Thinking of getting a Giant?

The Giant Schnauzer is an example of working breed of dog and has a dense, coarse coat that protects them against the elements and vermin. The Giant Schnauzer is the largest of the three breeds.
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SchnauzerQueenie
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Joined: 01 May 2017, 04:36
First Name: Talia

Thinking of getting a Giant?

Post by SchnauzerQueenie »

I'm still researching a LOT about the breed. I'm waiting for a couple of months to really look into what I want in a dog, I have some concerns though... I have half Maine coon cat named Patches who is so laid back nonagressive etc he is male. But reading about the thought of a giant schnauzer killing my cat is too much to bare... I was wondering does anyone have a cat with this breed ? Also is this breed aggressive naturally at a certain age even with heavy training ? I want to just heavily train my dog to be normal not working and etc just a good laid back companion
pastylover
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Re: Thinking of getting a Giant?

Post by pastylover »

The article linked in the post titled "An article all prospective Giant owners should read" has probably the best advice on what the Giant is like that I have seen. We are on our 4th Giant bitch and this article is spot on.

Giants are not naturally aggressive although they are a guarding breed and protective behaviour, which is part of their nature, can sometimes be mistaken for aggression. That said, they are highly intelligent and must learn firm boundaries from an early age so they understand that you and not they are in charge.

Provided that a puppy is raised with a resident cat there is no reason that a Giant, like any other dog, will not accept the cat as part of its family group. I would not recommend bringing an adolescent or adult Giant into a new home with a cat, even if it has lived with cats before as this would be a new relationship and there could be competition issues.

The only other comment I would make is that you say you are looking for a good laid back companion. Giants take a long time to mature - their adolescent phase is often from around 9 months to 3 years and while they go through it 'laid back' is not a description I would use. However, even then they can be a great companion, but will need a lot of exercise and mental stimulation to keep them out of trouble.

Keep up the research, go and meet some Giants and talk to owners at a show if you can, and good luck whatever breed you finally decide to go for.
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zeta1454
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Re: Thinking of getting a Giant?

Post by zeta1454 »

Great advice from pastylover above.

Responsibly bred and carefully reared puppies of any breed are not naturally aggressive and, whatever breed you finally choose, do ensure you get your puppy from the best of breeders.

However, one of the most important things any puppy seeker needs to bear in mind is that they must look for a breed that is naturally of the temperament/ type etc that suits their lifestyle and abilities. You cannot get a puppy of a working breed and think you can "train out" the traits that have been bred for over decades. If you want a laid back companion dog then you need to look for a breed that has been bred to have those characteristics and find a breeder that has reared their pups well and responsibly to cherish and confirm that temperament in their dogs.

Never get a puppy with the intention of trying to "train out" hard wired and breed typical characteristics - they are what make a breed special :-)


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SchnauzerQueenie
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Joined: 01 May 2017, 04:36
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Re: Thinking of getting a Giant?

Post by SchnauzerQueenie »

Thanks so much! still doing my research and planning on meeting some breeders personally soon to see if a giant is really for me. If not it's fine i just needed honest opinions which you guys helped with !! thanks so much
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Riesen16
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Re: Thinking of getting a Giant?

Post by Riesen16 »

Hi

Zeta1454 gave some excellent advice.

In Switzerland the Giant Schnauzers are mostly "working dogs", i.e. their owners trial them in IPO and Avalanche Sports. There used to be more of them in dog sports but IPO has more or less put paid to this. The German Shepherds and Malinois (Belgian Shepherds) lead the field.

In Germany they are more at home in Sports. There are far more Giants being bred and there is far more information to be gathered.

As with all breeds, there are differences in nature.

I have heard of Giants who are easy to live with.

The Giant Schnauzers are slow to mature. One needs quite a lot of patience to make them understand that they are not "God's Gift to humans".

i can honestly say that I do not regret the challenge that our Pepper Salt bitch, Enya, presented us with. We collected her at 12 weeks. Normally we had our pups at 8 weeks which I would definitely recommend.

Enya is lovable, definitely not aggressive but needed and still needs constant supervision.
We have a large kennel for her and she has periods when she goes into "overdrive" and needs to be calmed down and a rest in the kennel with some treats are programmed.

The best thing for a Schnauzer, be it Giant, Standart or Mini, is "work". Tracking, Obedience, etc. is excellent for this breed. The Schnauzers have excellent noses and are extremely good trackers. Even if one has no abition to trial, the tracking work is beneficial.

The experience with a Schnauzer whatever size is extremely interesting.

I hope I have helped you decide und am here to answer questions if you wish.
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