Official FCI Standard Translation

MINIATURE SCHNAUZER FCI - Standard No. 183 / 2007. 04. 18. / D

HEAD

SKULL

Skull: Strong and elongated, without a pronounced occiput. The head should be proportional to the dog's overall size. The forehead is flat, free of wrinkles, and parallel to the bridge of the nose.

Stop: Clearly defined due to the eyebrows.

MUZZLE

Nose: The nose is well-developed and always black.

Muzzle: Ends in a blunt wedge. The nasal bridge is straight.

Lips: Black, tight-fitting, close to the jaw, with closed corners.

Jaw/Teeth: Strong jawbone and jaw. Full set of scissor-bite teeth (42 teeth, according to the dental formula), well-developed, clean white teeth. Well-developed chewing muscles, but the zygomatic arch should not be overly pronounced, as it disrupts the rectangular shape of the bearded head.

Eyes: Medium-sized, oval, forward-facing, dark, with lively expression, and tight eyelids.

Ears: Drop ears, V-shaped, set high, and carried symmetrically. The inner edges of the ears lie close to the head, slightly turned toward the temples, with parallel folds not extending over the skull.

NECK: The well-muscled neck is elegantly arched. It harmoniously blends into the withers. Strongly set, slender, nobly arched, and in harmony with the body's mass. The neck skin is tight, without wrinkles.

TAIL

Naturally carried.

Breeding Goal: Saber- or sickle-shaped tail carriage.

BODY

Topline: Slightly sloping from the withers toward the croup.

Withers: The highest point of the topline.

Back: Strong, short, and firm.

Loin: Short, firm, and deep. The distance between the last rib and the hip is short, making the dog compact.

Croup: Slightly arched, transitioning smoothly to the tail set.

Chest: Moderately wide, oval in cross-section, reaching to the elbows. The forechest is well-developed due to the sternum.

Underline and Belly: The belly is not overly tucked up, forming a smooth line with the lower chest.

COAT

COAT: The coat is wiry and dense. It consists of a dense undercoat and a medium-length, hard topcoat that covers the body well. The topcoat is harsh, not too short, and its structure is easily discernible—not woolly or wavy. The coat on the limbs is not entirely harsh. It is short on the forehead and ears.

A typical characteristic is the not-too-soft beard on the muzzle and the bushy eyebrows, which slightly shade the eyes.

COLOR

Pure black with black undercoat.

Salt and Pepper: For salt and pepper, the breeding goal is a medium-toned, evenly distributed, well-pigmented peppering combined with gray undercoat. Variations from dark iron gray to silver gray are permitted. However, all colors must be accompanied by a pronounced dark mask, creating a harmonious, noble appearance. Significant light markings on the head, chest, and limbs are undesirable.

Black and Silver: For black and silver, the breeding goal is a black topcoat with black undercoat. White markings are allowed above the eyes, on the cheeks, the beard, the throat, two divided triangles on the chest, the front pasterns, the paws, the inner sides of the hind legs, and around the anus. The forehead, neck, and outer ears should be black, like the topcoat.

SIZE AND WEIGHT

Height at Withers: For males and females: 30 - 35 cm.

Weight: For males and females: approx. 4 - 8 kg.

FOREQUARTERS

General: The forequarters, viewed from the front, are sturdy, straight, and not narrow. The forearms, viewed from the side, are straight.

Shoulders: The shoulder blade lies tightly against the chest, well-muscled on both sides, and the shoulder point rises above the spinal vertebrae. Fairly sloping, well-set back, forming an angle of about 50° to the horizontal.

Upper Arm: Well-fitting to the body, strong, muscular, forming an angle of about 95° - 105° with the shoulder blade.

Elbow: Fits well, neither turning out nor in.

Forearm: Completely straight from all sides, strongly developed, and well-muscled.

Front Pastern: Strong, stable, not significantly different from the forearm structure.

Front Metacarpus: Perpendicular to the ground when viewed from the front, slightly angled when viewed from the side, strong, and slightly elastic.

Front Paws: Short, rounded, tightly closed, slightly arched (cat feet), with black and short claws.

HINDQUARTERS

General: Viewed from the side, they are set at an angle; viewed from behind, they are parallel but not too close.

Thighs: Moderately long, broad, and strongly muscled.

Knee: Should not turn in or out.

Lower Thigh: Long and strong, sinewy, transitioning to the strong hock joint.

Hock Joint: Well-angled, strong, stable, and not leaning in or out.

Rear Metacarpus: Short and perpendicular to the ground.

Hind Paws: Short, slightly arched, tightly closed. The claws are black and short.

MOVEMENT: Elastic, elegant, flexible, free, and ground-covering. The forelegs reach as far forward as possible, while the hindquarters provide the necessary thrust for ground-covering and elastic movement.

The forelegs on one side and the hind legs on the opposite side move simultaneously. The back, ligaments, and joints are tight.

SKIN: Tightly fitting over the entire body.

Miniature Schnauzer

ORIGIN: Germany

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE OFFICIAL VALID STANDARD: 2007. 03. 06.

UTILIZATION: Family and companion dog

FCI GROUP:

Group 2 Pinschers and Schnauzers, Molossians, Swiss Mountain and Cattle Dogs, and other breeds

Section 1. Pinschers and Schnauzers

Without working trial

SHORT HISTORICAL SUMMARY

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the Miniature Schnauzer was known as the Wire-haired Miniature Pinscher in the Frankfurt/M. area. It was not an easy task to develop a small-sized dog breed from various forms, sizes, and types, as well as coats (hard, soft, or silky), that would resemble the larger sibling, the Standard Schnauzer, in nature, appearance, and behavior.

GENERAL APPEARANCE: Small, strong, more stocky than slender, wire-haired, elegant, a miniature version of the Standard Schnauzer, without any signs of dwarfism.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS:

Square build, where the height at the withers is almost equal to the body length.

The total length of the head (from the nose tip to the occiput) equals half the length of the back (from the withers to the tail set).

BEHAVIOR / TEMPERAMENT: The behavior is similar to that of the Standard Schnauzer, but the temperament gives a distinctly small dog impression.

Characteristic traits: intelligence, fearlessness, endurance, and alertness. These make the Miniature Schnauzer a pleasant family dog, a guard and companion dog, and suitable for small apartments without issues.

FAULTS:

Any deviation from the aforementioned points should be considered a fault, and the severity of the fault should be judged accordingly.

Particularly:

Heavy or round skull.
Forehead wrinkles.
Short, pointed, or narrow muzzle.
Pincer bite.
Strong, protruding cheeks or cheekbones.
Light, overly large, or round eyes.
Deep-set, too long, or asymmetrically set ears.
Loose throat skin.
Dewlap or thin neck.
Too long, roached, or soft back.
Roach back.
Sloping croup.
Tail carried toward the head.
Long paws.
Pacing.
Too short, long, soft, wavy, woolly, or silky coat.
Brown undercoat.
For salt and pepper, an eel stripe or black saddle on the back.
For black and silver, insufficiently clear triangular markings on the chest.
Height deviation of more than one centimeter.

SERIOUS FAULTS

Clumsy or light build, short or overly long limbs.
Reversed sexual characteristics, e.g., male-like female.
Turned-out elbows.
Steep or barrel-shaped hindquarters.
Too long lower thigh.
Inward-turning hocks.
Too short rear pastern.
White or spotted coat in colored varieties, such as black and salt and pepper.
Oversized or undersized by more than 1 cm taller or 2 cm shorter.

DISQUALIFYING FAULTS

Shy, aggressive, vicious, overly cunning, or nervous behavior.
Any form of deformity.
Appearance not typical of the breed.
Bite faults, such as overbite, underbite, or crossbite.
Severe faults in body structure, coat, or color.
Undersized or oversized by more than 2 cm.
Dogs showing physical or behavioral abnormalities must be disqualified.

Note: Males must have two well-developed testicles fully descended into the scrotum.