What is a
Standard Schnauzer?
It is considered to be "The
dog with the human brain". The Standard Schnauzer is very alert,
bright and makes an excellent family companion. They are of
medium size, robust, squarely built, muscular and think they are
much bigger than they really are. Most people recognized them as
the salt and pepper dog with a beard.
The breed standards indicates
that the males are between 18 and 20-inches high at the
shoulders and generally weigh approximately 40 - 50 pounds.
Females are between 17 and 19-inches and typically weigh
approximately 35-40 pounds. Their average life expectancy is
between 13 - 17 years.
Do they make a good pet?
The Standard Schnauzer is
even tempered and adapts very well to the family lifestyle.
Their curiosity and alertness will surprise and impress you. They excel
in an environment where they are treated as a family member.
They require daily exercise and interact well with other animals
when properly socialized. Standard Schnauzers are not known to
be aggressive but they will not back down if they feel that they
or their owner is being threatened. Their enthusiasm when
greeting visitors and family members is refreshing.
History
of the Standard Schnauzer
The Schnauzer is a German
breed, which in the 15th & 16th centuries must have been in high
favor as a household companion, for his portrait appears in many
paintings of the period. A portrait of a Standard Schnauzer
appears several times in the works of Albrecht Durer, an artist,
between the years of 1492 and 1504.
As far as can be
determined, the Schnauzer originated in the crossing of the
black German Poodle and the 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 with its harsh wire
character. We do not know how many years of breeding were
necessary to establish the Standard Schnauzer, but we do know at
least 50 years passed before the breed was somewhat fixed. Solid
black Schnauzers, although fairly common in Germany, are not as
popular as the pepper and salt in the United States.
German breeders have
always classified the Schnauzer as a working dog. By using the
Schnauzer as a rat catcher, they were able to keep stable or
farmyard clear of vermin. Before WWI, Germans used the Schnauzer
to guard carts of farm produce in the market place while the
farmers rested themselves and their teams at inns. The German
tradesman particularly liked the Schnauzer because of its medium
size: they wouldn't take up much space on the wagons, and yet
was strong enough to do the job of guarding. Breeders in the
land of their origin hold the Schnauzer second to none for
sagacity and fearlessness. Owing these characteristics, "the dog
with the human brain" (as their owners proudly call them) were
used by the army during the war as dispatch carriers and Red
Cross aides; they were also employed in Germany in police work.
The first Standard
Schnauzers in Canada were bred in Montreal from the Kalenia line
from the Eastern U.S. In the 1970's four Standard Schnauzer
kennels were formed: Oberdorf Kennels, Kaiserbart Kennels,
Silberfell Kennels and Rosehill Miniature Schnauzers. Silberfell
Kennels and Orberdorf Kennels still breed Standard Schnauzers
today. The Standard Schnauzer Club of Eastern Canada was
recognized by the Canadian Kennel Club in 1987. In 1993, it
became the Standard Schnauzer Club of Canada.
Once a part of the terrier
group, the Standard Schnauzer was reclassified to the working
group in 1945, where it remains today.
