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Giant Schnauzer breeders

The Giant Schnauzer is the biggest of the three schnauzer breeds, and The Royal Kennel Club places it in the Working group.

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Advertise your Giant Schnauzer puppies, litters and stud dogs

Do you breed Giant Schnauzers? List your kennel on caninebreeder.co.uk so buyers searching for Giant Schnauzer puppies for sale, and breeders looking for a Giant Schnauzer stud dog, can find you. You can advertise planned litters, puppies and stud dogs, and set out your hip, elbow, eye and DNA results. A basic listing shows your kennel name, location, website, social media and categories, and paid plans unlock more showcase features. Add your listing or see pricing.

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Is it free to advertise here?

Yes. A breeder profile and your litter and stud dog adverts are free. Premium profiles, featured placement and sponsored articles are optional paid extras; see pricing.

Do I need a licence to advertise puppies?

In England you need a dog breeding licence from your council if you breed three or more litters in 12 months or breed and sell dogs as a business, and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schemes. Licensed breeders show their licence number and issuing council on every advert. Puppies must be at least eight weeks old before they go to new homes.

Is my listing already here?

We add licensed breeders from councils' public registers. Search for your kennel name; if it is listed you can claim it and edit everything.

About the Giant Schnauzer

The Giant Schnauzer is the biggest of the three schnauzer breeds, and The Royal Kennel Club places it in the Working group. According to the RKC, cattle farmers around Munich produced it by crossing Standard Schnauzers with larger dogs to handle unruly cattle; when livestock began to travel by rail, it moved on to guarding, police duties and tracking. The Giant Schnauzer Club adds that it was first known as the Munich Schnauzer, that it guarded breweries and butchers' shops once the drives ended, and that the first Giant arrived in the UK in the 1960s. Today UK Giants are kept as companions and show dogs, and some take part in IGP, obedience, agility and mantrailing. Compare the Schnauzer and Miniature Schnauzer, or browse other working breed breeders.

Size and build. The RKC classes it as large. The breed standard asks for a powerful, sinewy dog of almost square outline, with dogs 65 to 70 cm at the withers and bitches 60 to 65 cm.

Coat and grooming. A harsh, wiry topcoat covers a good undercoat, in pure black, pepper and salt, or black and silver. The RKC lists it as non-shedding but needing daily grooming. The club's FAQs put stripping, clipping or trimming at roughly every 8 to 12 weeks, warn that the beard and legs mat unless brushed often, and say the breed is not necessarily hypoallergenic. See our page on low-shedding breeds.

Exercise. The RKC suggests more than two hours a day for an adult and lists a large house and large garden, in either town or country. The club restricts exercise for puppies under a year, favouring free running on soft ground, and suggests at least an hour of off-lead running plus a further hour of training or other exercise for adults. Working trials and IGP suit some owners.

Temperament and suitability. The standard calls for a bold, reliable, good-natured and composed dog. The club's breed characteristics page describes a loyal dog that wants to join in everything, guards its home and can be aloof with strangers, and it stresses consistent, positive training through adolescence. It also cautions that a Giant may knock over a toddler and that two adults of the same sex may not get on. The RKC gives a lifespan of over 12 years; in the club's 2023 health survey of 63 deceased Giants, the median age at death was 10.

Giant Schnauzer health tests

The RKC Giant Schnauzer page sets out the breed's requirements under the Health Standard. At good-practice level, breeding dogs should be hip scored and elbow graded under the BVA/RKC schemes and DNA tested for prcd-PRA, with genetic diversity prioritised. Best practice adds eye examination under the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme, including litter screening, and DNA tests for dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), PRA5 and hyperuricosuria (HUU); the RKC announced the HUU scheme in June 2025. The breed sits in Breed Watch Category 1, meaning no conformation-related concerns are flagged for judges.

The Giant Schnauzer health website, produced with the breed health co-ordinator and the three UK breed clubs, explains each condition. The DCM caused by the RBM20 mutation affects young dogs, with signs possible from one to two years of age. HUU leads to urate crystals and kidney or bladder stones, which most often cause trouble between three and six years; Laboklin figures from 2024 quoted on the site show 36% of Giants tested across Europe as carriers. PRA5 was identified in a UK-bred litter in 2016. The site also covers hypothyroidism and epilepsy, and the club's pre-breeding screening advice asks for the eye examination to be repeated every year.

  • BVA/RKC Hip Dysplasia Scheme (RKC good practice)
  • BVA/RKC Elbow Dysplasia Scheme (RKC good practice)
  • DNA test: progressive retinal atrophy, prcd-PRA (RKC good practice)
  • Prioritising genetic diversity (RKC good practice)
  • BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme, including litter screening (RKC best practice)
  • DNA test: dilated cardiomyopathy, DCM (RKC best practice)
  • DNA test: progressive retinal atrophy, PRA5 (RKC best practice)
  • DNA test: hyperuricosuria, HUU (RKC best practice)
  • Breed Watch: Category 1

Choosing a Giant Schnauzer breeder

A good Giant Schnauzer breeder should be able to show hip and elbow results and prcd-PRA DNA results for both parents, and ideally the best-practice results too: a current eye certificate and DCM, PRA5 and HUU DNA results. The Giant Schnauzer Club's buying guide suggests hip scores around or ideally below the breed average, which it gives as 12, and elbow grades of 0, or no higher than 1. It also recommends asking for the litter eye screening certificate and confirming the puppy has had a vet check, visiting to meet the breeder's dogs and the mother, and seeing the whole litter in clean surroundings. It warns against dealers, pet shops and anyone who pressures you to buy. Given the breed's exercise, training and grooming needs, expect the breeder to ask about your time, home and experience. In England a council licence is needed to breed three or more litters in 12 months and sell any puppies, or to run a business breeding and advertising dogs, and the licence number must appear in adverts. Check the parents on the RKC Health Test Results Finder and read our buyer safety guide.

  • Can I see both parents' hip scores, elbow grades and eye certificates?
  • What are the parents' prcd-PRA, PRA5, DCM and HUU DNA results?
  • Has this litter been eye screened under the BVA/KC/ISDS scheme?
  • What is the coefficient of inbreeding for this mating, and how does it compare with the breed average?
  • How should I exercise the puppy while it grows, and will you help if the dog ever needs a new home?

Giant Schnauzer questions

Do Giant Schnauzers shed, and are they hypoallergenic?

The Royal Kennel Club lists the coat as non-shedding, although it needs grooming every day. The Giant Schnauzer Club says owners may still find clumps of undercoat around the house, that the coat needs stripping, clipping or trimming roughly every 8 to 12 weeks, and that the breed is not necessarily hypoallergenic because it still produces dander and saliva. If you have allergies, spend time with the breed before committing.

How much exercise does a Giant Schnauzer need?

The RKC suggests more than two hours a day for an adult. The Giant Schnauzer Club suggests at least an hour of off-lead running plus another hour of training or other exercise, and restricted exercise for puppies under a year, with free running on soft ground preferred to long lead walks.

What health tests should Giant Schnauzer parents have?

Under the RKC Health Standard, good practice is hip and elbow screening under the BVA/RKC schemes and a prcd-PRA DNA test, with genetic diversity prioritised. Best practice adds eye testing under the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme, including litter screening, and DNA tests for DCM, PRA5 and hyperuricosuria (HUU).

Are Giant Schnauzers good with children?

The Giant Schnauzer Club describes a loyal family dog that is good with children, but warns that its size and exuberance can knock over a toddler. It is a natural guard that needs consistent training and company, so it suits families with the time and experience to give.

More for Giant Schnauzer owners and breeders

Official sources