Petzlover
Giant Schnauzer is originated from Germany but St. John's Water Dog is originated from Canada. Giant Schnauzer may grow 17 cm / 7 inches higher than St. John's Water Dog. Giant Schnauzer may weigh 7 kg / 16 pounds more than St. John's Water Dog. Both Giant Schnauzer and St. John's Water Dog has same life span. Both Giant Schnauzer and St. John's Water Dog has almost same litter size. Giant Schnauzer requires Moderate Maintenance. But St. John's Water Dog requires Low Maintenance
As a working dog breed, the Giant Schnauzer, known also as the Riesenschnauzer, hails from Germany.
It is believed that the first Giant Schnauzers emerged in Bavaria in the 17th century already. It is the largest of the 3 Schnauzer dogs – Miniature, Standard and Giant. There are quite a few breeds which have been used in its development – Bouvier des Flandres, Great Dane and the German Pinscher among other.
The dog was bred to work on farms and also used as a military dog during the World Wars.
The breed known as the St. John’s water dog is an extinct landrace breed. They were domestic dogs found in Newfoundland and at times were called the lesser Newfoundland. There is not much information available about the other breeds that went into its development. Hypothetically it is believed they are a mix of the Irish, Old English and Portuguese dogs bred to work.
It is also thought that other breeds in their family tree, descending from them, include the Golden Retriever, the Flat-Coated Retriever, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, the Labrador and the Curly-Coated Retriever. The Newfoundland is also related to the St. Johns Water Dog through the line of Rafeirio do Alenteios that Portuguese fisherman brought to the island.
The breed was exported to England in the 19th century and early 20th. There the breeds of retrievers were developed. In Canada during this time frame restrictions were placed on dog ownership in order to encourage people to raise sheep. At the same time England imposed a long quarantine on all animals coming into the country in order to get rid of rabies. These two factors contributed greatly to the extinction of the breed. It seems the last two dogs were seen in a remote area in the 1980’s. All attempts to save the breed failed.
With a thick, medium length double coat to protect him from the weather, the Giant Schnauzer’s coat is essentially wiry and hard and in solid black or in a greyish salt and pepper color.
The dogs have always traditionally had their ears and tails docked at the 2nd or 3rd joint to set them apart in looks, but these days both the ears and tail are left.
The tail is always held high. He has dark eyes. Like all Schnauzers, they have that distinct beard and eyebrows. The dog is large and well built and stands at 60 to 70cm in height and weighs anything between 25 and 48kg.
Intelligent, strong willed and energetic, the Giant Schnauzer is actually a quiet dog who doesn’t respond too well to strangers, being reserved around them.
He has a natural guarding and territorial instinct. When he is trained and socialized he makes a wonderful pet, responding well to a firm, consistent owner.
He loves his human family, and as a stable, reliable kind of dog, whether you’ve got children in the home, pets or elderly people, you can rely on your Giant Schnauzer to be a dependable, gentle pet at all the right times, being playful and energetic at other times.
St. John’s Water Dog is strong, medium sized and stocky. They looked more like English Labs than American Labs. They had a thick, short coat, loved swimming, had a lot of endurance and rudder tail. It was also described as a thin, black dog with short hair. They had white patches on their chest and feet. His nose was thin and tapered, his legs powerful, his chest muscular. The breed is quick, swims, runs quickly and is a fighter as well.
Never accepted by any major kennel club except as a foundation breed. They became extinct.
The Giant Schnauzer has many excellent characteristics which make it such a great pet. He is composed, alert, intelligent, loving and loyal to his human family.
He is also playful, being happiest when roped into everything going on in the family. He has a solid, balanced nature, is robust and hypoallergenic.
He is powerful and needs a good dose of exercise and will love to join you on your cycle- and hiking trips. Good with children and pets in the home, this is a dog breed that will make a splendid, reliable pet.
3.Adaptability large need fence, they are not large dogs but they need outdoor space
A healthy Schnauzer can reach 10 – 12 years of age, but even so, they are a dog breed prone to high rates of hip- and elbow dysplasia, hereditary eye disease and thyroid disease.
Blood-clotting diseases and epilepsy are also concerns with Giant Schnauzers as well as bloat. As with all deep-chested breeds, Giant Schnauzers are more at risk with this gastrointestinal syndrome known as bloat and which can be life threatening.
It is your right to ask the breeder about the medical history of your puppy’s parents.
There is no documented history of any genetic or hereditary illnesses in the breed. However, it seems rational to believe they suffered from ailments similar to Labradors and newfoundland though they are smaller dogs.
He is a particularly low shedding dog and so brushing him twice a week will suffice. He loves the closeness with his human family during these grooming sessions.
If you don’t know how to groom yourself, the Giant Schnauzers coat will require hand-stripping or clipping. If you want to keep your dog with that typical Schnauzer look, a visit to a professional groomer will be required as they will also tidy the hair around each paw as well.
Now that the ears are no longer cropped, he has fairly short floppy ears and it will be necessary to ensure that dampness, ear wax and dirt don’t build up to cause ear infections.
The teeth must also be brushed 2 or 3 times a week otherwise plaque buildup can cause dental disease as well as lead to other more serious diseases such as kidney- and heart disease.
If you’re a new dog owner, it can be hard to know which dog food to buy and which ingredients to look out for. Nutrition is of vital importance, and bad ingredients can make your dog sick and shorten his life.
A mix of the best commercially manufactured kibble mixed with home-made food full of the right balance of vitamins and minerals will be important as well as including some raw meat into the diet.
If in any kind of doubt about how to feed a large, energetic dog breed like this Giant Schnauzer, speak to your vet.
As a big, energetic dog, the Giant Schnauzer needs to live on a property where there is a garden. He will be requiring some hectic exercise every day.
1Feeding the puppy – Don’t overfeed – they have a propensity toward obesity. Feed high quality, high protein 3 x a day.
2.Feeding the adult – Don’t overfeed. Feed a high quality, high protein 1-2 x a day.
4. Games and Exercises – They need space to run and they love to explore. They would also love to be near water where they could swim. Good at dock diving, field trials, flyball and frisbee.