Schnauzer | Dog Breed Information & Facts – Pictures

The schnauzer is an elegant, agile and robust dog, characterized by his great intelligence and his great loyalty. Informally, it is also called a standard schnauzer, although it is not the official name of the breed. They are very curious, intelligent and unparalleled dogs. They are truly loyal and noble life partners, perfect for any type of family.

This terrier type dog usually has very specific physical characteristics that make it popular in countries around the world. They stand out above all from the eyebrows and mustache he has.

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The Schnauzer is a medium -sized, strong and muscular dog, with eyebrows and pronounced mustaches. The possible colors are black or speckled. The ideal size of an adult is 45 – 50 cm, its weight is approximately 15 – 20 kg.

• Head: Large head. The skull is long with a flat forehead and a slightly pronounced occiput. The muzzle has the shape of a blunt corner and a well -developed stop.
• Jaws: The jaws are impressive with large white teeth. Scissor bite.
• Ears: the ears are in the shape of a V, hanging on the cartilage or erected if they are cut.
• Eyes: Eyes are oval, large with a flat set. The color of the iris is black. The gaze is sincere and curious.
• Frame: The body is rectangular with a slightly inclined summit. Moderate athletic build neck. The back is short and strong. The kidney is strong and deep. The sternum is convex, pronounced deep and wide. The belly is well returned.
• Members: The legs are straight, together harmonious. The posterior limbs are substantially set back and longer than the previous ones. The legs are short, arched with elastic pads and small toes. Strong, black claws
• Pelage: the coat is of coarse and hard texture, moderately long, lying near the body. The sub-point is thick and soft. On the muzzle and in the region of browser arcades, the hairs hang into wicks, forming a mustache, eyebrows and a beard. The color is pepper (pepper and salt) and black.

The Schnauzer is an intelligent, joyal, loyal dog with a certain pride and leadership habits. Of nature, he is active and sociable, so it’s always fun and not boring with him.

He is completely attracted by any company, so if he falls in love with the owner and family members, he will admit his feelings very violently.

On the other hand, the sense of tact is not unrelated to the animal, if he sees that the owner or family members are occupied, he will not care about his tenderness.

He takes the security functions very seriously. He is neutral or suspicious of foreigners, according to whom came – a guest or a non -guest visitor.

The list of hereditary diseases in the breed is impressive, which, however, does not make Schnauzers regular clients of veterinary clinics. It is also important to understand that not all dogs have genetic ailments. Moreover, if a puppy was born from healthy parents, his chances of a long and happy life are quite high.

Typical diseases of Schnauzer:

• Pancreatitis;
• Hypothyroidism;
• Diabetes;
• Bladder infections;
• Dysplasia of the hip joints;
• Allergy;
• Melanoma;
• Epilepsy;
• Lipoma;
• Cataract.

The Schnauzers adapt perfectly to a spacious country house and in an apartment. Let us not forget that this breed cannot be put in chain.

Regarding grooming, the Schnauzer is a hard naked breed and requires brushing once a week. In addition, you should understand that hard -haired dogs are different from long -haired or long hair dogs, and twice a year, when other races dumb, hard -haired animals literally lose their hair.

In other words, twice a year, when the coat fades, you can simply tear off the hair from the whole body with your hands without difficulty or pain for the dog. In its place, a new one will grow, just as tough.

The second option is to cut the wool regularly, it will then lose its hard nature and become gentle. You should also always monitor the cleanliness of the animal’s ears and eyes, cut the claws three times a month and bathe the dog at least once a week.

Particular care is necessary for the dog’s beard, which must be combed daily to prevent the hairs from getting tangled, as well as washed after each meal so that there is no food.

• In ancient times, the first representatives of the “schnauzer” breed were called “rat catchers”, “rattlers”, “stable pinschers”. This is due to the fact that these dogs were ideal rat hunters and were mostly kept in stables.
• During the wars, schnauzers were used as sanitary dogs and four-legged signalmen in army units.
• In the nineties of the twentieth century, a pet in the form of a schnauzer settled at the White House. He performed in front of the public and even had his own limousine and security.
• A schnauzer named George could identify cancer by smell. Smelling cancer cells, the dog sat down on a problem spot on the human body and began to bark loudly.
• In 1620 in Germany, the “Night Watch dog” monument was erected in honor of the Schnauzers.

Until now, it has not been possible to establish from what time the history of the schnauzer is being conducted. It is also called “standard schnauzer” and ” Mittelschnauzer “. It is reliably known that this species is very ancient.

The line of its history leads to the peat dogs that lived in the third millennium BC. In addition to them, among the ancestors of the schnauzer are beaver dogs – pets of the German aristocrats of the seventh century.

Also on this list are dogs with a nondescript exterior, pinscher physique and coarse gray, red or brown hair. Earlier the name of the breed mittelschnauzer sounded like “wire-haired pinscher”.

The antiquity of schnauzers is confirmed by the canvases of famous artists. The paintings date from the fifteenth to sixteenth centuries, they depict representatives of the breed. For example, Albrecht Durer loved to portray his schnauzer in his paintings.

Schnauzer’s homeland is Germany. With regard to the origin of the schnauzer, there are several versions:

• The breed found its current standard by crossing a hard-coated Pinscher, a gray Wolfspitz and a black German Poodle.
• According to this version, the improvement of schnauzers and their formation as a separate breed took place using the genes of dachshunds, terriers, griffins, bulldogs and pugs.

The first Schnauzers were used as rodent hunters and guards for the master’s property, private territories. This dog was highly valued by farmers for its hunting and guarding qualities. The popularity and number of this species increased significantly in 1895 after the establishment of the Pincher-Schnauzer club.

In the schnauzer family, the schnauzer is the oldest species. It was from him that two other species originated – the Giant Schnauzer and the Miniature Schnauzer. The Giant Schnauzer was bred in order to obtain a guard dog of greater size and strength than the standard. The Miniature Schnauzer was bred to obtain a smaller dog than a standard, which can be kept in the house as a decorative pet.