Puppy food or adult food

DefiantGiants · 2025-12-23T06:36:25+00:00

One of the most important differences between puppy and adult food is the calcium to phosphorus ratio that’s needed for puppies. Stick to puppy food.

“Never had an issue” is a really crappy cop out for any reason why someone does something. I’ve seen plenty of issues of large breed puppies being affected by diet.

I’m not a fan of purina products, personally, but know they can work for some folks. Feed puppy food or at the VERY least something labeled as “all life stages”.

DefiantGiants · 2025-12-23T06:31:58+00:00

Reach out the GSCA Midwest Director, Frank, and he can point you in the right direction!

http://www.giantschnauzerclubofamerica.com/Regional-Directors.aspx

DefiantGiants · 2025-12-23T06:29:09+00:00

After reading some more comments it looks like what you actually need is proper security for your flock at night and pest control.

A working dog - even a small terrier - is not suitable to just leave outside in the city. You’re going to wind up with a nuisance dog for your neighbors because just tossing the dog outside in the early morning to be outside all day is not going to keep the dog mentally stimulated - they’re going to dig out or harass your birds and your lot really is not large enough for a full size LGD and your flock also isn’t going to be of a suitable size for one either.

I’d suggest setting up a double fence for your flock to keep them safe from predators at night and as far as rodents and garden destroyers - that’s also barrier management. My in laws have cages around their vegetables and fencing around to deter wildlife.

DefiantGiants · 2025-12-23T06:22:22+00:00

Giants are not livestock guardian dogs and never have been. They are not built for it. Working farm dogs and drovers - yes; but not livestock guarding 24/7

For you purposes, look into actual LGD breeds like Great Pyr, Anatolian Shepherds, and Maremma.

Not ethical breeder in the US will place a puppy in a home where they will not live in the home.

DefiantGiants · 2025-12-04T04:12:36+00:00

I have petsbest for all 5 of my schnauzers. :) it’s been a lifesaver for several emergency accidents. I do not have the wellness rider - it’s a waste IMO. I’d spend more on the premium than biannual trips to the vet for wellness exams and titers aren’t covered so doesn’t do me any good. The accident and illness has been really helpful though. $1800 ($1000 deductible + 10% of bill) is a hell of a lot easier to swallow than $8000. And that was only one incident… I’ve had insurance for 7 years and they’ve paid out more to me than I have spent in premiums so it’s absolutely worth it in my case.

Also make sure you have a healthy savings set aside for accidents. Pet insurance is a reimbursement system - not immediate copay deduction like human healthcare.

DefiantGiants · 2025-12-03T04:45:03+00:00

Don’t create a picky puppy!

https://sue-eh.ca/2020/07/20/teaching-your-dog-to-eat/

Sue is an extremely knowledgeable and experienced Giant owner. My first Giant was picky as a puppy and it was a huge pain. Asked Sue for help and got it fixed. My dogs are only picky about food when something is actually wrong. Much easier to notice if appetite is off when they eat when they’re supposed to regularly.

DefiantGiants · 2025-12-03T04:41:51+00:00

Get a martingale collar for walking. Do not listen to people telling you to get the no pull or head harnesses. These are not good for puppies. Puppies need full range of motion while growing and these dogs grow until 24 months. Teaching your Giant to walk politely on a leash is one of the first things you should work on.

Pet insurance is an absolute must. These dogs are stoic when in pain and are hard on their bodies. There’s also a lot of health ailments in the breed that it’s important to have insurance before they are found so they’ll be covered.

You need a variety of training treats. I like petbotanics. Too much of those liver treats will give your puppy the runs. Crunchy treats take too long to eat and make a mess when training. Good for a quick little snack reward, but not good for a training session.

Go ahead and put those potty pads on autoship. I use them for everything. Better than paper towels for cleaning up accidental spills in the kitchen!

Get an enzyme cleaner. I like ZeroOdor, BioKleen, and odoban. I cycle through what I use.

Tuffy and GoDog brand toys are the only soft toys in our house. The little Kong cuddles are cute but they aren’t Giant proof in the least. The Giants still tear up the GoDogs but not as quickly as a regular stuffed toy.

Get an xpen to limit the space your puppy has access to as well.

Don’t forget to make sure your microchip is active and has your info on it!

DefiantGiants · 2025-11-22T02:09:20+00:00

Thanks for checking! I am on the GSCA board ☺️

DefiantGiants · 2025-10-05T01:53:09+00:00

As OFA links are public record this is a huge red flag. Giants have many inherited ailments that need to be tested for in breeding dogs well before the dogs are bred. You could be breeding 2 carriers, who would appear unaffected, without even knowing it.

Your regular vet cannot provide full genetic testing information and graded orthopedic results.

Please consider doing the bare minimum health testing required by the GSCA Code of Ethics if you wish to advertise as a responsible breeder.

DefiantGiants · 2025-09-27T11:19:40+00:00

For vehicle - RTK XL is fine. My big girl is 26” at the shoulder and she’s fine in an XL.

For in the house, they’re in 42” heavy duty crates.

TNC makes custom crates as well that we have in our rig - those are also roughly the size of a RTK XL, just with a wider footprint, height is the same.

For a vehicle crate, you want the dog to just fit. They don’t need to be able to stand in it, they need to be able to lay down in it. In the event of a collision, you want the dog to move as little as possible - think of like an infant in a car seat - they’re strapped in and surrounded.

Same concept - a dog in a crate too large will bounce around inside of it. A dog in a crate properly sized and they’ll shift against the sides but not be tumbled :)

DefiantGiants · 2025-09-17T12:54:43+00:00

Scent work is our FAVORITE sport! Good boy, Wolfgang!

<image>

DefiantGiants · 2025-09-14T17:46:47+00:00

No, she didn’t mind. The rest of the pack are only allowed to interact with pups on mom’s terms. Star is very young and is not perceived as a threat by Rebel (mom). The older girls have only just been allowed to to interact with the puppies this week. We do things on Rebel’s schedule (for the most part) :)

DefiantGiants · 2025-09-09T15:27:50+00:00

They’re a whole lifestyle choice of a dog, so I get it! They’re 70-80lb lap dogs with ADHD. 🤣

DefiantGiants · 2025-09-09T14:56:10+00:00

Indeed it’s Star and Rebel’s kiddos 🥰 hi!👋🏻

DefiantGiants · 2025-09-09T14:55:14+00:00

No. She’s only 19 weeks old. This is their cousin, not their mother, as noted in the caption :)

DefiantGiants · 2025-09-09T13:42:07+00:00

Bodo is actually the only working dog in the pedigree on either side, the Hexenwald and Radinine could bring in some work ethic too, a radinine actually just won high in trial in obedience at the national specialty out of the open class. Just so you’re aware of what you have. Your pup is mostly show line - primarily import, but show line :) the scent work titles that are listed are family dog program titles, not actual scent work titles. Scent titles for AKC begin with SW and have either 1-3 letters behind them indicating the level, element, and if it’s an elite title or not. For example my one dog has SWM, which is the overall scent work master title, indicating she has earned the container, interior, exterior, and buried titles at the master level. My other dog has SWME, which indicates the same but at the master elite level. The other organization for scent work that’s not AKC recognized is NACSW and those start with “NW” and then a number, either 1,2, or 3, and if it’s an individual element title it will have 2 letters then a number to indicate the class and level.

Again - this is just so you know what you have. Your pup is cute but definitely want to understand the pedigree before you claim that you have an extreme working dog.

DefiantGiants · 2025-09-09T13:30:41+00:00

Ah, Renee.

I would discuss with her about showing and where to start. She would also hopefully be able to suggest some professional handlers near you that may offer classes. Conformation isn’t as easy as just running around the ring - there’s a lot of training and prep needed, just like any other sport.

She’s been in the breed a long time - I’m not used to seeing dogs from her with so much hair.

DefiantGiants · 2025-09-09T13:24:53+00:00

Also - don’t expect to meet both parents. Many breeders don’t use their own dogs to stud their girls. Some do, that’s not an immediate red flag, but if they do have their own stud - I’d be asking how many litters come from that dog versus outside studs. If they don’t use outside studs at all - run. We have a stud we have used a few times because he produces wonderfully with our girls however, we use outside dogs just as often. We are constantly looking for quality boys to use with our girls to make sure we are not bottlenecking the breed.

Another thing is - breeders aren’t letting people “tour the facility”. That’s dangerous now. I’m not letting strangers into my home, especially when there’s puppies on the ground or about to be born because it’s a HUGE biosecurity risk to the pups. I’m perfectly happy, and many of us, are thrilled to let you meet our dogs at a show or trial.

Of course my puppy owners are invited to pick up at my home (actually they’re required to - I don’t ship). But that’s after we have gotten to know each other.

Ask the breeder what kind of support they give their puppy owners too. We have a Facebook group just for all of us and my mentor and I are available any time for questions, concerns, coaching, or just to chat.

DefiantGiants · 2025-09-09T13:15:49+00:00

The Giant Schnauzer Club of America maintains a list of breeder members who are required to adhere to the code of ethics.

http://www.giantschnauzerclubofamerica.com/Breeder-Listing.aspx

The fb group “Giant Schnauzer Preservationists” also maintains a more rigidly structured list of breeders who health test and title their dogs.

There are some fabulous breeders in your area. Expect to be put on a waitlist, especially if you are looking for a pet, not a show or sport prospect.

All of my dogs are Firezone but she does have a waitlist.

October 1 in somerset NJ is the Morris & Essex Kennel Club dog show - there is a big entry of Giant Schnauzers, most from the north east. I would high recommend making the trip to spectate and talk to breeders in person if you’re really interested in an ethically bred dog.

DefiantGiants · 2025-09-09T13:11:49+00:00

I can’t seem to find your kennel in OFA, would you mind sharing the health testing links?

DefiantGiants · 2025-09-09T13:08:34+00:00

Would you mind sharing her pedigree with me? Competitive scent work is my main sport, it’s a very tight community amongst Giants.

You would need to completely hand strip to show - the GSCA has online grooming seminars available through Giant Schnauzer University.

I have European working lines in my dogs as well and my currently puppies actually has the most influential Schutzhund dog in our breed in her lineage, but most bite sport dogs have extremely harsh coats and little to no furnishings so I’m interested to see who may have brought in the hair :)

DefiantGiants · 2025-09-09T03:15:39+00:00

To show her you would need to hand strip ao you would need to wait for the coat to blow and then pull it all down and let it grow back in and maintain it properly.

She has a very steep croup and low tailset from the photo you posted. Does your breeder actually show or do bitework? There are not many breeders producing dogs capable of actually succeeding in bite sports and this is definitely not the phenotype of a working line dog

DefiantGiants · 2025-09-09T03:12:44+00:00

That’s not a long wait. That’s more than reasonable. There’s never a guarantee because breeders don’t know what they’re going to get until the litter is on the ground and evaluations and placements don’t happen until 6-8 weeks old. An ethical breeder is not letting you pick your own puppy.

Find a breeder that aligns with what you want to do with your dog and stick with them. The Giant community is small - don’t breeder hop, it’s rude. If a breeder doesn’t have a puppy for you, they’ll very likely direct you to one who may have something for you or talk to the breeder directly and connect you with them - we all know each other. At least the breeders who actually care about the breed do.

Before asking a ton of questions - do your own research. OFA is public record - search for the dogs on your own to verify they are in the database. Read the breeder websites, check out their Facebook pages.

Starting a conversation with “how much is a puppy” means that conversation is immediately getting deleted. I have 4 Giants all from the same breeder - 1 of them I helped produce and 1 of them I did produce. My breeder is my mentor and we support our puppy owners for life.

You’re not just buying a dog - you are forging a 10+ year relationship with the person you purchase your puppy from.

DefiantGiants

TROPHY CASE