Searching for Puppy GS

[Fletch27011968]

Hello All,

New to forum but hopefully a regular soon.

Looking for a puppy giant, would ideally like a male pup, we've just lost our Male Kerry Blue terrier after 12years a very sad occasion.

We've always had dogs, mostly headstrong terriers so experience in high energy headstrong dogs.

Willing to go on a waiting list of needed for the right dog.

Thanks
Lorraine

[Fletch27011968]

Sorry live on Wirral so lots of beaches and good walking areas around here.

[Fletch27011968]

We've now found a dog.

[zeta1454]

We've now found a dog.

Welcome to the Forum and good luck with your new puppy. Fun times ahead

[Oscar 12345]

Fantastic, how exciting. Please keep us up-to-date with how it goes, I absolutely love Giants and am very interested in what they are like to train etc.

[Dawnspell]

We've now found a dog.

When are bringing him home ? What colour? Any pictures ?

[Fletch27011968]

Unfortunately we were let down, so back to searching for a giant, if you know of any please let me know.

Thanks

[zeta1454]

Hi Lorraine - sorry to hear that your search was unsuccessful.

Have you contacted the Assured Breeders for Giant Schauzers to see if any of them are planning a litter?

Giant Schnauzers are quite a challenging breed, there are only a small number of pups registered annually (282 pups in the whole of the UK in 2019 and just 50 pups in the first quarter of this year compared to miniature schnauzers 4,982 in 2019 and 1,057 pups in the first quarter of 2020) so it is quite likely you will need to go on a waiting list. The lockdown restrictions have also had an impact on reputable breeders in that many have decided not to breed until life gets back to some kind of normality so this too means a wait is most likely for a well bred puppy.

This is the link to the Assured Breeders for Giant Schnauzers all of whom will have been inspected by the Kennel Club assessors to check they meet the requirements of the Scheme, they will have to have carried out relevant health tests and provide a Contract and ongoing advice/support to new puppy families:

https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/servic ... +Schnauzer

I will send an email with the name of one of these breeders who I know to be reputable and dedicated to the welfare of the breed as a whole and the wellbeing of their dogs.

Good luck and do check out thoroughly any breeder for yourself as the integrity and knowledge of the breeder is vital especially if you are taking on a puppy from a breed you are unfamiliar with.

[Fletch27011968]

Thank you very much for help and advice, I'll start contacting breeders.

[Fletch27011968]

Still looking! Would take young dog that needs rehoming less than 7 months ideally.

[zeta1454]

Still looking! Would take young dog that needs rehoming less than 7 months ideally.

Hi Lorraine, for a well bred GS puppy you are likely to need to be on a waiting list possibly for up to a year or more. This is a breed with very few pups bred annually and therefore especially in the wake of the lockdown / coronavirus situation you are unlikely to find a puppy quickly. In the late 1990s we waited a year on a list for a miniature schnauzer and since then have waited two years on waiting lists for an Affenpinscher puppy and three years for our second.

When you are looking to introduce a new puppy to your family, it is always best to allow for a long wait for the right one which gives you a chance to fully prepare for them, especially if you are new to the breed. Giant Schnauzers are a working dog, intelligent, large dogs that require careful handling and plenty of mental stimulation and training. They are not like a terrier at all. If you compare the GS description with the Kerry Blue you will see the differences even in short lists like these:

https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/servic ... px?id=5089

https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/servic ... px?id=3071

The Giant Schnauzer Club have a more extensive description:

http://giantschnauzerclub.co.uk/the-breed/4594907765

When considering rehoming, you are immediately going to increase the demands on you and your knowledge and understanding of this kind of dog and rarely will a reputable breeder place an older puppy with a novice family. Dogs being rehomed at just over 6 months from a good breeder are most likely to be those which have not made the grade for the show ring so will have been raised well but are almost certainly going to be placed with families known to the breeder as good homes for the specific breed and probably those who already have had pups from them in the past. The other source of pups between 6 months and a year of age is private sales of unwanted pets which have come from poor quality breeders and were placed in unsuitable homes from the start. These will be extremely demanding pups with likely health and behaviour issues which require special rehabilitation and care to avoid them ending up euthanised as uncontrollable.

If you are new to any breed you really should source a puppy from the best breeder who can advise and support you in the future if needed and even more so if you are contemplating such a challenging breed as a GS. Anyone getting a puppy of any breed should be considering how they can give that pup the best possible life for the whole of its life and it is a huge commitment and responsibility no less than if someone decides to have a child and plans and prepares for nine months or more for that addition to the family. Time is not the priority - finding the right breed of dog for your family and the right breeder are the first priorities and that can in some cases mean waiting a year or more not a week or two.

[Fletch27011968]

Sorry Zeta,
I'm sure you are very well meaning but some of your comments are quite offensive, assuming I'm inexperienced with dogs and I do not know how much commitment any dog takes a GS or not.

I have had six dogs of my own, all have been fully loved and I know much commitment any dog takes?

You can read all the descriptions you want but at the end of the day it's how you raise a dog and how much effort you put into one, all my dogs have been very well trained and socialised dogs. I'm fully aware of the commitment a Working breed takes having worked with many Rottweiler, Dobermans and Dogue De Bordeaux all family or friends dogs, that's the reason I want a GS now not 10, 20 or 30 years ago, the commitment and effort one takes.

It is easy to say a year or two when you have another dog but when you have none it is very difficult, I generally only have one dog at a time so its gets my full commitment some people have more that is great for them but for me one is enough.

I have tried to put my name on a waiting list with a couple of breeders but have no lists at the moment, hopefully I will find a breeder that can help.

Thanks

[zeta1454]

Sorry Zeta,
I'm sure you are very well meaning but some of your comments are quite offensive, assuming I'm inexperienced with dogs and I do not know how much commitment any dog takes a GS or not.

I have had six dogs of my own, all have been fully loved and I know much commitment any dog takes?

You can read all the descriptions you want but at the end of the day it's how you raise a dog and how much effort you put into one, all my dogs have been very well trained and socialised dogs. I'm fully aware of the commitment a Working breed takes having worked with many Rottweiler, Dobermans and Dogue De Bordeaux all family or friends dogs, that's the reason I want a GS now not 10, 20 or 30 years ago, the commitment and effort one takes.

It is easy to say a year or two when you have another dog but when you have none it is very difficult, I generally only have one dog at a time so its gets my full commitment some people have more that is great for them but for me one is enough.

I have tried to put my name on a waiting list with a couple of breeders but have no lists at the moment, hopefully I will find a breeder that can help.

Thanks

Hi Lorraine - sorry if my post upset you as that was not my intention but, from your original post on the Forum, it seemed that your experience was mostly with terriers and, as you had not mentioned being experienced with working breeds, I was concerned that you may not have realised how different they can be. I did not mean to suggest you were inexperienced with dogs generally but just that being new to any breed large or small can often mean that it is even more important to have the support and advice of a good breeder to explain the quirks of temperament, behaviour, grooming, exercise etc. which may vary substantially between breeds even within a "group" and may not always be mentioned in descriptions of the breed online or in books. As you say, you can read as much as you like about a breed but knowing what it is like to live with a particular dog will only come with experience and shared advice and knowledge, and training will also need to be adapted to the individual breed, as you doubtless know.

I absolutely understand that the loss of a dog in your life leaves a gap that you want to be filled before months or years go by. Unfortunately the current health crisis has meant that reputable breeders of almost all breeds are not planning litters until some normality is re-established and this is a countrywide situation. Added to which, Giant Schnauzers are effectively a "rare breed" in terms of numbers of puppies born even in a good year (under 300) which means that anyone looking for a puppy or to be added to a waiting list is going have to accept that they may have a considerable wait for a well bred pup. Some breeds such as the miniature schnauzer are not as hard to source since the numbers of pups registered with the Kennel Club each year runs into thousands not just a few hundred and, despite a good proportion of these not being from the best breeders, there are still quite a number of good breeders from whom to find a puppy.

It is frustrating when you have set your heart on a particular breed but I was just trying to explain why it may be harder to source a well bred GS in the near future than it might be with another breed and/ or at a better time as regards the aftermath of the pandemic. I do wish you luck in your search as I said before and hope you do find the puppy you want before too long.

[Fletch27011968]

Thanks Zeta,
I do understand what you are saying in all respects, plus the pandemic is frustrating in many ways and I respect breeders that have told me they are not willing to breed at moment and I'm not happy to wait but will wait as long as needed, hopefully situation will get better in the near future.

My big fear is as the world returns to a level of normality a lot of dogs will be abandoned to shelters.

[zeta1454]

We live in Switzerland and went to Germany (Bavaria) to collect Enya Pepper Salt puppy. I saw her determined little face as a puppy on a World Dog Site, didn't know what "IT" was, thought maybe Dachshound!! After one hour's talking to the breeder, we bought her, sight unseen, and shortly afterwards journeyed to Bavaria to collect her. She was our first bitch - and what a bitch!! She was perfect for us. Lively, nosy, cheeky but happy to watch TV with us in the evening.

Sadly Enya left us just before her 5th birthday. We were heartbroken. She contracted a spleen disease and the end came very quickly. Before that she had never been ill at all.
.

Giant Schnauzer = Riesenschnauzer
Medium Schnauzer = Mittelschnauzer
Miniature Schnauzer = Zwergschnauzer

So sorry to read that Enya has passed away. Heartbreaking news. Thinking of you and the family - Leigh