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Standard Schnauzer

fearless / smart / spirited
Working Group >>

Average sizes and life
expectancy of the breed.

Height

18.5-19.5 inches (male)

17.5-18.5 inches (female)

Weight

35-50 pounds (male)

30-45 pounds (female)

Life Expectancy

13-16 years

Breed Traits & Characteristics

Affectionate With Family
  • Independent Lovey-Dovey
    100% 100%
How affectionate a breed is likely to be with family members, or other people he knows well. Some breeds can be aloof with everyone but their owner, while other breeds treat everyone they know like their best friend.
Good With Young Children
  • Not Recommended Good With Children
    100% 100%
A breed's level of tolerance and patience with childrens' behavior, and overall family-friendly nature. Dogs should always be supervised around young children, or children of any age who have little exposure to dogs.
GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS
  • Not Recommended Good With Other Dogs
    60% 60%
How generally friendly a breed is towards other dogs. Dogs should always be supervised for interactions and introductions with other dogs, but some breeds are innately more likely to get along with other dogs, both at home and in public.

Shedding Level

  • No Shedding Hair Everywhere
    20% 20%
How much fur and hair you can expect the breed to leave behind. Breeds with high shedding will need to be brushed more frequently, are more likely to trigger certain types of allergies, and are more likely to require more consistent vacuuming and lint-rolling.

Coat Grooming Frequency

  • Monthly Daily
    60% 60%
How frequently a breed requires bathing, brushing, trimming, or other kinds of coat maintenance. Consider how much time, patience, and budget you have for this type of care when looking at the grooming effort needed. All breeds require regular nail trimming.

Drooling Level

  • Less Likely to Drool Always Have a Towel
    60% 60%
How drool-prone a breed tends to be. If you're a neat freak, dogs that can leave ropes of slobber on your arm or big wet spots on your clothes may not be the right choice for you.

Coat Type

Corded
Curly
Double
Hairless
Rough
Silky
Smooth
Wavy
Wiry
Canine coats come in many different types, depending on the breed's purpose. Each coat type comes with different grooming needs, allergen potential, and shedding level. You may also just prefer the look or feel of certain coat types over others when choosing a family pet.

Coat Length

Long
Medium
Short
How long the breed's coat is expected to be. Some long-haired breeds can be trimmed short, but this will require additional upkeep to maintain.

Openness To Strangers

  • Reserved Everyone Is My Best Friend
    60% 60%
How welcoming a breed is likely to be towards strangers. Some breeds will be reserved or cautious around all strangers, regardless of the location, while other breeds will be happy to meet a new human whenever one is around!

Playfulness Level

  • Only When You Want To Play Non-Stop
    80% 80%
How enthusiastic about play a breed is likely to be, even past the age of puppyhood. Some breeds will continue wanting to play tug-of-war or fetch well into their adult years, while others will be happy to just relax on the couch with you most of the time.

Watchdog/Protective Nature

  • What's Mine Is Yours Vigilant
    100% 100%
A breed's tendency to alert you that strangers are around. These breeds are more likely to react to any potential threat, whether it's the mailman or a squirrel outside the window. These breeds are likely to warm to strangers who enter the house and are accepted by their family.

Adaptability Level

  • Lives For Routine Highly Adaptable
    80% 80%
How easily a breed handles change. This can include changes in living conditions, noise, weather, daily schedule, and other variations in day-to-day life.

Trainability Level

  • Self-Willed Eager to Please
    100% 100%
How easy it will be to train your dog, and how willing your dog will be to learn new things. Some breeds just want to make their owner proud, while others prefer to do what they want, when they want to, wherever they want!

Energy Level

  • Couch Potato High Energy
    60% 60%
The amount of exercise and mental stimulation a breed needs. High energy breeds are ready to go and eager for their next adventure. They'll spend their time running, jumping, and playing throughout the day. Low energy breeds are like couch potatoes - they're happy to simply lay around and snooze.

Barking Level

  • Only To Alert Very Vocal
    60% 60%
How often this breed vocalizes, whether it's with barks or howls. While some breeds will bark at every passer-by or bird in the window, others will only bark in particular situations. Some barkless breeds can still be vocal, using other sounds to express themselves.

Mental Stimulation Needs

  • Happy to Lounge Needs a Job or Activity
    100% 100%
How much mental stimulation a breed needs to stay happy and healthy. Purpose-bred dogs can have jobs that require decision-making, problem-solving, concentration, or other qualities, and without the brain exercise they need, they'll create their own projects to keep their minds busy -- and they probably won't be the kind of projects you'd like.

Affectionate With Family

  • Independent Lovey-Dovey
    100% 100%

How affectionate a breed is likely to be with family members, or other people he knows well. Some breeds can be aloof with everyone but their owner, while other breeds treat everyone they know like their best friend.

Good With Young Children

  • Not Recommended Good With Children
    100% 100%
A breed's level of tolerance and patience with childrens' behavior, and overall family-friendly nature. Dogs should always be supervised around young children, or children of any age who have little exposure to dogs.

GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS

  • Not Recommended Good With Other Dogs
    60% 60%
How generally friendly a breed is towards other dogs. Dogs should always be supervised for interactions and introductions with other dogs, but some breeds are innately more likely to get along with other dogs, both at home and in public.

Shedding Level

  • No Shedding Hair Everywhere
    20% 20%
How much fur and hair you can expect the breed to leave behind. Breeds with high shedding will need to be brushed more frequently, are more likely to trigger certain types of allergies, and are more likely to require more consistent vacuuming and lint-rolling.

Coat Grooming Frequency

  • Monthly Daily
    60% 60%
How frequently a breed requires bathing, brushing, trimming, or other kinds of coat maintenance. Consider how much time, patience, and budget you have for this type of care when looking at the grooming effort needed. All breeds require regular nail trimming.

Drooling Level

  • Less Likely to Drool Always Have a Towel
    60% 60%
How drool-prone a breed tends to be. If you're a neat freak, dogs that can leave ropes of slobber on your arm or big wet spots on your clothes may not be the right choice for you.

Coat Type

Corded
Curly
Double
Hairless
Rough
Silky
Smooth
Wavy
Wiry
Canine coats come in many different types, depending on the breed's purpose. Each coat type comes with different grooming needs, allergen potential, and shedding level. You may also just prefer the look or feel of certain coat types over others when choosing a family pet.

Coat Length

Long
Medium
Short
How long the breed's coat is expected to be. Some long-haired breeds can be trimmed short, but this will require additional upkeep to maintain.

Openness To Strangers

  • Reserved Everyone Is My Best Friend
    60% 60%
How welcoming a breed is likely to be towards strangers. Some breeds will be reserved or cautious around all strangers, regardless of the location, while other breeds will be happy to meet a new human whenever one is around!

Playfulness Level

  • Only When You Want To Play Non-Stop
    80% 80%
How enthusiastic about play a breed is likely to be, even past the age of puppyhood. Some breeds will continue wanting to play tug-of-war or fetch well into their adult years, while others will be happy to just relax on the couch with you most of the time.

Watchdog/Protective Nature

  • What's Mine Is Yours Vigilant
    100% 100%
A breed's tendency to alert you that strangers are around. These breeds are more likely to react to any potential threat, whether it's the mailman or a squirrel outside the window. These breeds are likely to warm to strangers who enter the house and are accepted by their family.

Adaptability Level

  • Lives For Routine Highly Adaptable
    80% 80%
How easily a breed handles change. This can include changes in living conditions, noise, weather, daily schedule, and other variations in day-to-day life.

Trainability Level

  • Self-Willed Eager to Please
    100% 100%
How easy it will be to train your dog, and how willing your dog will be to learn new things. Some breeds just want to make their owner proud, while others prefer to do what they want, when they want to, wherever they want!

Energy Level

  • Couch Potato High Energy
    60% 60%
The amount of exercise and mental stimulation a breed needs. High energy breeds are ready to go and eager for their next adventure. They'll spend their time running, jumping, and playing throughout the day. Low energy breeds are like couch potatoes - they're happy to simply lay around and snooze.

Barking Level

  • Only To Alert Very Vocal
    60% 60%
How often this breed vocalizes, whether it's with barks or howls. While some breeds will bark at every passer-by or bird in the window, others will only bark in particular situations. Some barkless breeds can still be vocal, using other sounds to express themselves.

Mental Stimulation Needs

  • Happy to Lounge Needs a Job or Activity
    100% 100%
How much mental stimulation a breed needs to stay happy and healthy. Purpose-bred dogs can have jobs that require decision-making, problem-solving, concentration, or other qualities, and without the brain exercise they need, they'll create their own projects to keep their minds busy -- and they probably won't be the kind of projects you'd like.

About the Breed

The Standard Schnauzer is a bold, bewhiskered farm dog from Germany. They are medium-sized Schnauzers, who can be stubborn at times but are always dependable. The athletic appearance of the Standard is a canine classic. The Standard Schnauzer is a medium-sized dog that weighs between 35 and 45 pounds. It is larger than Miniatures but smaller than Giants. Schnauzers of all sizes have numerous breed characteristics in common: a wiry, tight-fitting coat of pure black or ‘pepper and salt’; a muscular, square-built frame; and an elongated head with arched eyebrows and bristly whiskers framing eyes shining with sharp intelligence. Standards are friendly companions, vigilant watchdogs, and ardent backyard squirrel chasers. They are also good with children and protective of their owners. Standards train wonderfully when approached with a firm yet gentle touch. Owners must give outlets for their dog’s high-energy athleticism and acute senses.

 

 

 

What To Expect When Caring For a Standard Schnauzer

Owning a dog is not just a privilege; it’s a responsibility. They depend on us for, at minimum, food and shelter, and deserve much more. When you take a dog into your life, you need to understand the commitment that dog ownership entails.

Health

According to the Standard Schnauzer Club of America's health surveys, SS is a very healthy breed. Many health issues that affect other breeds do not affect SS. Breeders are diligent in checking for health issues like hip dysplasia and eye abnormalities and reporting the results to the OFA at the University of Missouri. The new DNA test for cardiomyopathy (which is a simple recessive in SS) lets breeders detect carriers and breed them to non-carriers to eliminate illness expression in the breed.  
Recommended Health Tests From the National Breed Club:
  • Hip Evaluation
  • Ophthalmologist Evaluation
  • Dilated Cardiomyopathy (Schnauzer) (DCM) - DNA Test

Grooming

Grooming is required on a regular basis for standard Schnauzers. Weekly responsibilities include washing beards and leg furnishings, dental care, removing foreign things from between foot pads, and nail trimming. The rough, wiry outer coat of SS loses its dirt-, bramble-, and water resistance when clipped rather than hand-stripped, resulting in increased dirt and hair shedding in the house. Clipping the coat also softens it, and each clipping lightens the coat color. Once a coat has been hand-stripped, it can be kept in good condition for a long time by regular brushing and plucking out long hairs.

Exercise

Standard Schnauzers are a high-energy breed. They like playing, both with their owners and with other dogs. They demand to be part of family events and do not do well when left alone or chained in the yard. They enjoy long hikes with their friends. They excel at agility, barn hunting, herding, and lure coursing, among other sports. Most SS will join enthusiastically in any activity that their person enjoys.

Training

Early socializing throughout puppyhood is essential. Schnauzers are incredibly bright, cunning, and cunning. With only a few repetitions, they "get" a notion or an activity. Over-training is a major issue with SS; after a few repetitions, they become bored and stare at the trainer as if the trainer is foolish. Because of their intelligence, dogs do require training, and if their owner does not teach them, they will learn on their own, which may or may not be what the owner wants the dog to learn.

Nutrition

Early socialization is critical throughout puppyhood. Schnauzers are extremely intelligent, smart, and crafty. They "get" a concept or an activity with only a few repetitions. Over-training is a significant concern with SS; after a few repetitions, they become bored and glare at the trainer as if the trainer is stupid. Dogs require training due to their intelligence, and if their owner does not teach them, they will learn on their own, which may or may not be what the owner wants the dog to learn.

History

The Standard is the ancestor of the Miniature and Giant Schnauzers. The Standard Schnauzer is known as the Mittelschnauzer (“medium Schnauzer”) in Germany.

 

During the long ages before automated agriculture, farmers around the world worked hard to create adaptable dogs that could be used as all-purpose assistants. Farmers in other countries devised unique remedies to the same problem, resulting in breeds such as the Kerry Blue Terrier (Ireland), Rat Terrier (United States), and Belgian Tervuren. Germany’s contribution to the search for the ideal farm dog was the breed that would become known as the Schnauzer.

 

The breed arose in the green farmland of Bavaria during the Middle Ages. Multitasking Schnauzers, like the rest of the world’s barn and stable breeds, make their living as ratters, herders, protectors, and hunters. Standards resemble various British terrier types on the surface, but the breed is a creation of Continental herders and working dogs.

 

The “Wire-haired Pinscher” was a daring show dog during the early days of Europe’s structured show industry in the 1870s. Fanciers began displaying the breed as the Schnauzer (“whiskered snout”) at the turn of the century. Schnauzers have been in America since at least 1900, but it wasn’t until the 1920s that they became popular with pet owners.