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Miniature Schnauzer
Miniature Schnauzer with salt and pepper coat, un-cropped ears and docked tail.
Other names	Zwergschnauzer (Dwarf Schnauzer)
Country of origin	Germany
Traits Weight Male 12 to 15 lb (5.5 to 6.8 kg) Female 11 to 13 lb (4.9 to 5.8 kg) Height Male 12 to 14 in (30 to 36 cm) Female 12 to 14 in (30 to 36 cm) Coat Soft and curly when unclipped, harsh and wiry when groomed Color Black, salt-and-pepper, black-and-silver and white Litter size 3 to 5 pups Life span 12 to 15 years
Classification & standards FCI Group 2 Section 1 #183 standard AKC Terrier standard ANKC Group 6 (Utility) standard CKC Group 4 - Terriers standard KC (UK) Utility standard NZKC Utility standard UKC Terriers standard

The Miniature Schnauzer is a breed of small dog of the Schnauzer type that originated in Germany in the mid-to-late 19th century. Miniature Schnauzers developed from crosses between the Standard Schnauzer and one or more smaller breeds such as the Poodle, Miniature Pinscher, or Affenpinscher. The breed remains one of the most popular, and is currently the 11th most popular breed in the U.S.^[1] Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) (English, World Canine Organization), is an international Kennel Club based in Thuin, Belgium. ... © The American Kennel Club (or AKC) is the largest registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. ... The Australian National Kennel Council (ANKC) is the peak body in Australia responsible for promoting excellence in breeding, showing, trialling, obedience, and other canine-related activities and the ownership of temperamentally and physically sound purebred dogs by responsible individuals across Australia. ... The Canadian Kennel Club (or C.K.C.) is the primary registry body for purebred dog pedigrees in Canada. ... The Kennel Club in the United Kingdom is a club aiming to improve the relationships between dogs and their owners. ... The New Zealand Kennel Club is an organisation responsible for dog pedigree registration services in New Zealand. ... The United Kennel Club (or UKC) is the second oldest all-breed registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States and the second largest in the world. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris The dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is a domestic subspecies of the wolf, a mammal of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. ... Miniature Schnauzer A Schnauzer is a German breed of dog. ... Country of origin Germany Classification and breed standards The Standard Schnauzer is the original breed of the three sizes of Schnauzer, although it is sometimes classified as a terrier. ... For the political insult see poodle (insult). ... The Miniature Pinscher, also known as the Min Pin by fanciers, is a toy breed of dog. ... The Affenpinscher is a terrier-like toy breed of dog. ...

Characteristics

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Appearance

Temperament

A Miniature Schnauzer puppy

Black Miniature Schnauzer Puppy

The Official Standard of the Miniature Schnauzer describes temperament as "Alert and spirited, yet obedient to command. Friendly, intelligent and willing to please. They should never be overaggressive or timid." (American Kennel Club - Miniature Schnauzer: http://www.akc.org/breeds/miniature_schnauzer) As such they tend to be excellent watchdogs. They are often guarded of strangers until the owners of the home welcome the guest, upon which they are typically very friendly to them. "Miniature Schnauzers are not by nature aggressive, as are some of their Terrier cousins. They should 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. ... A good Schnauzer will bark at anyone who may appear a threat to his home....... Schnauzers are not random, incessant barkers. They are discriminating and intelligent guard dogs that assume this duty naturally." from the New Miniature Schnauzer, 2nd edition, pg 12, by Dan Kiedrowski, Howell Book House Publishers, 1997. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

The breed is generally good with children, recognizing that they need gentle play. Miniature Schnauzers are generally highly intelligent and easy to train. They are highly playful dogs, and if not given the outlet required for their energy they can become bored and invent their own "fun".

History

A black-and-silver Miniature Schnauzer with an un-docked tail and natural ears

The earliest records surrounding development of the Miniature Schnauzer in Germany come from the late 1800s. They were originally bred to be farm dogs in Germany, to keep the rats and other vermin out of the barn. In the breed's earliest stages, several small breeds were employed in crosses to bring down the size of the well-established Standard Schnauzer, with the goal of creating a duplicate in miniature. Crossing to other breeds, such as the Affenpinscher, Poodle and Miniature Pinscher, had the side effect of introducing colours that were not considered acceptable to the ultimate goal — and as breeders worked towards the stabilization of the gene pool, mismarked particolors and white puppies were removed from breeding programs. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 760 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1900 × 1500 pixel, file size: 479 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 760 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1900 × 1500 pixel, file size: 479 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... The Affenpinscher is a terrier-like toy breed of dog. ... For the political insult see poodle (insult). ... The Miniature Pinscher, also known as the Min Pin by fanciers, is a toy breed of dog. ...

The earliest recorded Miniature Schnauzer was in 1888, and the first exhibition was in 1899. With their bold courage, the Miniature Schnauzer was originally used for guarding herds, small farms, and families. As time passed, they were also used to hunt rats, because they appeared to have a knack for it, and its small size was perfect to get into tight places to catch them.

The AKC accepted registration of the new breed in 1926, two years after they were introduced to the United States. The American Kennel Club groups this breed with the Terriers as it was developed for a similar purpose and has a similar character to the terrier breeds of the Britain and Ireland. The Miniature Schnauzer was recognized by the United Kennel Club in 1948. The United Kingdom Kennel club however, does not accept the Miniature Schnauzer as a true Terrier because it it not orginate from the terrier breeds of the British Isles. Like the Tebitan Terrier and Boston Terrier it lists the Miniature Schnauzer in the Utility group for shows run under the UK Kennel Club rules such as Crufts. The FCI accepts the Schnauzer breeds but, again, does not list the Miniature Schnauzer as a terrier. © The American Kennel Club (or AKC) is the largest registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. ... This article is about the dog type; for the rocket, see Terrier (rocket). ... The United Kennel Club (or UKC) is the second oldest all-breed registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States and the second largest in the world. ... A kennel club (known as a kennel council or canine council in some countries) is an organization for canine affairs that concerns itself with the breeding, showing and promotion of more than one breed of dog. ... Crufts is an annual international Championship conformation show for dogs hosted by the Kennel Club (UK), currently held at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, England. ...

Health

Miniature Schnauzers are prone to diabetes, bladder stones and pancreatitis. They are occasionally genetically disposed to idiopathic hyperlipidemia (high levels of triglycerides, i.e. fats, in their blood). Hyperlipidemia makes pancreatitis much more likely for the affected dog. With proper care, without feeding the dog sweet or fatty foods, it can usually be avoided. As with many other types of dogs, mini schnauzers are not to be given any chocolate, since in any breed, it can act as a poison. All Miniature Schnauzers but especially those with natural (uncropped) ears should have their ears checked regularly and dried out after swimming. They should not be overfed since they gain weight easily. They can also develop a type of skin allergy, which shows up as a 'hot spot' often around the neck area, which can be tender for the animal forming a hard crust after weeping. Diabetes mellitus strikes 1 in 400 cats and a similar number of dogs, though recent veterinary studies[1] note that it is becoming more common lately. ... Bladder stones in animals are a common occurrence, especially in domestic animals such as dogs and cats. ... Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. ...

Images

Female Miniature Schnauzer Download high resolution version (700x812, 62 KB)Photograph by Jurriaan Schulman copyright Jurriaan Schulman. ...	Male (r) and female adult Miniature Schnauzers Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...	Female 1.5 year old Miniature Schnauzer	Silver Miniature Schnauzer
Black Female Miniature Schnauzer 3 years old	20050723 LunaHallett.jpg Black Female Miniature Schnauzer 9 weeks old

References

External links

• Miniature Schnauzer Club of Canada
• American Miniature Schnauzer Club
• Schnauzer Club of Britain
• Estonian Schnauzer Club
• Schnauzer Club of Victoria
• Schnauzerclub of the Netherlands
• Miniature Schnauzer Club of Finland
• Miniature Schnauzer page in Norway
• Miniature Schnauzer page in Iceland (Icelandic only)
• Miniature Schnauzer Club of Sweden (Swedish only)
• The North American White Miniature Schnauzer

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Miniature Schnauzer

• Affenpinscher
• Standard Schnauzer
• Giant Schnauzer
• White Schnauzer

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