Magna Giant Schnauzers

22/02/2024

And to add clarity relative to GS... no you cannot train a GS to be a Golden. They have potential innate tendencies (DNA) as a protection breed you would be lucky to alter enough to have enough control to have an emergency break before disaster. THEY ARE LIONS, NOT LAMBS!
They are wonderful dogs but you must learn about their nature and dance THEIR DANCE! They may not all manifest the things you do not prefer, but you dang well better be prepared with a plan and an open and honest mind. Smart people who are teachable usually do well with this breed.

I’ve shared this one before in the past …as well as preached it forever. The 3 repeated lines there 👇🏼👇🏼 need to be read 1000000times This is an insanely stressful job when it’s a massive uphill undertaking….. Doesn’t matter if it’s a “fighting dog breed”, hunting dog breed, protection dog breed, herding breed or whatever….. Genetic tendencies can be extreme ….which for working dogs is great…..but those same tendencies in an unsatisfied dog will absolutely lead to problems in most homes. I mean I sell hunting dogs to hunters who still end up having to place them 🤷🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️. But this here is as equally important……What else those 3 lines 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼 apply to are …if you’ve bought poor quality then no amount of training can put in good quality. You can halfway polish it but it’s still poor quality. Just because a breeder told you “it’s parents are hunting stock” or you saw 8 pictures on a breeders website of the dogs maybe training/hunting …. That does not mean that pup is worth a hill of beans. Results actually happen and come much easier with good genetics than they do …..and if they do at all with bad genetics.

31/01/2024

And there are so many more great reasons to buy from a responsible breeder!
Please share!

06/01/2024

Yep.

This is one of the reasons why we do not like invisible fences for our adoptions:

This little guy got out of his invisible fence...no doubt chasing a squirrel that was outside the boundary. He managed to fight off the coyotes that tried to kill him.
The shock collar around his neck had prevented his return to his home and yard, so he went back into the woods to lay down to die. His owner was determined to find him. When he was found he was pretty torn up with a temp of 94°F.
Invisible fencing is Not going to keep animals, or other threats out of your yard.
If your dog runs through the barrier in pursuit of a critter, he's going to get corrected by that collar if he tries to get back home.... Please reconsider invisible fencing. People may say that they have been using them for years without issue.
However, it only takes once

02/01/2024

Puppy Valor and me 4/10/11. 7 months of age.

30/12/2023

What do you think of this?! If true, it's horrifying! And I wonder what else these are doing we can't notice. I don't trust these smart things anyway.

PSA: We adopted our dog, Rowdy, from the shelter 5 years ago. He was already an adult dog, so we estimate he is about 11 or 12 years old at this point. I love this dog. He is the sweetest soul and my BFF. For the past week or so he hasn’t been acting like himself. He licked a raw spot on his foot. He was panting constantly. He was pacing. Sunday morning, the pacing and panting got so bad, and I was REALLY nervous that there was something seriously wrong with him. For 45 minutes, he panted like crazy and constantly paced back and forth. He was keeping his tail tucked down all the time. His ears were pinned back. He would not settle down and he wouldn’t eat. We tried everything. I ended up giving him a trazadone that he takes sometimes when he goes to the groomer. It seemed to take a little bit of the edge off, but not much. He still wouldn’t eat and still wouldn’t settle. I took off work on Monday so I could take him to the vet. We did bloodwork and x-rays. Knowing he is a senior dog, I was trying to prepare myself for the worst case scenario. I was glad to see his bloodwork was great except for some elevated liver enzymes. The x-rays showed he was a little backed up but no major issues. He got an anti-nausea injection and some Gabapentin to help with some tenderness in his back and to hopefully help keep him calm. When we got home, he was ok for a little bit, but eventually started pacing and panting again. We walked around the neighborhood for a long time and he used the bathroom a lot. He seemed pretty happy about that and was in good spirits until we got home and he refused to come back in the house. Every time I took him out that evening, he would hunker down like he didn’t want to come back in the house. When my vet called and I gave her the update, she suggested there may be some new electronic device in the house that was emitting a high frequency noise that is hurting his ears. We had just put new smart outlets in the house about a week ago. His pacing and panting were worse when the lamps were on, so I unplugged all the smart outlets. He stopped panting, stopped pacing, and ate his food. His tail was even up and wagging again. When I plugged the smart outlets all back in and asked Alexa to turn on the lamps, he immediately started panting and pacing again. My husband used an app to test the frequency of the smart outlets. It was off the charts. We've left the outlets unplugged for two days and have confirmed that it is definitely the smart outlets that are causing his stress and discomfort. He's back to being a totally normal dog now. I really thought this was the end for Rowdy based on the way he was acting. I am so thankful for Dr. Newell at BoonesCreek AnimalHospital for figuring out this simple solution. If your pets are exhibiting similar symptoms, you may want to consider checking your electronics first. I cannot express how relieved I am that he is ok now. 😭♥️🐶

02/11/2023

This is an X-ray of a dog’s bent front leg. See that tiny white spec? That’s a microchip! It has migrated down the leg....far from where it was inserted, between the dog’s shoulders. This is actually quite common.....

When lost pets are scanned, the entire body SHOULD be scanned to catch any that have migrated. But, as an owner, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AT THEIR YEARLY VET EXAM, to ask for a quick scan to make sure that: (1) the chip is still working, (2) the location of the chip is good, and (3) that the chip info is correct.

Remember microchips save lives and reunite families with their pet.... just have it checked regularly!

05/05/2023

Those of you that know me, you had to see this coming. It was inevitable. Still working on it. He is long gone but will never be forgotten. Valor... Champion Magna's Raise The Flag. If you are interested in purchasing this piece let me know. There will be many others and your dog can be made similarly with an acceptable photo for this work.

*He is far from done... don't judge me! Yet.

Stay current with my unusual, one of a kind art at Patricia Michelle- Furniture, Etc.

04/05/2023

04/05/2023

04/05/2023

Meet Bubba!
He is available. Classic GS type with tons of bone and substance.

16/03/2023

I think the dog groomer got a new job!

16/03/2023

05/01/2023

Many vets are not good at judging weight and my owners visit with FAT dogs and when I tell them they need to lose weight they insist their vets say they are perfect. Grrr. I will tell you my fool proof way of determining and it works for newborns, Komondors or me when I was a 20 year old pregnant lady. (That's actually how I invented the concept because I needed to know it I was getting fat beyond just growing a belly.) Stand over your dog and take both hands and curl your fingertips in. Now at the same time rub both side of his ribcage. It should feel like a washboard.(google if you've never seen one) You should feel a small dip between each rib. You want some fill between them, "but not over them." So this works no matter how much hair (or inches of cords) as you do not rely on your eyes. If a dog is fully mature you can weigh him once you have decided he is in perfect weight to monitor in the vets office. Personally I don't use scales except as needed at their office but I do feel the ribs once a week or so.
(FYI, some people use scales for puppies to determine weight and it is a big mistake! I've seen them so thin it made me sick. Use your hands and you have a method you can count on.)

10/12/2022

There seems to be some confusion about proper temperament of Giant Schnauzers and I hope to clear that up by sharing what I have learned over the past 25 or so years.

I have watched and listened to talk about what good drive is and unfortunately novices are believing it to be correct when it absolutely is not. This has a ripple effect since social media does not qualify the "experts" and a lot of damage can be done without proper education on many things relative to a breed.

What good temperament is and is not....
Good drive is not frantic energy. The dogs are not wild and crazy. Temperament is a factor here but so is the misrepresentation of what temperament is so believing it also manifests it. Dogs with good working ability should not be miserable, ill mannered, incessant beasts.
Good temperament is not a dog who is a liability. He should be welcome everywhere. He is an alert watchdog. He is a natural guard but is able to be called off when owner assures all is well. He can be trained for protection but proper training includes good off switches and emergency brakes and still make great family pets. A dog with proper temperament has what I call great "strength of character" and excellent courage. He knows his job by nature and is a strong character but he also has the courage to support it. When these are not in balance a dog can be a coward and even dangerous.

I have bred dogs and seen the full range of temperament. As a breeder I have to use dogs I do not know and temperament, health, structure, type are all factors. And no dog is perfect so things ebb and flow over the generations, but with a good understanding of what is correct, an ability to balance needs when selecting mates and seeing the future, success is possible.
When looking at puppies (my favorite pastime) you learn the group and individuals and by 8 weeks when most go to homes a good breeder can hypothesize likely good matches for owners.

Here are a couple videos. What you should know is just as I was turning the camera on the blue barrel had slammed to the ground from more than 4 feet high right next to these babies. I was astonished at their immediate response was to jump in the barrel and even rock it for fun. The video with the play center is right as I gave it to them for the first time. All are bombproof. I could not ask for more. I've held on to a couple I didnt need to longer than necessary but to be honest, they are great guys. They do not over react to a correction. They immediately retreat when they are told to "leave it" or "NO" and confidently come to me for praise or reward. This is beautiful puppy temperament to my mind.

Of course this is only one aspect of temperament and others are equally important but I will save some good stuff for another day and leave you with this awesome quote from my friend Stella Matheos.

"A dog with the instincts to protect must have good judgment and be able to use it, even under stress. No, especially under stress.

Good judgment is (contrary to popular belief) not just a matter of how we raise them.

The GS temperament is courage and smarts in equal measure. That's what makes them so special and so reliable as family guardians. That's what breeders must never lose sight of.

Breeding a dumb, nervous or simply unadaptable Giant is far worse than breeding one with an underbite, light eyes or a low tail set.
Because breed type begins from within the dog. Or all dogs would be the same, in behavior and ability and differ only in appearances."

I encourage all those who are in the market for a Giant Schnauzer to consider these things and if you are going to breed it is essential you understand. The dogs futures and the happiness of families are in your hands.

Good luck!

08/12/2022

Magna Owners.... you have first dibs. I may have a puppy for you. Contact me privately to see if we have a match. I have a couple of them I'm releasing from my clenches.

If MGS owners do not take them I will consider them to buyers within 2 hours driving time from 25427. Wait 4 days after this posting to respond giving previous owners the first chance.

08/08/2022

And here it is again. Please help spread the word.

Sweet 14-week-old Golden Retriever puppy Percy is on the road to recovery after spending some time in our ICU over the weekend! He was an excellent patient and feels better already thanks to some time in our state-of-the-art oxygen kennel. In this photo he had popped his little head out to say hello to our staff during one of his treatments, and we don’t think he could get any cuter!

How Percy ended up spending the weekend with us is an important story that his caring owners allowed us to share to help keep other pets safe. Percy and his big brother were rough-housing, when Percy’s collar got stuck on his brother’s mouth. Percy panicked when he was suddenly stuck, and while twisting around trying to escape he caused his collar to become even tighter around his neck! Thankfully their owner noticed quickly that something was wrong and freed Percy before he lost consciousness. When his owners rushed him to see our ER team, Percy was struggling to breathe, drooling profusely, and very distressed. Radiographs showed that Percy had fluid in his lungs (non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema) caused by the time he spent struggling to breathe. Pain medications and oxygen support quickly helped Percy breathe more comfortably as his body worked to heal from the experience.

The strangulation hazard of dogs playing while wearing collars is a hidden danger that many pet owners don’t know about, but a story we hear with some frequency in the ER. Thankfully Percy’s story has a happy ending, but if his owners hadn’t been there to intervene it could have been tragic. Please, get your pups microchipped so they have a permanent form of identification, and then take those collars off when they’re playing with or interacting with other dogs!