The basic bronco

My grandmother's sister had a Schnauzer, although I'm not sure whether it was Standard or Giant. It looked Giant to us kids. Apparently, this particular dog was almost a Schnauzer caricature: a virtual lap dog towards the owners, and extremely aggressive towards everyone else, including neighbours, relatives and us kids. Its barks sounded psychotic, and the dog had to be placed in a literal cage on the front yard every time grandma's sister had visitors. Approaching the cage was a bad idea. A causal stroll outside Little Pumpkin's doghouse was another no-no.

As you might imagine, I enjoyed reading "Giant Schnauzers" by Joe Stahlkuppe. While Mushkins might have been extreme, her "issues" were certainly typical of Giants in particular. This is definitely not a breed for the beginner, or for families with small children. Indeed, the author recommends new owners to have a mentor or pay for a special trainer! Stern, consistent and constant training is required to socialize a Giant Schnauzer, and even then, some dogs might still not "get it". The innate suspicion of the Giant against strangers makes it the perfect protector, but also a potential threat to the pizza delivery man, mail man or door-to-door salesman. As Stahlkuppe points out: "A Giant Schnauzer loose in a suburban neighbourhood is, at the very least, a potential lawsuit".

One thing that struck me while reading the book, is that Giant Schnauzer's require stable, conservative families. Divorcing your wife and then introducing the dog to your new companion and her kids would be a VERY bad idea. It probably wouldn't accept them - ever. Small wonder this breed is a product of 19th century Germany. Nor is it surprising that the Giant Schnauzer is a popular police dog. On the other hand, even Giants have a certain "feminist" potential. Had I been a childless, old widow in bad surroundings, this would definitely be my first choice for a pet/protector!

"Giant Schnauzers" is an introductory book for people who never heard of this particular breed before. Still, I think it contains enough information to decide whether this is your kind of dog or not. (Probably not!) It also contains a lot of colour photographs of this adorable creature, including a photo of a Giant approaching two leashed sheep. The caption reads: "It is important to socialize a Giant with any animals that it may encounter".

You might say that again.

(This review is based on the 2002 edition.)