Miniature Schnauzer

		Miniature Schnauzer
		FCI standard Nº 183

Origin		Germany
Translation		Mrs C. Seidler
Group		Group 2 Pinscher and Schnauzer- Molossoid breeds - Swiss Mountain and Cattle Dogs
Section		Section 1 Pinscher and Schnauzer type
Working		Without working trial
Acceptance on a definitive basis by the FCI		Wednesday 13 July 1955
Publication of the official valid standard		Tuesday 06 March 2007
Last update		Wednesday 18 April 2007
En français, cette race se dit		Schnauzer nain
Diese Norm ist in deutscher Sprache sichtbar		Zwergschnauzer
En español, esta raza se dice		Schnauzer miniatura
In het Nederlands, wordt dit ras gezegd		Dwergschnauzer

Usage

House and Companion Dog.

Brief historical summary

Around the turn of the century a dwarf Schnauzer from the Frankfurt/Main area went on his way, then still described as a rough haired Zwergpinscher (Miniature Pinscher). Due to the different shapes, sizes and types and the muddle of harsh, soft and silky coat textures, it was no easy task to evolve a small dog with the appearance and the characteristic qualities of his bigger brother, the Schnauzer.

General appearance

Small, strong, stocky rather than slim, rough coated, elegant. A reduced image of the Schnauzer without the drawback of a dwarfed appearance.

Important proportions

Square build in which the height at the withers is nearly equal to the body length.
The length of the head (measured from the tip of the nose to the occiput) corresponds to half the length of the topline (measured from the withers to the set on of the tail).

Behaviour / 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 appartment without problems.

Head
Cranial region
Skull		Strong, long without markedly protruding occiput. The head should be in keeping with the dog’s force. The forehead is flat, without wrinkles and parallel to the bridge of nose.
Stop		Appears well defined due to the brows.

Facial region
Nose		Well developed nose leather, always black.
Muzzle		Ending in a blunt wedge.
Lips		Black, smoot and tight-fitting to the jaws. Corners of lips closed.
Nasal bridge		Bridge of nose straight.
Jaws and teeth		Strong upper and lower jaw. The complete scissor bite (42 pure white teeth according to the dentition formula), is strongly developed and firmly closing. The chewing muscles are strongly developed but the cheeks must not interfere with the reactangular shape of the head (with the beard).
Eyes		Medium sized, oval, facing foreward, dark with lively expression. Eyelids close fitting.
Ears		Drop ears, set high, V-shaped with inner edges lying close to the cheeks, evenly carried , turned forward towards temples. Folds parallel, should not be above the top of the skull.

Neck

The strong, muscular neck is nobly arched, blending smoothly into the withers.
Strongly set on, slim, nobly curved, corresponding to the dog’s force. Throat skin tight-fitting without folds.

Body
Topline		Slightly sloping from withers towards rear.
Withers		Forming the highest point in topline.
Back		Strong, short and taut.
Loin		Short, strong and deep. The distance from the last rib to the hip is short to make the dog appear compact.
Croup		Slightly rounded and imperceptibly blending into tail set on.
Chest		Moderately broad, oval in diameter, reaching to the elbows. The forechest is distinctly marked by the point of the sternum.
Underline and belly		Flanks not too tucked up, forming a well curved line with the underside of the ribcage.

Tail

Natural; a sabre or sickle carriage is sought after.

Limbs

Forequarters
Generality		Seen from the front, the front legs are strong, straight and not close together. Seen from the side, the forearms are straight.
Shoulders		The shoulder blade lies close against the rib cage and is well muscled on both sides of the shoulder bone, protruding over the points of the thoracic vertebrae. As sloping as possible and well laid back, forming an angle of appr. 50° to the horizontal.
Upper arm		Lying close to the body, strong and well muscled, forming an angle of 95° to 105° to the shoulder blade.
Elbows		Close fitting, turning neither in nor out.
Forearm		Viewed from all sides, completely straight, strongly developed and well muscled.
Carpal		Strong, firm, barely standing out against the structure of the forearm.
Pastern		Seen from the front, vertical. Seen from the side slightly sloping towards the ground, strong and slightly springy.
Forefeet		Short and round. Toes well-knit and arched (cat foot) with short dark nails and resistant pads.

Hindquarters
Generality		Standing obliquely when seen from the side, standing parallel but not close together when seen from the rear.
Upper thigh		Moderately long, broad and strongly muscled.
Lower thigh		Long, strong and sinewy, running into a strong hock.
Stifle		Turning neither in nor out.
Metatarsus		Short, vertical to the ground.
Hock		Very well angulated, strong, firm, turning neither in nor out.
Hind feet		Toes short, arched and well-knit. Nails short and black.

Gait and movement

Flexible, elegant, agile, free and ground covering. The forelegs swinging as far forward as possible, the hind legs, ground covering and springy, provide the necessary drive. The front leg of one side and the hind leg of the other side move forward at the same time. The back, the ligaments and the joints are firm.

Skin

Tight fitting over the whole body.

Coat
Hair		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		· 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. The shades from dark iron grey to silver grey are all permitted. In all colour variations there must be a dark mask, which should adapt harmoniously to the respective colour. Distinct light markings on head, chest and limbs are undesirable. 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.

Size and weight
Height at withers		Dogs and bitches between 30 and 35 cm.
Weight		Dogs and bitches approximately 4 to 8 kg.

Faults

• Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and its ability to perform its traditional work.
• Faults listed should be in degree of seriousness.

General faults

Heavy or round skull.

Wrinkles on forehead.

Short, pointed or narrow muzzle.

Pincer bite.

Strongly protruding cheeks or cheekbones.

Light, too large or round eyes.

Low set, too long or unevenly carried ears.

Throatiness.

Dewlap, narrow crest or neck.

Too long, tucked up or soft back.

Roach back.

Croup falling away.

Tail set inclined towards head.

Long feet.

Pacing movement.

Too short, too long, soft, wavy, shaggy, silky coat.

Brown undercoat.

A black trace on the back or a black saddle.

In Black/Silver not clearly separated triangles on the chest.

Over- or undersize up to 1 cm.

Serious faults

Clumsy or light build.

Too low or too high on leg.

Inverse sexual type (eg doggy bitch).

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

Aggressive or overly shy dogs.

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.

NB :

• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
• The above mentioned faults when occurring to a highly marked degree or frequently are disqualifying.
• Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation should be used for breeding.

Bibliography

http://www.fci.be/

Details: Also available:; Last Updated: 25 January 2024; Hits: 213

Miniature Schnauzer