The Miniature Schnauzer Breed

Basically the schnauzer disposition is sweet, loving and loyal, but he is
not at all subservient or overly sensitive. People who want a lie-at-your-feet type
dog, or one that is aloof, would not enjoy a Miniature Schnauzer. Wanting your affection,
he may climb into the middle of your newspaper or put his head under your arm with a
prodding motion. It would never occur to him that you might be to occupied to pet him. A
great sense of self is one of his most endearing qualities.

The typical Miniature Schnauzer is alert and spirited, yet obedient to
command. he is friendly, intelligent and willing to please. He should never be
over-aggressive or timid. The schnauzer's intelligence expresses itself in many ways.
One look into his face is to sense his ever-active mind and fun loving personality.

The learning capacity of the Miniature Schnauzer is proverbial, and
limited only by the patience of the teacher. The breed's performance on all levels of
obedience is exceptional, and ranks among the highest in numbers of dogs that
achieve obedience titles. Schnauzers learn quickly as a rule, and in time can be taught
almost anything a dog is capable of learning. The only requirements are firmness,
repetition, patience, and above all, kindness.

Miniature Schnauzers are not by nature aggressive, as are some of their
terrier cousins. they should, however be relatively fearless. Once mature, the
schnauzer has a strongly developed territorial instinct. He is an ideal guard dog as he
defends vocally rather than physically. There is a meaningful difference between being
quick to defend and quick to attack. A good schnauzer will bark at anyone who may
appear a threat to his home. He barks until the caller leaves, if you are not home, or until
you arrive on the scene. Once you are there, he accepts you are in control of the situation
and is silent. For all his boldness, the Miniature Schnauzer will display a natural
kindness and charm for those who show themselves as friends. He is not a jealous dog
and will gladly share his people with others, both human and canine.

Quoted from -The New Miniature Schnauzer By Dan Kiedrowski

GENERAL APPEARANCE - The Miniature Schnauzer is a robust, active
dog of terrier type, resembling his larger cousin, the Standard
Schnauzer, in general appearance, and of an alert, active disposition.
Faults: Type - toyishness, ranginess or coarseness.

SIZE, PROPORTION, SUBSTANCE. Size - From 12 to 14 inches. He is
sturdily built, nearly square in proportion of body length to height with
plenty of bone, and without any suggestion of toyishness.
Disqualifications - dogs or bitches under 12 inches or over 14 inches.

HEAD. Eyes - Small, dark brown and deepset. They are oval in
appearance and keen in expression. Faults: - Eyes light and/or large and
prominent in appearance. Ears - When cropped, the ears are identical
in shape and length with pointed tips. They are in balance with the head
and not exaggerated in length. They are set high on the skull and carried
perpendicularly at the inner edges, with as little bell as possible along the
outer edges. When uncropped, the ears are small and V-shaped, folding
close to the skull. Head - Strong and rectangular, its width diminishing
slightly from ears to eyes, and again to the tip of the nose. The forehead
is unwrinkled. The topskull is flat and fairly long. The foreface is parallel to
the topskull, with a slight stop, and it is at least as long as the topskull.
The muzzle is strong in proportion to the skull; it ends in a moderately
blunt manner, with thick whiskers which accentuate the rectangular shape
of the head. Faults - Head coarse and cheeky.

The teeth meet in a scissors bite. That is, the upper front teeth overlap
the lower front teeth in such a manner that the inner surface of the upper
incisors barely touch the outer surface of the lower incisors when the
mouth is closed. Faults - Bite - Undershot or overshot jaw. Level bite.

NECK, TOPLINE, BODY. Neck - Strong and well arched, blending into
the shoulders, and with the skin fitting tightly at the throat. Body - Short
and deep, with the brisket extending at least to the elbows. Ribs are well
sprung and deep, extending well back to a short loin. The underbody
does not present a tucked up appearance at the flank. The backline is
straight; it declines slightly from the withers to the base of the tail. The
withers form the highest point of the body. The overall length from chest
to buttock appears to equal the height at the withers. Faults - Chest too
broad or shallow in brisket. Hollow or roach back. Tail - Set high and
carried erect. It is docked only long enough to be clearly visible over the
backline of the body when the dog is in proper length of coat. Fault - Tail
set too low.

FOREQUARTERS - Forelegs are straight and parallel when viewed from
all sides. They have strong pasterns and good bone. They are
separated by a fairly deep brisket which precludes a pinched front. The
elbows are close, and the ribs spread gradually from the first rib so as to
allow space for the elbows to move close to the body. Fault - Loose
elbows. The sloping shoulders are muscled, yet flat and clean. They are
well laid back, so that from the side the tips of the shoulder blades are in
a nearly vertical line above the elbow. The tips of the blades are placed
closely together. They slope forward and downward at an angulation
which permits the maximum forward extension of the forelegs without
binding or effort. Both the shoulder blades and upper arms are long,
permitting depth of chest at the brisket. Feet - Short and round (cat feet)
with thick, black pads. The toes are arched and compact.

HINDQUARTERS - The hindquarters have strong-muscled, slanting
thighs. They are well bent at the stifles. There is sufficient angulation so
that, in stance, the hocks extend beyond the tail. The hindquarters never
appear overbuilt or higher than the shoulders. The rear pasterns are
short and, in stance, perpendicular to the ground and, when viewed from
the rear, are parallel to each other. Faults - Sickle hocks, cow hocks,
open hocks or bowed hindquarters.

COAT - Double, with hard, wiry, outer coat and close undercoat. The
head, neck, ears, chest, tail, and body coat must be plucked. When in
show condition, the body coat should be of sufficient length to determine
texture. Close covering on neck, ears, and skull. Furnishings are fairly
thick but not silky. Faults - Coat too soft or too smooth and slick in
appearance.

COLOR - The recognized colors are salt and pepper, black and silver
and solid black. All colors have uniform skin pigmentation, i.e. no white
or pink skin patches shall appear anywhere on the dog. Salt and Pepper
- The typical salt and pepper color of the topcoat results from the
combination of black and white banded hairs and solid black and white
unbanded hairs, with the banded hairs predominating. Acceptable are all
shades of salt and pepper, from the light to dark mixtures with tan
shadings permissible in the banded or unbanded hair of the top. In salt
and pepper dogs, the salt and pepper mixture fades out to light gray or
silver white in the eyebrows, whiskers, cheeks, under throat, inside ears,
across chest, under tail, leg furnishings, and inside hind legs. It may or
may not also fade out on the underbody. However, if so, the lighter
underbody hair is not to rise higher on the sides of the body than the front
elbows. Black and Silver - The black and silver generally follows the
same pattern as the salt and pepper. The entire salt and pepper section
must be black. The black color in the topcoat of the black and silver is a
true rich color with black undercoat. The stripped portion is free from any
fading or brown tinge and the underbody should be dark. Black - Black is
the only solid color allowed. Ideally, the black color in the topcoat is a
true rich glossy color with the undercoat being less intense, a soft matting
shade of black. This is natural and should not be penalized in any way.
The stripped portion is free from any fading or brown tinge. The
scissored and clippered areas have lighter shades of black. A small
white spot on the chest is permitted, as is an occasional single white hair
elsewhere on the body.

GAIT - The trot is the gait at which movement is judged. When
approaching, the forelegs, with elbows close to the body, move straight
forward, neither too close nor too far apart. Going away, the hind legs are
straight and travel in the same planes as the forelegs.

Note - It is generally accepted that when a full trot is achieved, the rear
legs continue to move in the same planes as the forelegs, but a very
slight inward inclination will occur. It begins at the point of the shoulder in
front and at the hip joint in the rear. Viewed from the front or rear, the legs
are straight from these points to the pads. The degree of inward
inclination is almost imperceptible in a Miniature Schnauzer that has
correct movement. It does not justify moving close, toeing in, crossing, or
moving out at the elbows.

Viewed from the side, the forelegs have good reach, while the hind legs
have strong drive, with good pickup of hocks. The feet turn neither inward
nor outward. Faults - Single tracking, sidegaiting, paddling in front, or
hackney action. Weak rear action.

TEMPERAMENT - The typical Miniature Schnauzer is alert and spirited,
yet obedient to command. He is friendly, intelligent and willing to please.
He should never be overaggressive or timid.

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