Dog
Group:
Working 
Standard Schnauzer Champions
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Pronunciation:
stan-derd shnou-zer
Breed Description:
The Standard Schnauzer breed of dog is a medium sized breed that should be robust and sturdy looking. They should have a square shape to them with their length and height being the same size. The head should be rectangular in shape wiht a square muzzle. The overall look should be of a strong, streamlined dog with medium sized ears that are folded to the side of the head, although they are commonly cropped. The top line should slope slightly and the long tail is commonly docked.
The coat should consist of a double coat. The undercoat of the Standard Schnauzer should be short and soft. It should cover the dog completely and be very dense. The topcoat of the Standard Schnauzer should be also be short, although slightly longer than the undercoat. It should stand up from the dog and should be wiry and hard in texture. The face should have furnishings with a beard and eyebrows. The Standard Schnauzer can be black, or salt and peppered, no other color is allowed in this breed.
Temperament:
The Standard Schnauzer breed of dog is often described as being a gruff dog that is reserved and not very affectionate but that couldn't be farther from the truth. The breed is only reserved when it comes to strangers but with family, they are affectionate, loyal and friendly. They are often described as being very playful and they have a well of energy, especially when that energy leads them into mischief. They are a very strong tempered dog and really need an owner that can set firm rules and be consistent with training. The Standard Schnauzer is usually good with children, however, they do much better with older children. They can be aggressive to other dogs and are not really recommended for multi-dog homes. In addition, socialization is important for this breed since they can be very protective of their family. Lastly, the breed is not recommended for homes with pocket pets since the Standard Schnauzer has a high prey drive.
Height:
The average height for a Standard Schnauzer is between 17 to 19 inches for a female and 18 to 20 inches for a male.
Weight:
The average weight for a Standard Schnauzer is between 30 to 40 pounds for females and 30 to 45 pounds for a male.
Health Problems:
The Standard Schnauzer breed of dog is a very hardy breed of dog and only tumors and hip dysplasia has been seen.
Living Conditions:
The Standard Schnauzer breed of dog can live anywhere, including apartments if they are properly exercised. However, the ideal is a home with a large fenced yard. They should not live outdoors since they can suffer from aggression problems if they are left on their own too much.
Exercise:
The Standard Schnauzer breed of dog is an active breed and they really do need a lot of exercise. Expect to give them about 60 minutes of exercise each day or about three very long walks. They make excellent jogging companions.
Life Expectancy:
14 to 16 years
Grooming:
The Standard Schnauzer breed of dog is an easy breed to groom and they don't require much daily work. In general, the dog will need to be brushed once or twice a week to keep it free of dirt and dead hair. Ears should be cleaned on a weekly basis and the hair inside the ears and around the feet should be trimmed regularly to keep them tidy. The coat will need to be hand stripped every few months to remove dead hair. The beard will need to be washed on a daily basis since it can track dirt very easily. Some owners opt to clip the coat for easier maintenance, however, this will ruin the overall shape of the coat and will make it soft. If you plan on showing your Standard Schnauzer, do not clip the coat.
Origin:
The Standard Schnauzer breed of dog is a fairly old breed and was actually developed in the early 1500's in Germany. The breed was originally developed for a range of tasks including herding, rodent control and also for herding and they were considered to be a very popular farm dog. While we do not know what breeds went into the development of the Standard Schnauzer, we do know that the Standard Schnauzer was the first of the Schnauzer breeds and later went on to develop the Miniature and Giant variations of the breed. It is believed that the German Pinscher was crossed with the German Poodle and the Wolfspitz to create the dog, but if this is true or if other breeds were used to develop the Standard Schnauzer, we will never know. Before the 1900's, however, puppies for both the German Pinscher and the Standard Schnauzer were commonly found in each others litters. Finally, in the 1900's, efforts were made to have the breeds breed true to type and it wasn't until the litters produced three generations of pure coated Schnauzers that they were considered to be a Standard Schnauzer. The breed itself faced extinction when farms were modernized but the breed proved to be very versatile and was used first as a Police dog and later as a message carrier and red cross dog during World War I. It is unclear when the breed first arrived in the United States, however, it was some time in the early 1900's, but they never gained as much popularity as other breeds. Comments
The standards for all the breeds accepted to the AKC are used here for breed information, and those not part of the AKC are resourced from FCI standard information, where it is written and coded into the club rules for those breeds.
