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Standard schnauzer -
About breed
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Often called "the dog with the human brain". Is a dog with great temperament,
very strong character, inexhaustible power, always ready to play. I can safely
say that a tired schnauzer is a happy schnauzer. He does not like to be alone.
Most exciting for him is working with human, crazy race outdoors, and long walks
in nature combined with exercises, overcoming obstacles and everything is a
challenge for the standard schnauzer. Easily trained. However, requires "a
strong hand in a velvet glove".
Is standard schnauzer right for
you?
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Schnauzer loves outdoor movement,
it is not a dog for lazy people.
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You must demonstrate
creativity.These dogs love mental work.If you do not ensure him
entertainment he will automaticlly invent something else, not necessarily in
your taste.
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Schnauzer needs a companion.After
the most attractive walk he wiil lay on the couch at your site.
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Watching and looknig after is in
his genes, he will tell you about everything that is happening in the area.
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Even the smallest encouragement
to have fun always consider positive.
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He loves to jump. Both,the
obstacles as well as to face handling out kisses.You must learn to tolerate
it or you will have to be patient in removing these tendencies.
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He is suspicious,and any
anomalies in the behavior of people he will understand as undesirable.Such
person will be very carefully observed.
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He is stubborn.Frequently checks
that the rules introduced yesterday by accident have not been changed today
and tipped in his favor.You have to be consistent.
History of breed
A popular theory of the origin of the Standard Schnauzer is that tradesmen, who
traveled the countryside with carts laden with wares in the 14th century, sought
and bred in Germany a guard dog of medium size, which would not take up too much
room on the cart, yet be strong enough to do the job. To develop this Schnauzer,
it is thought the tradesmen crossed the black German Poodle and the gray
Wolfspitz with Wife-haired Pinscher stock. It is not known just how many years
it took, but at least 50 years passed before the Standard Schnauzer breed was
somewhat fixed. The Standard Schnauzer appears in many paintings from the 15th
century and seems to have been in high favor as a household companion.
German farmers used the dogs to guard their wagons of produce while at or on the
way to market, as well as to keep the stable, barns, and home free of vermin.
They were excellent rat catchers.
Standard Schnauzers were used by both the Red Cross and the German Army in World
War I as guard dogs and dispatch carriers. They were popular because of their
dependability. They have also been used in police work.
The first Standard Schnauzer was imported to the United States around 1900. The
first Standard Schnauzer is said to have been shown at Westminster Kennel Club
in 1899. Once a part of the terrier group, the Standard was reclassified to the
working group in 1945 where it remains today.
In 1925, the Schnauzer Club of America, first called the Wire-haired Pinscher
Club, was formed, and in 1933, the Standard Schnauzer Club of America was formed.
Like other breeds, the Standard Schnauzer has its official breed standard,
established by the SSCA and AKC, which is used to judge the dogs in conformation
competition. The breed can also be found competing in the obedience, rally, and
agility rings; herding and tracking trials; and doing therapy work.
Breed Standard
General Appearance
The Standard Schnauzer is a robust, heavy-set dog, sturdily built with good
muscle and plenty of bone; square-built in proportion of body length to height.
His rugged build and dense harsh coat are accentuated by the hallmark of the
breed, the arched eyebrows and the bristly mustache and whiskers. Faults--Any
deviation that detracts from the Standard Schnauzer's desired general appearance
of a robust, active, square-built, wire-coated dog. Any deviation from the
specifications in the Standard is to be considered a fault and should be
penalized in proportion to the extent of the deviation.
Size, Proportion, Substance
Ideal height at the highest point of the shoulder blades, 18½ to 19½ inches for
males and 17½ inches to 18½ inches for females. Dogs measuring over or under
these limits must be faulted in proportion to the extent of the deviation. Dogs
measuring more than one half inch over or under these limits must be
disqualified. The height at the highest point of the withers equals the length
from breastbone to point of rump.
Head
Head strong, rectangular, and elongated; narrowing slightly from the ears to the
eyes and again to the tip of the nose. The total length of the head is about one
half the length of the back measured from the withers to the set-on of the tail.
The head matches the sex and substance of the dog. Expression alert, highly
intelligent, spirited. Eyes medium size; dark brown; oval in shape and turned
forward; neither round nor protruding. The brow is arched and wiry, but vision
is not impaired nor eyes hidden by too long an eyebrow.
Ears set high, evenly shaped with moderate thickness of leather and carried
erect when cropped. If uncropped, they are of medium size, V-shaped and mobile
so that they break at skull level and are carried forward with the inner edge
close to the cheek. Faults--Prick, or hound ears.
Skull ( Occiput to Stop ) moderately broad between the ears with the
width of the skull not exceeding two thirds the length of the skull. The skull
must be flat; neither domed nor bumpy; skin unwrinkled. There is a slight stop
which is accentuated by the wiry brows. Muzzle strong, and both parallel and
equal in length to the topskull; it ends in a moderately blunt wedge with wiry
whiskers accenting the rectangular shape of the head. The topline of the muzzle
is parallel with the topline of the skull. Nose is large, black and full. The
lips should be black, tight and not overlapping. Cheeks--Well developed chewing
muscles, but not so much that "cheekiness" disturbs the rectangular head form.
Bite - A full complement of white teeth, with a strong, sound scissors
bite. The canine teeth are strong and well developed with the upper incisors
slightly overlapping and engaging the lower. The upper and lower jaws are
powerful and neither overshot nor undershot. Faults--A level bite is considered
undesirable but a lesser fault than an overshot or undershot mouth.
Neck, Topline, Body
Neck strong, of moderate thickness and length, elegantly arched and
blending cleanly into the shoulders. The skin is tight, fitting closely to the
dry throat with no wrinkles or dewlaps. The topline of the back should not be
absolutely horizontal, but should have a slightly descending slope from the
first vertebra of the withers to the faintly curved croup and set-on of the tail.
Back strong, firm, straight and short. Loin well developed, with the distance
from the last rib to the hips as short as possible.
Body compact, strong, short-coupled and substantial so as to permit great
flexibility and agility. Faults--Too slender or shelly; too bulky or
coarse.
Chest of medium width with well sprung ribs, and if it could be seen in
cross section would be oval. The breastbone is plainly discernible. The brisket
must descend at least to the elbows and ascend gradually to the rear with the
belly moderately drawn up. Fault--Excessive tuck-up. Croup full and
slightly rounded. Tail set moderately high and carried erect. It is
docked to not less than one inch nor more than two inches. FaultSquirrel
tail.
Forequarters
Shoulders-The sloping shoulder blades are strongly muscled, yet flat and well
laid back so that the rounded upper ends are in a nearly vertical line above the
elbows. They slope well forward to the point where they join the upper arm,
forming as nearly as possible a right angle when seen from the side. Such an
angulation permits the maximum forward extension of the forelegs without binding
or effort. Forelegs straight, vertical, and without any curvature when seen from
all sides; set moderately far apart; with heavy bone; elbows set close to the
body and pointing directly to the rear. Dewclaws on the forelegs may be removed.
Feet small and compact, round with thick pads and strong black nails. The toes
are well closed and arched (cat's paws) and pointing straight ahead.
Hindquarters
Strongly muscled, in balance with the forequarters, never appearing higher than
the shoulders. Thighs broad with well bent stifles. The second thigh, from knee
to hock, is approximately parallel with an extension of the upper neck line. The
legs, from the clearly defined hock joint to the feet, are short and
perpendicular to the ground and, when viewed from the rear, are parallel to each
other. Dewclaws, if any, on the hind legs are generally removed. Feet as in
front.
Coat
Tight, hard, wiry and as thick as possible, composed of a soft, close undercoat
and a harsh outer coat which, when seen against the grain, stands up off the
back, lying neither smooth nor flat. The outer coat (body coat) is trimmed (by
plucking) only to accent the body outline.
As coat texture is of the greatest importance, a dog may be considered in show
coat with back hair measuring from 3/4 to 2 inches in length. Coat on the ears,
head, neck, chest, belly and under the tail may be closely trimmed to give the
desired typical appearance of the breed. On the muzzle and over the eyes the
coat lengthens to form the beard and eyebrows; the hair on the legs is longer
than that on the body. These "furnishings" should be of harsh texture and should
not be so profuse as to detract from the neat appearance or working capabilities
of the dog. Faults--Soft, smooth, curly, wavy or shaggy; too long or too short;
too sparse or lacking undercoat; excessive furnishings; lack of furnishings.
Color
Pepper and salt or pure black.
Pepper and Salt-The typical pepper and salt color of the topcoat results
from the combination of black and white hairs, and white hairs banded with black.
Acceptable are all shades of pepper and salt and dark iron gray to silver gray.
Ideally, pepper and salt Standard Schnauzers have a gray undercoat, but a tan or
fawn undercoat is not to be penalized. It is desirable to have a darker facial
mask that harmonizes with the particular shade of coat color. Also, in pepper
and salt dogs, the pepper and salt mixture may fade out to light gray or silver
white in the eyebrows, whiskers, cheeks, under throat, across chest, under tail,
leg furnishings, under body, and inside legs.
Black-Ideally the black Standard Schnauzer should be a true rich color,
free from any fading or discoloration or any admixture of gray or tan hairs. The
undercoat should also be solid black. However, increased age or continued
exposure to the sun may cause a certain amount of fading and burning. A small
white smudge on the chest is not a fault. Loss of color as a result of scars
from cuts and bites is not a fault.
Faults-Any colors other than specified, and any shadings or mixtures
thereof in the topcoat such as rust, brown, red, yellow or tan; absence of
peppering; spotting or striping; a black streak down the back; or a black saddle
without typical salt and pepper coloring-and gray hairs in the coat of a black;
in blacks, any undercoat color other than black.
Gait
Sound, strong, quick, free, true and level gait with powerful, well angulated
hindquarters that reach out and cover ground. The forelegs reach out in a stride
balancing that of the hindquarters. At a trot, the back remains firm and level,
without swaying, rolling or roaching. When viewed from the rear, the feet,
though they may appear to travel close when trotting, must not cross or strike.
Increased speed causes feet to converge toward the center line of gravity.
Faults-Crabbing or weaving; paddling, rolling, swaying; short, choppy,
stiff, stilted rear action; front legs that throw out or in (East and West
movers); hackney gait, crossing over, or striking in front or rear.
Temperament
The Standard Schnauzer has highly developed senses, intelligence, aptitude for
training, fearlessness, endurance and resistance against weather and illness.
His nature combines high-spirited temperament with extreme reliability.
Faults--In weighing the seriousness of a fault, greatest consideration
should be given to deviation from the desired alert, highly intelligent,
spirited, reliable character of the Standard Schnauzer. Dogs that are shy or
appear to be highly nervous should be seriously faulted and dismissed from the
ring. Vicious dogs shall be disqualified.
Disqualifications
Males under 18 inches or over 20 inches in height. Females under 17 inches or
over 19 inches in height.
Vicious dogs.
Approved February 9, 1991
Effective March 27, 1991
This material is published from the
American Kennel Club
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