Grooming
The Standard Schnauzer is a double-coated breed. The undercoat is very soft and fluffy and requires racking. The correct topcoat is made of tri-colored hairs and is very coarse to repel of water and dirt. The coat of a well groomed Standard Schnauzer should shed very little, if at all.
If the coat is maintained, Schnauzers do not develop a strong or bad odor and do not need to be bathed. Typically for show dogs we only bath the legs, furnishings and beard. Beard and leg hair must be combed and brushed often to prevent the formation of mats.
Hand stripping of the coat is typically performed when the hair reaches approximately 3-inches in length. To maintain the clean and sharp appearance, hand stripping should be performed every couple of weeks.
The coat may be clipped if hand stripping is not an option, and it requires less maintenance. One side effect of clipping is that the coat/hair will lose its coarseness and will become lighter in time. If clipping is your preferred method of helping to maintain your Standard Schnauzer’s coat it should be performed approximately every 3 – 4 months.
Like any other breed, regular grooming is required such as: nail clipping, ear cleaning and teeth brushing.
We offer grooming services if required and are always here to provide advise on hand stripping and training