Giant Schnauzers are high maintenance in the grooming department all thanks to the structure of their coats which need to be frequently and regularly maintained in order to keep these dogs looking at their best. Dogs also benefit from being hand stripped on a regular basis which is best left up to the experts. The same can be said of clipping a Giant Schnauzer because when their coats are clipped by a professional dog groomer, maintaining them in-between visits is made a lot easier. Ideally, a Giant Schnauzer's coat needs to be clipped every 8 to 10 weeks or so to keep them in top condition and looking good. Their coats also need to be dragged out from time to time using a fine-toothed comb and this applies to Giant Schnauzers that have been clipped too.
With this said, their coats need regular brushing and the best tool to use on a Giant Schnauzer is a slicker brush which will effectively get rid of any loose and dead hair. Regular brushing also helps prevent hair from matting on a dog's legs and in their beards. Their ears need to be checked regularly and any hairs inside have to be carefully and gently plucked out so that air can circulate in their ear canals which prevents any moisture from building up in them. Too much moisture in a dog's ear provides the perfect environment for an ear infection to take hold and these can be notoriously hard to clear up. In short, prevention is a lot easier than cure.
The Giant Schnauzer boasts being a large, but athletic dog and as such they need to be given a ton of daily exercise for them to be truly happy, relaxed characters. This means taking a dog for a walk for a minimum of 2 hours a day. As previously mentioned, they are also highly intelligent dogs which means Giant Schnauzers also need lot of mental stimulation to prevent them from getting bored. A bored dog will get into all sorts of trouble and they will be that much harder to handle which is something to be avoided with such large dogs.
If you get a Giant Schnauzer puppy from a breeder, they would give you a feeding schedule and it's important to stick to the same routine, feeding the same puppy food to avoid any tummy upsets. You can change a puppy's diet, but this needs to be done very gradually always making sure they don't develop any digestive upsets and if they do, it's best to put them back on their original diet and to discuss things with the vet before attempting to change it again.
Older dogs are not known to be fussy or finicky eaters, but this does not mean you can feed them a lower quality diet. It's best to feed a mature do twice a day, once in the morning and then again in the evening, making sure it's good quality food that meets all their nutritional requirements. It's also important that dogs be given the right amount of exercise so they burn off any excess calories or they might gain too much weight which can lead to all sorts of health issues. Obesity can shorten a dog's life by several years so it's important to keep an eye on their waistline from the word go.
It's important not to feed a Giant Schnauzer just before they go out for a walk or when they have just come back from one. The reason being that these dogs are liable to develop bloat thanks to the fact they are so deep chested.
