Other names/Nicknames:
- Zwergschnauzer
Country/Date of origin:
- Germany
- 15th century
Height:
- 12 to 14 inches
Weight:
- 14 to 15 pounds
Personality:
- A German sensibility instead of the fiery nature of the British terriers.
- High intelligence.
- Excellent family companion.
- Alert nature and natural protective instincts make the Miniature Schnauzer a good watchdog.
History:
The Miniature Schnauzer was made in Germany with 100% German ingredients. About 1890, breeders crossed the larger Standard Schnauzer with an Affenpinscher to create a dog that was better able to catch rats than either ancestor. The Miniature Schnauzers arrived in the United States in 1925 and became a very popular breed.
Body Type:
- A compact, stocky terrier with abundant face and leg furnishings.
- Ears are cropped to stand erect in the United States.
- Tail is docked short.
Coat:
- Double coat with a harsh and wiry outer coat, and soft, close-lying undercoat.
- Beard and bushy eyebrows.
- Acceptable colors are solid black, black and silver, or salt and pepper.
- The gray salt-and-peppers are the most common.
- The grizzled colors are the result of hairs with unique light and dark banding instead of a mixture of light and dark hairs.
- Requires professional grooming.
Health and Wellness:
- Tetralogy of Fallot.
- Portosystemic shunt.
- Cryptorchidism.
- Cataracts.
- Calcium oxalate urolithiasis.
- Diabetes mellitis.
- Sick sinus syndrome.
- Lupoid onchodystrophy.
- Urolithiasis (oxalate and struvite).
- Atopy.
- Food allergy.
- Pancreatitis.
- Idiopathic hyperlipidemia.
- Schnauzer comedo syndrome.
- Progressive retinal atrophy.
- Fibrocartilagenous emboli.
- Glaucoma.
- Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis.
- Melanoma (dermal and oral).
- Cushing’s disease (PDH).
- Keratoconjunctivitis sicca.
What you should know:
- The most popular terrier, it is the only one that is not of British origin.
- One of three sizes of the Schnauzer. There are two larger varieties: the Standard and the Giant.
- Non-shedding coat is good for people with allergies.
- Not as prone to wandering as other terriers.
- Unlike most other terriers, it does not enjoy digging.
