Giant Schnauzer

Temperament: The temperament of the Giant Schnauzer should be sound and reliable, and according to the AKC breed standard, should combine "spirit and alertness with intelligence and reliability" and be "composed, watchful, courageous, easily trained, deeply loyal to family, playful, amiable in repose, and a commanding figure when aroused."

Height: 60 to 70 cm/ 23 to 28 in

Weight: 35 to 47 kg./ 75 to 105 lbs

Life Span: 12-15 years

Breed Average Outlier Index: 0.27

Breed Average Genetic Relatedness: 0.00

Breed Average Internal Relatedness: 0.04

Last 10 Recently Added Public Dogs!

No.NameGenderOutlier IndexAverage Genetic RelatednessInternal Relatedness
1 Firezone's Take a Dance with Me M0.250.04-0.12
2 Spicerack's & Ramahill's Comin In Hot F0.240.05-0.18
3 Kiraly's Covina California F0.160.020.14
4 Schutzengel's Khaos By Karma M0.210.060.04
5 Gloris Zealous Desire F0.51-0.140.07
6GCH Histyle's Breaking Bad M0.150.080.14
7 Prinz vom kleinen Büffel M0.32-0.04-0.03
8 Black Magic's Woman F0.160.020.22
9 Greif Hakon vom Schenkenwald M0.60-0.240.14
10 Munchener Silverschatz v Mondo F0.46-0.210.22

The first breed standard for the Schnauzer was written in 1907 and the first Giant Schnauzer, "Roland Rolandsheim", was exhibited at an official show in Munich in 1909. The exact makeup of the breed today is still unknown but it is speculated that Standard Schnauzer, an extinct dog called the Oberlander, various farm dogs, and possibly Bouvier de Flanders are all possible ancestors. It wasn't until about 1914 that the modern Giant Schnauzer was developed by a man named C. Calaminus who never revealed the breeds he used. We do know that he used the black Oberlander dogs, and possibly some Great Dane, but there is no actual evidence. Some early notable giants with photographic evidence are Bazi v Wetterstein and Felz v Kinzigtal. In 1923 the PSK (Pinscher Schnauzer Klub) in Germany, the breed's country of origin, published the first standard for the Giant Schnauzer. It said “The Giant Schnauzer will be the best possible, considerably enlarged and strengthened copy of the Standard Schnauzer.” The height was fixed at 21.5 to 25.5 inches. Mental characteristics, along with size and structure were described as such: “All these allow the Giant Schnauzer to perform the hard and strenuous life of a working dog.” From 1923 to around 1938 the Giant thrived, and in 1927, the PSK had the first "Bundesliestungsiegerprufung" (national championship, working trials.) This national competition was annual until 1938 and cancelled in 1939. World War II then wiped out many Giant Schnauzers, but the Germans started again in 1945 to rebuild the breed with dogs remaining from around the world. This was also complicated by the Berlin Wall which separated East and West Germany and therefore the breeding pool as well between 1961 to 1989. After the unification of Germany, the bloodlines were crossed and our modern day gene pool consists of everything that survived these historical events.

The community of owners of Giant Schnauzers reports concern for the following illnesses: squamous celll carcinoma, toe cancer, and melanoma, autoimmune diseases including thyroiditis, epilepsy, cadiac diseases SAS and dialated cardiomyelopathy, lyphomas, hip dyplasia, eye disorders (cataracts and PRA), AIHA, IMTP, SLO, and cobalamin malabsorption.

Giant Schnauzer breeders have clearly made an effort to keep inbreeding low in a small gene pool. Dr. Pedersen's report says "“IR scores ranged from a low of -0.181 (parents least related) to a high of 0.486 (parents most related), with a mean (average) value of 0.047. Therefore, one fourth of the population had IR scores from -0.041 to -0.181, and one fourth +0.139 to 0.486. …… IR values show that there are three populations among the 133 Giant Schnauzers, one quarter containing individuals from very unrelated parents, one half with parents of average relatedness, and one fourth with parents that are quite related.”

There is clearly a genetic split in the breed between black Giant Schnauzers and Pepper Salt Giant Schnauzers. Each of these populations are more related among themselves than with each other. The Average Genetic Relatedness (AGR), which is the genetic equivalent of the pedigree based calculation "mean kinship," show that overall relatedness is close. This means breeders must make a specific effort to breed to the least related quality dogs they can find, in addition to prioritizing genetic outliers, in order to maximize retention of existing diversity in the breed.

Giant Schnauzer breeders have clearly made an effort to keep inbreeding low in a small gene pool. Dr. Pedersen's report says "“IR scores ranged from a low of -0.181 (parents least related) to a high of 0.486 (parents most related), with a mean (average) value of 0.047. Therefore, one fourth of the population had IR scores from -0.041 to -0.181, and one fourth +0.139 to 0.486. …… IR values show that there are three populations among the 133 Giant Schnauzers, one quarter containing individuals from very unrelated parents, one half with parents of average relatedness, and one fourth with parents that are quite related.”

The Giant Schnauzer has retained a broad range of diversity in the DLA haplotypes, which means they have kept much of the early diversity of the founders of the breed. The initial study of 146 dogs revealed 14 Class I individial DLA haplotypes and 15 individual Class II haplotypes. This is promising for the future of the breed, since some breeds have very few left. It is possible to retain that diversity and this may indicate that there is more overall diversity still to be found in the world. Nevertheless, there seems to be a significant concern with autoimmune disease in the breed, which tends to be more attributable to low overall diversity, not only homozygous DLA haplotypes.

The follow includes dogs with birthdates listed in the database.

DLA Haplotypes in the Breed

The Dog Leukocyte Antigen or DLA is the region in the canine genome that controls the immune system, among other things. There are three classes or areas, and the VGL Canine Diversity Test genotypes or records the two regions with the most variation. Because it is an area that mutates more rapidly than others, the method VGL uses is ideal for identifying specific combinations of DNA, and not merely showing whether a dog inherited two of the same sets of genetics from its parents or two different ones.

"Haplotype" is a generic name for a set of genes that are bound together and inherited as a set. The DLA Class I and Class II haplotypes are very tightly bound and represent about 2 million base pairs of DNA - a sizeable chunk. These two haplotypes together make an extended haplotype that is nearly always passed from parent to puppies as a pair. We therefore have two tables below showing both the combinations of DLA found in this breed and how often they appear, and also how often they appear individually.

Remember that frequency percentages do not show how many dogs carry them, but rather how many of these haplotypes exist in the breed as a whole. Every dog has two sets of DLA haplotypes, one inherited from dam, and one inherited from sire. These almost never recombine in new generations.

DLA Class I/Class II Combinations :

Class I HaplotypeClass II HaplotypeFrequency in the Breed
1092203728.12%
1159200614.26%
1014205013.28%
101720909.18%
101420377.23%
106820536.05%
100620075.47%
101620314.49%
100820033.71%
109120332.93%
101120120.98%
115920530.98%
100820050.78%
101620140.59%
115920010.59%
106520330.39%
118120600.39%
105420220.20%
106720170.20%
126320760.20%


DLA Frequencies :

ClassHaplotypeFrequency in the Breed
Class I10065.47%
Class I10084.49%
Class I10110.98%
Class I101420.51%
Class I10165.08%
Class I10178.98%
Class I10540.20%
Class I10650.20%
Class I10670.20%
Class I10685.66%
Class I10912.93%
Class I109228.12%
Class I115915.82%
Class I11810.39%
Class I12630.20%
Class II20010.59%
Class II20033.71%
Class II20050.78%
Class II200614.26%
Class II20075.47%
Class II20120.98%
Class II20140.59%
Class II20170.20%
Class II20220.20%
Class II20314.49%
Class II20333.12%
Class II203735.35%
Class II205013.28%
Class II20536.64%
Class II20600.39%
Class II20760.20%
Class II20908.98%
Class I10065.47%
Class I10084.49%
Class I10110.98%
Class I101420.51%
Class I10165.08%
Class I10179.18%
Class I10540.20%
Class I10650.39%
Class I10670.20%
Class I10686.05%
Class I10912.93%
Class I109228.12%
Class I115915.82%
Class I11810.39%
Class I12630.20%
Class II20010.59%
Class II20033.71%
Class II20050.78%
Class II200614.26%
Class II20075.47%
Class II20120.98%
Class II20140.59%
Class II20170.20%
Class II20220.20%
Class II20314.49%
Class II20333.32%
Class II203735.35%
Class II205013.28%
Class II20537.03%
Class II20600.39%
Class II20760.20%
Class II20909.18%


Search For a Giant Schnauzer

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List of Public Dogs

No.NameGenderOutlier IndexAverage Genetic RelatednessInternal Relatedness
1Ain't she a Duesy von FurstenhausF0.24-0.01-0.03
2Amazing Alfa at FigoskyF0.220.030.14
3Apffel Bach's California CruzinF0.26-0.050.14
4Apffel Bach's DirkM0.26-0.090.30
5Apffell Bach's Covert OperativeM0.31-0.050.07
6Apffell Bach's Delta ForceF0.34-0.060.08
7Ashton vom WasserlaufM0.27-0.03-0.02
8Aspen Leaf's Bear Creek Elsa QueenF0.250.04-0.04
9Aspen Leaf's Stablemasters Private PleasureM0.26-0.090.31
10Austin von Elberfeld M0.240.05-0.17
11Avada Kedavra vom WasserlaufF0.21-0.020.03
12Azzuma's Daredevil of WetbeardM0.210.020.10
13Bear Creek Grande LillyF0.200.08-0.13
14Bear Creek Hinda v Clear DaysF0.190.06-0.06
15Bigfoot's Aspen Leaf RevancheF0.250.04-0.07
16Black Magic's WomanF0.160.020.22
17Bluechip Smash HitF0.200.010.03
18Boston Blackstone NM0.230.04-0.17
19Brix In Spite Of AllM0.350.00-0.02
20Carolina's HaHa Fooled YaF0.190.010.16
21Carolina's Million Dollar BabyF0.170.020.20
22Carolina's The Jig Is UpM0.140.060.18
23CH Firezone's Mayberry Let Time Go Lightly At Paisley F0.240.08-0.11
24CH Spicerack's Olivia's Secret PotionF0.240.03-0.04
25Clear Days Crystal Blue PersuasionF0.32-0.070.24
26Coldnose Memphis BelleF0.230.000.15
27Coolhand's Black IceF0.280.01-0.04
28CoolHand's I've Got The MovesM0.290.05-0.19
29CoolHand's Set Fire To The ReignF0.27-0.02-0.02
30Daserbe Chase The Ace To DraxparkF0.280.05-0.13
31Dasval As Good As It GetsF0.28-0.010.02
32Delarive's Time to JitterbugF0.140.040.30
33Doc's Life Is GoodM0.150.06-0.02
34Draxpark Black JackM0.230.09-0.21
35Draxpark Check Me OutF0.20-0.010.20
36Draxpark Checkered FlagM0.220.06-0.04
37Draxpark DramaticusF0.36-0.05-0.02
38Draxpark FantasticusM0.250.030.01
39Draxpark Hot Like MeF0.36-0.010.04
40Draxpark JackpotF0.160.11-0.17
41Draxpark Looking GoodM0.260.02-0.04
42Draxpark Lots To LikeM0.290.01-0.01
43Draxpark SochiF0.32-0.030.01
44Draxpark VladivostokM0.39-0.01-0.19
45Edelphie Delores DelagoF0.250.04-0.04
46Ekhojdens Singular SensationF0.26-0.010.02
47El Pulpo De CethusM0.330.00-0.07
48Extreme Eldorado Vom Mutter HausM0.350.03-0.08
49Eyrie von ElberfeldF0.30-0.090.27
50Fanta C Cowboys Back In Town At Happy TrailsM0.40-0.06-0.03
51Fanta C's Out Of The DarknessM0.280.00-0.01
52Fanta C's The Great ExpeditionM0.200.05-0.05
53Ferncliffe DavignonM0.300.02-0.07
54Ferncliffe Pistols At Dawn for RuffhausF0.20-0.020.13
55Ferncliffe Strip ArtistF0.220.040.08
56FERNCLIFFES URAKM0.220.04-0.03
57Firesilver EurostyleM0.87-0.260.05
58Firezone's Above and Beyond for MelastronM0.270.000.05
59Firezone's Beyond The HorizonF0.180.05-0.01
60Firezone's Beyond The SpotlightM0.250.010.08
61Firezone's Clear LegacyF0.200.07-0.11
62FIREZONE'S DEFIANT TOP BRASSM0.230.000.11
63Firezone's Defiant With A Cherry On TopF0.230.04-0.04
64Firezone's Echoes of Ramos' LegacyF0.110.08-0.12
65Firezone's Firefly At DragonairM0.160.000.09
66Firezone's Gravitational ForceM0.160.060.01
67Firezone's High Caliber 357F0.210.05-0.07
68Firezone's High Caliber CommotionM0.250.03-0.10
69Firezone's KincsemF0.160.000.33
70Firezone's Mayberry Dance of a Brave HeartF0.210.02-0.07
71Firezone's Mayberry Rain DanceF0.260.010.11
72Firezone's Mayberry Shadow DancerM0.180.06-0.05
73Firezone's Mayberry Time To ShineF0.200.080.03
74Firezone's One Helluva RideF0.220.08-0.18
75Firezone's Ramos' Special LegacyM0.180.020.04
76Firezone's Reach Beyond The StarsF0.230.030.12
77Firezone's Special BlendF0.180.05-0.08
78Firezone's Take a Dance with MeM0.250.04-0.12
79Firezone's Taking Me HigherF0.250.03-0.07
80Firezone's Vala Dances Free With ButterfliesF0.180.070.03
81Firezone's Wild and Free from KincsemF0.170.09-0.07
82Foxwood's Dare To Dazzle RiesenheimF0.270.02-0.04
83Foxwood's Femme NikitaF0.210.09-0.19
84Freddie z Grodu Ksiazat PomorskichM0.45-0.15-0.02
85GCH Clear Days AugustusM0.210.020.10
86Giant Strides Karbon Kopy Vom Mutter HausM0.290.040.04
87Gloris EclipseM0.300.06-0.17
88Gloris Generational StarM0.42-0.080.14
89Gloris Maximus at FirezoneM0.21-0.010.03
90Gloris Rafael DraxparkM0.25-0.010.23
91Gloris Zealous DesireF0.51-0.140.07
92Grande DaydreamerF0.140.11-0.08
93Grande Lovin' Every Minute of ItF0.31-0.070.23
94Grande Next JourneyF0.210.050.03
95Grande OverdriveM0.160.11-0.13
96Grande Passion for FameF0.23-0.050.24
97Grande Queen of HeartsF0.270.06-0.09
98Grande QuintessentialF0.250.030.05
99Grande Roses in RomeF0.310.01-0.06
100Grande Something WickedF0.22-0.030.28
101Grande Super SportM0.25-0.010.28
102Greif Hakon vom SchenkenwaldM0.60-0.240.14
103Grovelea BossanovaF0.260.05-0.10
104Happy Trails Heart Of A CowgirlF0.31-0.020.11
105Happy Trails I Want To Break FreeF0.250.030.03
106Happy Trails Life Is Highway At Fanta CM0.260.02-0.05
107Happy Trails Watcha Gonna Do With A CowboyM0.290.04-0.17
108Hearthmore's Wild PoppyF0.130.070.09
109Hearthmore's Wintergreen Mountain M0.190.050.10
110Hemi vom EngelskottenF0.38-0.050.05
111Histyle's Breaking BadM0.150.080.14
112Histyle's Federal ExpressM0.210.060.03
113HiStyle's Midnight SpecialM0.180.06-0.02
114HiStyle's Somewhere Over The RainbowF0.170.08-0.06
115Houston Von ElberfeldM0.34-0.020.02
116Ike's Flying Purple People Eater von FurstenhausM0.30-0.03-0.04
117Indigo's A Bonney Irish PirateF0.36-0.100.06
118Indigo's A Scottish PiperF0.34-0.06-0.04
119Indigo's Dream Come TrueF0.29-0.06-0.01
120Indigo's GwynnieF0.38-0.090.01
121Indigo's Whiz KidM0.33-0.080.04
122Ingebars Tynan Dances with WildflowersM0.200.000.30
123Ingebars I Live For The ApplauseF0.140.11-0.05
124Ingebars Oh Be JoyfulM0.190.070.27
125Inno All'Amore von den Nassen BaertenM0.40-0.140.07
126Invicta Gigas ClodaghF0.200.03-0.04
127Iservel Dark SecretM0.27-0.010.19
128Jafrak Magic LanternF0.200.08-0.03
129Jenga vom Moisburger BergF0.69-0.19-0.02
130Kalidor's Acadian AdventureF0.250.02-0.04
131KAR Farm's Good for the GanderM0.38-0.160.25
132KenRo's Evening RendezvouF0.24-0.050.19
133KenRo's You Got Some Splanin To DoF0.24-0.030.08
134Kiraly's Covina CaliforniaF0.160.020.14
135Kiraly's Dance Of DragonsF0.230.050.00
136Kiraly's DrogonM0.180.050.03
137Kiraly's Moves Like JaggerM0.210.050.07
138Kiraly's Sweet SophisticationF0.21-0.070.43
139Kiraly's Winter is ComingM0.180.10-0.09
140Kittynoir Vanilla BeanF0.320.00-0.04
141Komet Von ElberfeldM0.210.010.06
142Lagniappe's From The Mountains To The BayouM0.160.13-0.02
143Lagniappe's Geaux Tell It On The MountainM0.230.030.03
144Lagniappe's Glenda The Good WitchF0.30-0.010.13
145Lagniappe's Hard To HandleM0.140.040.11
146Lagniappe's Heaven Help UsF0.130.050.07
147Lagniappe's Her MajestyF0.190.040.07
148Lagniappe's I Can Only ImagineF0.140.040.25
149Lagniappe's I'll Have a DoubleM0.190.060.11
150Lagniappe's I'm in HeavenF0.090.090.19
151Lagniappe's If the River Don't RiseF0.110.100.13
152Lagniappe's Incredible JourneyF0.190.030.21
153Lagniappe's Irresistible Jolene the Bayou QueenF0.160.090.09
154Leidenschaft's JägermeisterM0.23-0.010.12
155Long Grove's Twinkle ToesF0.150.030.12
156Lucavale Washington at AndmauraM0.40-0.140.05
157Magisterial's Boulder HaukM0.38-0.04-0.10
158Mendelssohn vom Weseler WaldM0.25-0.03-0.10
159Momentumm Annie Get Your GunF0.31-0.040.03
160Momentumm Brigadoon After MidnightM0.32-0.03-0.10
161Momentumm In The LimelightF0.32-0.060.00
162Momentumm King of HeartsM0.200.08-0.14
163Momentumm Knight Show V. MagicM0.32-0.090.31
164Momentumm V.I.P.F0.49-0.130.04
165Munchener Qira von MoonshadoF0.38-0.200.24
166Munchener Siegfried von MondoM0.34-0.140.14
167Munchener Silverschatz v MondoF0.46-0.210.22
168Munchener Undercover UlixM0.38-0.11-0.09
169Nev Lemar Bonapart M0.240.03-0.04
170Nightline Heart of DelariveF0.200.020.03
171Not Yet Registered Leta PuppyF0.32-0.02-0.14
172Obsidian's First LadyF0.190.05-0.02
173Obsidian's Freya Von LuthorF0.220.010.02
174Old Saint NicklausM0.25-0.02-0.11
175Ordre Hanno VetoF0.38-0.070.06
176Otis Boanergos De GaulleM0.210.030.07
177Otis Boanergos OrpheusM0.280.03-0.11
178Patriot Vom ZetterfeldM0.30-0.030.15
179Pharo vom kleinen BüffelM0.30-0.06-0.02
180Prinz vom kleinen BüffelM0.32-0.04-0.03
181Pushkadell Tuscan to GroveleaM0.190.070.02
182Qodo vom GoldbergseeF0.26-0.060.13
183Quadriga vom Weseler WaldF0.35-0.06-0.05
184Radegast Hanno Veto M0.38-0.090.10
185Ramahill's Gloriana At SpicerackF0.240.00-0.03
186Reinkarnata Hanno Veto F0.36-0.100.08
187Renomee Hanno VetoF0.42-0.070.12
188Riesenheim Rufus BlackM0.230.04-0.06
189Riesenheim Taio Cruz To RuffhausM0.260.010.01
190Riesenrad's Go The DistanceF0.30-0.040.08
191Riesenrads Guilty As ChargedF0.35-0.080.15
192Riesenrads IMA Coming In HotF0.32-0.010.01
193Riot von ElberfeldM0.32-0.070.05
194Rissies JappM0.48-0.09-0.02
195Rus Astershvarc Zone of FireM0.180.020.09
196Ruster's Artfully Aged M0.23-0.020.13
197Schutzengel's Bad and BoujeeF0.260.010.23
198Schutzengel's Khaos By KarmaM0.210.060.04
199Schutzengel's Whatever It TakesM0.210.060.06
200Selectiondor ElectraF0.210.050.03
201Silver Senator Figo at FigoskyM0.71-0.21-0.01
202Silver Senators Sky NewsF0.77-0.260.18
203Skansen's Duchess of KaliforniaF0.180.010.06
204Skansen's Indigo RainF0.44-0.160.00
205Skansen's Lost TreasureF0.32-0.090.23
206Skansen's Payton of KARFarmF0.35-0.120.17
207Skansen's Thousand IslandM0.170.040.20
208Spartacus Radinie At DraxparkM0.39-0.070.03
209Spicerack's & Ramahill's Comin In HotF0.240.05-0.18
210Spicerack's Pink Missundaztood SecretF0.180.030.04
211Spicerack's Shotgun RiderM0.240.02-0.09
212Spicerack's Whiskey Tango Foxtrot By RamahillM0.220.05-0.02
213Spicerack's Whispering Sweet NuthinsF0.170.000.23
214St. Michaels AibhlinnF0.280.01-0.06
215Stablemaster's Claudius CaesarM0.200.040.02
216Stablemaster's Kiss of KarmaF0.170.060.16
217Stablemaster's SabrinaF0.180.030.07
218Stablemaster's Wish and KissF0.290.010.00
219Star Drim Ya KalugaF0.30-0.060.28
220Star Drim Ya RusskiyM0.250.04-0.12
221Star Drim Yantra at FirezoneM0.280.000.13
222STAR LEVEL TIME TO WINM0.25-0.010.12
223T'Challah Black PantherF0.28-0.010.13
224Taktika Art Focus PointM0.140.030.18
225Terravirtus JengaF0.56-0.240.36
226Terravirtus PandamoniumM0.84-0.270.03
227Time For You Gaius Caesar at FerncliffeM0.36-0.04-0.04
228Tito von ElberfeldM0.280.02-0.06
229Tyshunde ApprenticeM0.26-0.050.16
230Uno Nicolas RadinieM0.180.07-0.11
231Wanderlust's Walking On Indigo SunshineF0.130.050.24
232Watson RadinieM0.29-0.040.09
233Weylin Kato Vom Mutter HausM0.240.050.05
234Yadon von BlackmooreM0.230.010.05
235Yashanti's In CahootsM0.39-0.120.15
236Zarina's Design Amour-Amour at FoxwoodF0.280.020.09
237Zarina's Design Avenger For RiesenheimM0.270.010.06
238Zarina's Design Something SpecialF0.160.06-0.07
239Zarina's Design Tu Eres Mi TodoM0.190.050.16
240Zsa Zsa GaboraF0.32-0.040.00

Active BetterBred Breeders:

KennelWebsiteState or ProvinceCountry
Wasserlauf Giant SchnauzersWebsiteOntarioCA
Kiraly Giant SchnauzersWebsiteBritish ColumbiaCanada
Draxpark Giant SchnauzersWebsiteNorth YorkshireUK
Grande Giant SchnauzersWebsiteColoradoUS
Indigo GiantsWebsiteMissouriUS