when aroused. The sound, reliable temperament, rugged build, and dense weather-resistant wiry coat make for one of the most useful, powerful, and enduring working breeds.
head
Strongly, rectangular in appearance, and elongated; narrowing slightly from the ears to the eyes, and again from the eyes to the tip of the nose. The total length of the head is about one-half the lenght of the back(withers to set-on tail). The head matches the sex and substance of the dog. The top line of the muzzle is parallel to the top line of the skull; there is a slight stop which is accentuated by the eyebrows. Skull - (Occiput to Stop). Moderately broad between the ears: occiput not too prominent. Top fo skull flat; skin unwrinkled. Cheeks - Flat, but with well-developed chewing muscles; there is no "cheekinesss" to disturb the rectangular head appearance (with beard). Muzzle - Strong and well filled under the eyes; both parallel and equal in length to the topskull; ending in a moderately blunt wedge. The nose is large, black, and full. The lips are black in color. Bite - The upper and lower jaws are powerful and well formed. Ears - Medium size, dark brown, and deep-set. They are oval in appearance and keen in expression. Vision is not impaired nor eyes hidden by too long eyebrows. Neck - Strong and well arched, of moderate length, blending cleanly into the shoulders; in harmony with the dog's build.
Body
Compact, substantial, short-coupled, and strong, with great power and agility. The height at the highest point of the withers equals the body length from breastbone to point of rump. The loin section is well developed, as short as possible for compact build.
Forequarters
The forequarters have flat, somewhat sloping shoulders and high withers. Forelegs are straight and vertical when viewed from all sides with strong pasterns and good bone. They are separated by a fairly deep brisket which precludes a inched front. The elbows are set close to the body and point directly backwards. Chest - Medium in width, oval in cross section; deep through the brisket. The breastbone is plainly discernible, with strong forechest; the brisket descends at least to the elbows, and ascends gradually toward the rear with the belly moderately drawn up. Shoulders - The sloping shoulder blades are strongly muscled. Yet flat. They are well laid back so that from the side the rounded upper ends are in a nearly vertical line above the elbows. They slope well forward to the point where they join the upper arm, forming as nearly as possible a right angle. Such an angulation permits the maximum forward extension of the forelegs without binding or effort. Both shoulder blades and upper arm are long, permitting depth of chest at the brisket.
Back
Short, straight, strong, and firm.
Tail
The tail is set moderately high and carried high in excitement. It should be docked to the second or not more than the third joint (approximately. one and one-half to about three inches long at maturity).
Hindequarters
The hindquarters are strongly muscled, in balance with the forequarters; upper thighs are slanting and well bent at the stifles, with the second thighs approximately parallel to an extension of the upper neckline. The legs from teh hock joint to the feet are short, perpendicular to the ground while the dog is standing naturally, and from the rear parallel to each other. The hindquarters do not appear over-built or higher then the shoulders. Croup full and slightly rounded. Feet - turning neither inward nor outward.
Gait
The trot is the gait at which movement is judged. Free, balanced and vigorous, with good reach in the forequarters and good driving power in the hindquarters, Rear and front legs are thrown neither inward nor outward. When moving at a fast trot, a properly built dog will single-track. Back remains strong, firm, and flat.
Coat
Hard, wiry, very dense; composed of a soft undercoat and a harsh outer coat which, when seen against the grain, stands slightly up off the back, lying neither smooth nor flat. coarse hair on top of the head; harsh beard and eyebrows, the Schnauzer hallmark.
Color
Solid black or pepper and salt, Black - A truly pure black, A small white spot on the breast is permitted; any other markings are disqualifying faults. Pepper and Salt - Outer coat of a combination of banded hairs (white with black with white) and some black and white hairs, appearing gray from a short distance. Ideally; an intensely pigmented medium gray shade with "peppering" evenly distributed throughout the coat, and a gray undercoat. Acceptable; all shades of pepper and salt from dark iron-gray to silver gray. every shad of coat has a dark facial mask to emphasize the expression; the color of the mask harmonizes with the shade of the body coat. Eyebrows, whiskers, cheeks, throat, chest, legs, and under tail are lighter in color but include "peppering." Markings are disqualifying faults.
Height
The height at the withers of the male is 25 1/2 to 27 1/2 inches, and of the female, 23 1/2 to 25 1/2 inches, with the mediums being desired. Size alone should never take precedence over type, balance, soundness, and temperament. It should be noted that too small dogs generally lack the power and too large dogs, the agility, and maneuverability, desired in the working dog.
Serious Faults & Disqualifications
any white markings, except for a small white spot on the breast
Markings of any kind
Markings of any kind
Standard
General Appearance
The Standard Schnauzer is a robust, heavy-set dog, sturdily built with good muscle and plenty of bone; square-built in proportion of body length to height. His rugged build and dense harsh coat are accentuated by the hallmark of the breed, the arched eyebrows and the bristly mustache and whiskers.
Size, Proportion, & Substance
Ideal height at the highest point of the shoulder blades, 18 1/2 to 19 1/2 inches for males and 17 1/2 inches to 18 1/2 inches for females. Dogs measuring over or under these limits must be faulted in proportion to the extent of the deviation. Dogs measuring more than one half inch over or under these limits must be disqualified. The height at the highest point of the withers equals the length from breastbone to point of rump.
Head
Head - Strong, rectangular, and elongated; narrowing slightly from the ears to the eyes and again to the tip of the nose. The total length of the head is about one half the length of the back measured from the withers to the set-on of the tail. The head matches the sex and substance of the dog. Expression - Alert, highly intelligent, & spirited. Eyes - medium size; dark brown; oval in shape and turned forward; neither round nor protruding. The brow is arched and wiry, but vision is not impaired nor eyes hidden by too long an eyebrow. Ears - Set high, evenly shaped with moderate thickness of leather and carried erect when cropped. If uncropped, they are of medium size, V-shaped and mobile so that they break at the skull level and are carried forward with the inner edge close to the cheek. Skull - (Occiput to Stop) moderately broad between the ears with the width of the skull not exceding two thirds the length of the skull. The skull must be flat; neither domed nor bumpy; skin unwrinkled. There is a slight stop which is accentuated by the wiry brows. Muzzle - Strong, and both parallel and equal in shape of the head. The topline of the muzzle is parallel with the topline of the skull. Nose is large, black and full. The lips should be black. Cheeks - Well developed chewing muscles, but not so much that "cheekiness" disturbs the rectangular head form.
Neck, Topline & Body
Neck - Strong, of moderate thickness and length, elegently arched and blending cleanly into th shoulders. The Topline - of the back should not be absolutely horizontal, but should have a slightly descending slope from the first vertebra of the withers to the faintly curved croup and set-on of the tail. Back - Strong, firm, straight and short. Loin well developed with the distance from the last rib to the hips as short as possible. Body - Compact, strong, short-coupled and substantial so as to permit great flexibility and agility. Chest - of medium width, and if it coould be seen in cross section would be oval. The breastbone is plainly discernible. The brisket must descend at least to the elbows and ascend gradually to the rear with the belly moderately drawn up. Tail - set moderately high and carried errect. It is docked to not less than one inch nor more than two inches.
Forequarters
Shoulders - The sloping shoulder blades are strongly muscled, yet flat and well laid back so that the rounded upper ends are in a nearly vertical line above the elbows. They slope well forward to the point where they join the upper arm, forming as nearly as possible a right angle when seen from the side. Such an angulation permits the maximum forward extension of the forelegs without binding or effort. Forelegs - Straight, vertical, and without any curvature when seen from all sides; set modeerately far apart; with heavy bone; elbows set close to the body and pointing directly to the rear.
Hindquarters
Strongly muscled, in balance with the forequarters, never appearing higher than the shoulders. thighs broad with well bent stifles. The second thigh, from knee to hock, is approximately parallel with an extension of the upper neck line. The legs, from the clearly defined hock joint to the feet, are short and perpendicular to the ground and, when viewed from the rear, are parallel to each other.
Coat
Tight, hard, wiry and as thick as possible, composed of a soft, close undercoat and a harsh outer coat which, when seen against the grain, stands up off the back, lying neither smooth nor flat. The outer coat is trimmed only to accent the body outline. As coat texture is of the greatest importane, a dog may be onsidered in show coat with back hair measuring from 3/4 to 2 inches in length. Coat on the ears, head, neck, chest, belly and under the tail may be closely trimmed give the desired typical appearance of the breed. On the muzzle and over the eyes the coat lenghtens to form the beard and eyebrows; the hair on the legs is longer than that on the body. These "furnishings" should be of harsh texture and should not be so profuse as to detract from the neat appearance or working capabilities of the dog.
Color
Pepper and salt, or pure black.
Pepper and Salt - The typical pepper and salt color of the topcoat results from the combination of black and white hairs, and white hairs banded with black. Acceptable are all shades of pepper and salt and dark iron gray to silver gray. Ideally, pepper and salt Standard Schnauzers have a gray undercoat, but a tan or fawn under coat is not to be penalized. It is desirable to have a darker facial mask that harmonizes with the particular shade of coat color. Also, in pepper and salt dogs, the pepper and salt mixture may fade out to light gray or silver white in the eyebrows, whiskers, cheeks, under throat, across chest, under tail, leg furnishings, under body, and inside legs.
Black - Ideally the black Standard Schnauzer should be a true rich color, free from any fading or discoloration or any admixture of gray or tan hairs. the undercoat should also be solid black. However, increased age or continued exposure to the sun may cause a certain amount of fading and burning. A small white smudge on the chest is not a fault. Loss of color as a result of scars from cuts and bites is not a fault.
Pepper and Salt - The typical pepper and salt color of the topcoat results from the combination of black and white hairs, and white hairs banded with black. Acceptable are all shades of pepper and salt and dark iron gray to silver gray. Ideally, pepper and salt Standard Schnauzers have a gray undercoat, but a tan or fawn under coat is not to be penalized. It is desirable to have a darker facial mask that harmonizes with the particular shade of coat color. Also, in pepper and salt dogs, the pepper and salt mixture may fade out to light gray or silver white in the eyebrows, whiskers, cheeks, under throat, across chest, under tail, leg furnishings, under body, and inside legs.
Black - Ideally the black Standard Schnauzer should be a true rich color, free from any fading or discoloration or any admixture of gray or tan hairs. the undercoat should also be solid black. However, increased age or continued exposure to the sun may cause a certain amount of fading and burning. A small white smudge on the chest is not a fault. Loss of color as a result of scars from cuts and bites is not a fault.
Gait
Sound, strong, quick, free, true and level gait with powerful, well angulated hindquarters that reach out and cover ground. The forelegs reach out in a stride balancing that of the hindquarters. At a trot, the back remains firm and level, without swaying, rolling or roaching. When viewed from the rear, the feet, though, they may appear to travel close when trotting, must not cross or strike, Increased speed causes feet to converge toward the center line of gravity.
Temperament
The Standard Schnauzer has highly developed senses, intelligence, aptitude fro training, fearlessness, endurance and resistance agains ewather and illness. His nature combines high-spirited temperament with extreme reliability.
Serious Faults & Disqualifications
Oversized Dogs
Undersized Dogs
Prick Ears
Hound Ears
too slender
too bulky
Excessive Tuck up
Croup full and sightly rounded.
Squirrel Tail
soft, smooth, curly, wavy or shaggy
too long of a coat
too short of a coat
too sparse or lacking undercoat
excessive furnishings
lack of furnishings
colors other than black or S&P
any shadings or mixtures in the topcoat
Rust, brown, red, yellow or tan
absence of peppering
spotting or striping
black streak down the back
saddled
gray haired blacks
undercoats other than black
Crabbing or weaving
paddling, rolling, swaying
short, choppy, stiff, stilted rear action
front legs that throw out or in
hackney gait, crossing over, or striking in front or rear
shy or highly nervous dogs
vicious dogs
Undersized Dogs
Prick Ears
Hound Ears
too slender
too bulky
Excessive Tuck up
Croup full and sightly rounded.
Squirrel Tail
soft, smooth, curly, wavy or shaggy
too long of a coat
too short of a coat
too sparse or lacking undercoat
excessive furnishings
lack of furnishings
colors other than black or S&P
any shadings or mixtures in the topcoat
Rust, brown, red, yellow or tan
absence of peppering
spotting or striping
black streak down the back
saddled
gray haired blacks
undercoats other than black
Crabbing or weaving
paddling, rolling, swaying
short, choppy, stiff, stilted rear action
front legs that throw out or in
hackney gait, crossing over, or striking in front or rear
shy or highly nervous dogs
vicious dogs
History
Giant
The breed was originally developed in Germany as one of the three distinct Schnauzer breeds, Miniature, Standard, and Giant. All Schnauzers had their origins in the neighboring kingdoms of Wurttenberg and Bavaria. These are agricultural sections where the raising of sheep and livestock were a major occupation. Livestock had to be driven to market, and the Schnauzer was the aid to the shepherd. For many years the Giant Schnauzer was called Munchener, and it is widely known as a great cattle and driving dog. The breed was also used as a guard dog being in the possession of the butchers and breweries.
During World War I the breed was recognized in Germany for its intelligence and trainability becoming one of the breeds utilized since for police training.
During World War I the breed was recognized in Germany for its intelligence and trainability becoming one of the breeds utilized since for police training.
Standard
Of the three schnauzers: Miniature, Standard, and Giant, all of which are bred and registered as distinct breeds, the medium, or Standard, is the prototype. He is a German breed of great antiquity; which in the 15th and 16th centuries must have been in high favor as a household companion, for his protrait appears in many paintings of the period. Albrecht Durer is known to have owned one for atleast twelve years, as the portrait of the same dog occurs several times in works of that artist between the years 1492 and 1504. rembrandt painted everal Schnauzers, Lucas Cranach the Elder shows one in a tapestry dated 1501., and in the 18th century one appears in a canvas of the English Painter Sir Joshua Reynolds. In the marketplace of Mechlinburg, Germany, is a statue of a hunter dating from the 14th century, with a Schnauzer crouching at his feet which conforms very closely to the present-day Standard.
As far as can be determined, the Schnauzer originated in the crossing of black German Poodle and gray wolf spitz upon wirehaired Pinscher stock. From the Pinscher element derives the tendency to fawn-colored undercoat, and from the wolf spitz is inherited the typical pepper-and-salt coat color and its harsh, wiry character. Solid black specimens of the breed, while fairly common in Germany, are still rather unusual in this country.
The breed in America was originally classed as a Terrier. Whereas German breeders have always regarded the schnauzer principally as a working dog. His principal vocation was that of rat catcher, yard dog, and guard. Before World War I in Germany, fully ninety percent of the dogs used to guard the carts of farm produce in the marketplaces, while the farmers rested themselves and their team at the inns, were of strong Schnauzer blood. Breeders in the land of their origin hold the Schnauzer second to none for sagacity and fearlessness. Owing to these characteristics the "dog with the human brain" (as their owners proudly call them) were much used by the army during the war as dispatch carriers and Red Cross aides; they were also employed in Germany in police work.
In this country and in England they were used mainly as personal guard and companions, for which purpose their devotion and bravery, coupled with an uncanny perception of approaching danger, renders them most suitable. They are good water dogs and are easily taught to retrieve; and, on at least on western sheep ranch. Schnauzers have proved themselves the most efficient of various breeds tried as protection for the flocks against marauding coyotes.
Schnauzers were first exhibited in Germany as Wire-Haired Pinschers in 1879 at the Third German International Show at Hanover. A standard was published in 1880 and the breed made rapid prgress as a show dog. The first specialty show was held at Stuttgart in 1880 with the remarkable entry of 93 dogs. The Pinscher Club was founded at Cologue in 1895 and the Bavarian Schnauzer Club at Munich in 1907. In 1918, the Pinscher Club-it is known as the Pinscher-Schnauzer club. Today there are clubs devoted to the breed in the Netherlands, Austria, Switzherland, the Czech Republic, England, and America.
As far as can be determined, the Schnauzer originated in the crossing of black German Poodle and gray wolf spitz upon wirehaired Pinscher stock. From the Pinscher element derives the tendency to fawn-colored undercoat, and from the wolf spitz is inherited the typical pepper-and-salt coat color and its harsh, wiry character. Solid black specimens of the breed, while fairly common in Germany, are still rather unusual in this country.
The breed in America was originally classed as a Terrier. Whereas German breeders have always regarded the schnauzer principally as a working dog. His principal vocation was that of rat catcher, yard dog, and guard. Before World War I in Germany, fully ninety percent of the dogs used to guard the carts of farm produce in the marketplaces, while the farmers rested themselves and their team at the inns, were of strong Schnauzer blood. Breeders in the land of their origin hold the Schnauzer second to none for sagacity and fearlessness. Owing to these characteristics the "dog with the human brain" (as their owners proudly call them) were much used by the army during the war as dispatch carriers and Red Cross aides; they were also employed in Germany in police work.
In this country and in England they were used mainly as personal guard and companions, for which purpose their devotion and bravery, coupled with an uncanny perception of approaching danger, renders them most suitable. They are good water dogs and are easily taught to retrieve; and, on at least on western sheep ranch. Schnauzers have proved themselves the most efficient of various breeds tried as protection for the flocks against marauding coyotes.
Schnauzers were first exhibited in Germany as Wire-Haired Pinschers in 1879 at the Third German International Show at Hanover. A standard was published in 1880 and the breed made rapid prgress as a show dog. The first specialty show was held at Stuttgart in 1880 with the remarkable entry of 93 dogs. The Pinscher Club was founded at Cologue in 1895 and the Bavarian Schnauzer Club at Munich in 1907. In 1918, the Pinscher Club-it is known as the Pinscher-Schnauzer club. Today there are clubs devoted to the breed in the Netherlands, Austria, Switzherland, the Czech Republic, England, and America.