When I was 10 years old I saved to buy my first dog, which was a P/S Standard Schnauzer female. I have had them ever since and in the 1960's decided to breed the black Standard exclusively.

    In Germany there are some very good black Standards, as well as Holland and Israel, however in most other countries the quality is very mediocre. So I imported two black Standards from Germany in an effort to improve the black Standard in America. The male's name was Poro V. Furstenpfad, a superb black dog, who gained his Companion Dog title here in the USA, as well as being pointed to his U.S. Championship. Another very important black Standard imported from Germany was the Best in Show dog, Ch. Pavo de la Steingasse. I bought one of his black daughters and bred her to Poro, which produced Skansen's Schwarze Ingeborg C.D.

    At this time I felt I had too many dogs, so I sold Ingeborg to a handler on the East coast, as well as the superb black male Ch. Skansen's Anders, a grand son of Poro. A few years later the handler had to give up some of his dogs and that is when I decided to renew my efforts in breeding good blacks again, so I brought Ander's and Ingeborg's Champion daughter, Ch. Penkill's Britta back to California in whelp to Nomura Kane No Nikko, a beautiful black male.

    This litter produced my top stud dog, the black male Ch. Skansen's Flip, who is the sire of the top winning black male in the last ten years, Ch. Skansen's Jazzman, a very big boned male with a quiet, easy disposition. Both Ingmar and Jazzman produce superb black pups.

    Another Champion we use in our breeding program is Ch. Skansen's Mannix. Mannix was born in 1988 and he is the son of Ch. Skansen's Jazzman and Ch. Skansen's Flip's litter sister, Flirt. Mannix himself is a beautiful P/S male, even if both his parents are black. We get all black litters from him when we breed him to our present black females. Mannix has an excellent temperament also.

    Skansen's Marabou is another male used frequently in our breeding program, as he carries some European bloodlines through his sire, Int. Mex. Ch. of the America's and World Ch. Skansen's Great Chief Kiwi. Marabou is a solid black, with excellent coat texture and color. He is 19.5" tall and very athletic, with a great disposition.

    The other stud dog used at this time is Skansen's Socrates - a beautiful black male sired by American, Danish, Luxembourg, Dutch and Int. Champion Edelweiss Tagri Wood - call name Mischa. Micha was born October 22, 1989 in Moscow, USSR and came to the USA in August of 1993 to be shown to his American title, as well as be available to the American Standard Schnauzer breeders until June of 1994, when he went back to Switzerland to compete at the World Show.

    I met Mischa the first time when I judged a club show in Denmark in May 1993. He won Best in Show at that show and I think he is without a doubt one of the best Standard Schnauzers I have seen in 40 years of breeding them. He has a superb temperament, is friendly and easy - going, yet a good protector. He has a wonderful gait, lots of reach and drive, a superb topline, tailset, coat, color, and head. He has a perfect bite and is true coming and going. His hips have been X-rayed and he is free of hip dysplasia. In 1992 Mischa was the No. 1 Dog All Breeds in Holland. He may be the only Standard Schnauzer today with 5 Champion titles.

    Socrates mother is Skansen's Oh La La, a beautiful black by Ch. Skansen's Mannix. Socrates is quite big, pushing 20 inches so we have not shown him yet, we are waiting for him to settle. In fact, as we get busier and busier we find less time to compete with our Standards and instead, let our show prospects go to people interested in showing world wide. The No. 1 black Standard in Scandinavia, as well as South Africa were both born here.

    It is now 47 years since I bred my first Standard Schnauzer Champion. Please let us know if you are interested in one and we will be happy to guide you to a great pup. We have only 3 - 4 litters a year so make your reservation early. Standard Schnauzers were bred to have a harsh, wiry coat, a little like a Wire-haired Fox Terrier. We do not breed the soft, silky coat in this breed - as we do in Miniature and Giant Schnauzers. In other words our dogs are bred for the correct German style coat - which will get thicker on the legs as they get to be about one year old. We do not have the American style coat in our Standards.

    If you decide on a Standard Schnauzer, remember they are a big dog in a small package. They are extremely athletic, love to play, and can be very strong, so obedience training is important when they are young. If raised with children, they are great with them; otherwise they tend to be a one man, one family dog. If well cared for, they are a very long lived breed. I know several that have lived to be 16 - 18 years old. They are extremely easy to train, if their owner is firm and consistent and they have the ability to get very high scores in trial work, as they have the intelligence and energy to work all day. They do not shed and have no special genetic weakness.

For More information on Skansen and our Standards please fax, email, or call. Give us your name, address, and what kind of dog your looking for. We will send you our free packet of information / audio tapes to better inform you about Skansen and the Standard.