Page 258 - Showsight December 2020

Topskull and muzzle are of equal length.
DEFINING THE
STANDARD SCHNAUZER
BY ARDEN COE HOLST
Dark brown eyes, pretty head, and excellent pepper and salt-colored coat.
The Standard Schnauzer is a medium-sized dog breed origi- nating in the rich farming area of Southern Germany. Writ- ten documentation traces them back to the early 1800’s, though they may have existed long before that time. Orga-
nized development of the breed began in the mid-19th century with the founding of the Pinscher Schnauzer Klub to represent the six Pinscher and Schnauzer breeds in the German Kennel Club. In 1902, the Klub published the first stud book going back to birthdates as early as 1880.
Few Schnauzers made it across the pond before the 1920s. It wasn’t until after World War I that they were imported to the United States in meaningful numbers. Soldiers coming home from the European front had seen Standard Schnauzers on the battlefields as messenger dogs for the German Red Cross. Their courage under fire was said to be impres- sive. During peacetime, they had been a common farm dog, guarding the farmer’s yard, killing rats in the stable, and herding cattle to market.
With war over, a wider interest in this breed developed. Many were imported into the United States, some by well-financed show kennels that gave the breed a robust introduction and helped to popularize it. The Schnauzer Club of America was founded in 1925 and included fanciers of both Miniature and Standard Schnauzers. In 1933, the club divided into the Standard Schnauzer Club of America and the American Miniature Schnauzer Club. Though the Miniature Schnauzers remained in the Terrier Group, the Standard Schnauzers, in 1945, moved into the Working Group where they remain today with the Giant Schnauzer and the German Pinscher.
Why was the breed moved to the Working Group? The argument has to do with both conformation and genetics. Genetically, Standard Schnauzers are unrelated to the British Terrier breeds. Recent genetic studies have determined that they are, instead, descended from the ancient hunting and herding dogs of Central Europe.
Structurally, Standards are a square-built Working dog. Like the Boxer and Doberman, among others, their length, measured from chest to rump, equals their height, measured from the withers to the ground. Overall, these Working breeds are built for strength and endurance. The front angle formed between upper arm and shoulder blade is as close to 90-degrees as possible, which allows the dog to stride out freely. In the rear, the pelvis slopes at about a 30-degree angle resulting in a
256 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, DECEMBER 2020