- • Pure black with black undercoat. • Pepper and Salt. • Black/Silver. • Pure white with white undercoat.
- When breeding Pepper and Salt, the aim is a medium shading with evenly distributed, well pigmented, pepper colouring and grey undercoat.
- Permissible: The shades from dark iron grey to silver grey are all
- In all colour variations there must be a dark mask, which should adapt harmoniously to the respective colour.
- Undesirable: Distinct light markings on head, chest and limbs
- For the Black/Silver colour, the aim in breeding is a black top coat with black undercoat, white markings over the eyes
- On the cheeks
- At the beard
- At the throat
- In two divided triangles at the front of the chest
- On the front pasterns
- On the feet
- On the inside of the hind legs and around the anus
- The forehead, the neck and the outer sides of the ears should be black like the top coat
About the Miniature Schnauzer
Origin: Germany
- Typical life span
- 12-15 years
- Size
- Small — from its typical weight
- Weight
- 5-9 kg
- Height
- Male
- 30-36 cm
- Female
- 28-36 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI groupFCI divides this breed into varieties, and our sources don’t record which one a breeder works. Ask them which variety their line is.
- Pinscher and Schnauzer - Molossoid and Swiss Mountain and Cattledogs
- Origin
- Germany
- Also called
- Schnauzer Miniatura
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Miniature Schnauzer?
Small, sturdy terrier-type dog with distinctive wiry coat, bushy eyebrows, and characteristic beard, known for its alert, friendly nature and square build
Miniature Schnauzer history and origins
Developed in late 19th century Germany by crossing Standard Schnauzers with smaller breeds like Affenpinschers and Poodles to create an all-purpose farm dog and efficient ratter for vermin control and companionship
Miniature Schnauzer appearance and size
Males typically stand 30-36 cm at the shoulder and females 28-36 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- House and Companion Dog
- Behaviour and temperament
“His nature is similar to that of the Schnauzer and is determined by the temperament and the behaviour of a small dog. Intelligence, fearlessness, endurance, and alertness make the Miniature Schnauzer an agreeable house dog as well as a watch and companion dog which can be kept even in a small apartment without problems”
Quoted from FCI standard n°183. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Small
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “House and Companion Dog” That is a working purpose, not a measured exercise requirement — an individual dog’s needs depend on its age, health and household.
- 2 of 5
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- 4 of 5
- Grooming needs
- 4 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Miniature Schnauzer
What you get with the Miniature Schnauzer
- Purpose stated in the standard: “House and Companion Dog”
- The standard describes the breed as: “His nature is similar to that of the Schnauzer and is determined by the temperament and the behaviour of a small dog”
What you are taking on
- High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “The top coat is rough and sufficiently long to allow the checking of its texture”
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Miniature Schnauzer
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording, tagged permissible and undesirable.
Coat
The coat should be wiry, harsh, and dense.
It consists of a dense undercoat and a not too short top coat, lying close to the body.
The top coat is rough and sufficiently long to allow the checking of its texture
it is neither bristly nor wavy.
The hair on the limbs tends to be less harsh.
Coat short on forehead and ears.
Typical characteristics are the not too soft beard on the muzzle and the bushy eyebrows which slightly shade the eyes
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°183 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
What the standard penalises
What a judge marks the Miniature Schnauzer down for, and what puts one out of the ring, in the registry’s own words. This describes the breed standard — it is not a checklist for the animal in front of you, and a pet with a disqualifying fault is an unshowable dog rather than an unhealthy one.
Severe faults
Marked heavily against a specimen in the ring.
- Clumsy or light build. Too low or too high on leg.
- Elbows turning out.
- Straight or open hocked hindlegs.
- Lower thigh too long.
- Hocks turning inwards.
- Rear pastern too short.
- White or spotted coat in black or pepper and salt dogs.
- Patchy coat in the colours black/silver and white.
- Over- or undersize by more than 1 cm but less than 2 cm
Disqualifying faults
Puts an animal out of the ring altogether.
- Malformation of any kind.
- Lack of breed type.
- Faulty mouth, such as over- or undershot or wry mouth.
- Severe faults in individual parts, such as faults in construction, coat and colour.
- Over- or undersize by more than 2 cm
FCI varieties
FCI divides the Miniature Schnauzer into these varieties, listed in the registry's own words. Depending on the breed they separate colour, coat, size or line — they are not a full list of colours, which no registry we hold publishes. Ask a breeder which variety their line is.
- pepper and salt
- pure black with black undercoat
- black and silver
- pure white with white undercoat
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Miniature Schnauzer in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Miniature Schnauzer
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Miniature Schnauzer on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Miniature Schnauzer owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Miniature Schnauzer breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.