Giant Schnauzer Club

Giants generally live between 10-12 years, although some have been known to live longer up to the age of 14-16 years, and others have sadly died younger.

According to the Joint Schnauzer Breeds Health Survey 2023, from a total of 63 Giants that took part in the deceased survey, the median age of death was 10 years (average 9.6 years), and maximum age of the 63 entered was 14 years.

Feeding costs will obviously depend on the type of food and will vary from one supplier to another.
An adult male will weigh around 38-45kg, and a female around 32-38kg.

If raw feeding 2-3% of their adult body weight is required, therefore approximately:

Males: 800g – 1.4kg per day (depending on body weight)
Females: 600g -1.2kg per day (depending on body weight)

If feeding kibble a Giant will eat approximately 11-15kg per month (depending on body weight)

From the amount of food required you can calculate the feeding costs based on the chosen food.

Puppies up to the age of 12 months should have restricted exercise to ensure their joints develop correctly. Free running on soft ground with gentle slopes is ideal, however formal lead walking will need to be restricted to short walks otherwise puppies may be encouraged to do more than they naturally would.

Adults will require at least 1hr off lead free running per day, in addition to another 1hr form of exercise or training.

Even when it’s raining and cold, you will still need to take your dog for a walk. If you do not take your dog for regular walks, they will become bored, destructive and overweight; this can impact both their physical and mental health.

Giants do not shed coat as with shorter course coated breeds, however you may notice clumps of hair and undercoat under furniture and near skirting boards. They require regular grooming, stripping/clipping and trimming, approximately every 2-3 months. If the body coat is left for too long it will eventually ‘blow’ this is where the coat appears very woolly and untidy,  and tends to be very loose and will come out quite readily.

There is much reference on the internet that Giants are hypoallergenic, this however is not strictly true, whilst they may not cause an allergic reaction for some suffers, they do still have dander and saliva which are the most common allergens. For anyone with allergies it may be better to spend some time with the relatives of a prospective puppy to gauge the response beforehand.

Giants are a ‘people’ breed, they are loyal and devoted to their family. Their energy levels and enthusiasm makes them excellent play mates for older children. However, since they are very strong and boisterous they could unintentionally knock over a small toddler during play. Careful consideration should be given as to whether a busy family life can accommodate the amount of time, attention, training and socialising required by a large breed puppy especially if children are very young. A Giant will want to be involved with their family and are not happy if isolated away on their own in a kennel.

If a Giant puppy is brought up with a cat from the outset, they often eventually form a relationship were they can live together, however a lot will also depend how the resident cat reacts with dogs. They may come to a mutual agreement to either keep out of each others way, or they may get along together. On the other hand if  a cat is introduced into the house once a Giant has already established their place, and is not used to cats, this may be a different story. Giant Schnauzers can have a high prey drive and may find it difficult to curtail their chase instincts if a cat is introduced later on. With a visiting neighbourhood cat, Giants tend to be quite interested and will most likely want to chase them away from the garden. Therefore the answer to this question is not so straight forward.