Dog Breeds

Miniature Schnauzer

Just walk down the main street of any town in the United States and you are bound to see at least on Miniature Schnauzer strutting along with a proud owner on the other end of his or her jeweled collar and matching leash.

The Miniature Schnauzer is undeniably a breed with universal appeal. Skimming through the pages of high fashion magazines like Vogue, ELLE, and Cosmopolitan  - you will find photographs of the aristocrats of the American dog world prominently displayed along with all the other delights available in an affluent society.

Schnauzers are so sturdy, so hardy, so willing to please, there is little wonder they have become one of our favorite and most fashionable breeds.

While the styles may change from year to year, the feisty little Miniature Schnauzer has been “in fashion” for many seasons and on the list of the top 20 most popular breeds. Their delightful, fancy eyebrows and their jaunty beards adds so much to their charm and unusual appearance. What’s more, they come in three sizes:

1. The Giant Schnauzer, or Reisenschnauzer as they are called in Germany, is the largest of the three varieties and is a marvelous guard dog, and highly regarded as a herding dog.

2. The Standard Schnauzer is the medium-sized variety, or “prototype”, and was the first to appear around the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and established the breed as a working dog.

3. Then there is the twelve-to-fourteen-inch high, or Miniature Schnauzer which is the most popular of all and seen in ever-increasing numbers as both pets and as top-winning show dogs all over the world.

The Miniature Schnauzer originated in Germany, and translated, the name Schnauzer means snout, which refers quite obviously to the whiskers which distinguish this breed and lend it a great deal of expression. The word is pronounced snout-zer which further indicates the nose on which these wonderful whiskers appear.

The standard for the breed was first published in Germany in 1880, but it wasn’t until 1890, a full decade later, that the first Specialty Show was held in Stuttgart, Germany, with ninety-three entries. As the breed increased in popularity, a Pinscher Club was founded in Cologne and a Bavarian Schnauzer Club in Munich in 1907.

These two clubs united in 1918 and gave the Schnauzer its first official representation with the German Kennel Club. As early as 1899, however, the Miniature Schnauzer was being exhibited as a distinct breed, and is said to have been derived from breeding the smallest of the Standard variety with Affenpinschers, gray Spitz, and black Poodles in a highly selective breeding program.

Schnauzers were depicted in paintings in Europe by great artists like Reinalge, Rembrandt, Sir Joshua Reynolds and Albrecht Durer at the same time Columbus was discovering America. Yet it wasn’t until the middle of the twentieth century that they gained fame in the U.S. The first imported Miniature Schnauzer to earn a championship was Brookmeade Kennel’s Sn. Lenchen v. Dornbusch. But four miniatures imported in 1924 by Mrs. M. Slattery of the Marienhof Kennels are acknowledged to be the foundation stock for the breed in America.

The first American champion was Mrs. Slattery’s Ch. Moses Taylor. This was an honor he shared with Don v. Dornbusch, since both finished the same day but at different shows in 1927. The first Miniature Schnauzer registered with the American Kennel Club was a female imported b Monson Morris, and was named Borste v. Bischofsleben. The three females which are considered the foundation of the breed were Amsel v.d. Cyriaksburg and her two daughters, Lotte and Lady v.d. Goldbachhohe.

The registering of miniatures as a separate breed began in America in 1926. The Miniature Schnauzer Club was organized when the Schnauzer Club of America, which had encompassed all three varieties, was dissolved in 1933. The American Kennel Club determined that a specialty club should cover just one variety. The first president of the group, on August 19, 1933, was Mrs. Isaac W. Jeanes of the Mardale Kennels.

It was at this point in 1933 that the Standard Schnauzer was to remain in the Working Dog Group at shows while the Miniatures were designated to compete with the other terrier breeds for championship wins. It also was a strong point in favor of discouraging the interbreeding of the Miniature with the Standards, which until this point breeders had felt necessary to establish a sturdy miniature-sized specimen of the breed.

Ear-cropping was another major controversy as the breed became established in this country. In Germany, of course, all Schnauzers had their ears cropped. In the United States, both cropped and uncropped are acceptable, and have been since 1933. There was great conflict in the twenties since the majority of the Schnauzers being shown were imports, and, therefore, had their ears cropped. The English and Americans preferred the natural ear and entries here were seriously affected until the 1933 ruling which accepted both.

While the alert and interested temperament of the Miniature Schnauzer may indicate to some a rather aggressive behavior, such is not the case. The breed is easygoing, which makes it excellent as a family dog and particularly good with children.

Temperament is a breed characteristic, but it also has a good deal to do with heredity. Each breed produces a “bad seed” now and then, and of course, puppies and especially grown stock from these lines are to be avoided when considering purchase of a Miniature Schnauzer. Just as the shy dog is to be avoided, though they say “a shy Schnauzer has not yet been born.”

The breed is also known for its trainability. So you can expect your Miniature Schnauzer to be well behaved under most any circumstances. The right training and the right trainer is most important, but the actual desire to learn must be within the dog’s natural makeup, and hopefully, in the sire and dam’s as well. The innate ability to learn can be passed down to their progeny and certainly will aid in the instruction, and with most satisfying results.

Grooming the Miniature Schnauzer can be tricky but it is great fun. The jaunty beard and eyebrows featured in this breed can be a real challenge to a groomer. Get a good teacher if you are determined to groom your Schnauzer by yourself.

Most colors are acceptable, with pepper and salt the most popular. Most forms of dirt are resisted by the rough coat and an occasional grooming will keep the dog in presentable condition with a minimum of effort on your part, resembling the appearance that the Standard for the breed specifies.

In addition to the beard and eyebrows, the legs and the feat must also be shaped with scissors and the procedure should be learned from an expert, or from a breeder from whom you purchase your dog. The body coat, consisting of an outer and under coat must be groomed with a stripping comb.

The dead hair is either stripped out with the comb or plucked out with fingers. The purpose of this is to remove the old dead hair and to allow for and encourage the new hair to come in. The changing of the coat is “seasonal” and care must be taken to maintain the proper “outline” of the dog during the shedding period.

Grooming is important to the health as well as the appearance of your Miniature Schnauzer. If you decide not to groom your dog yourself, you must arrange to have him properly groomed at a commercial grooming establishment. Just about any establishment which caters to poodles will also be able to accommodate your Schnauzer – or can learn.

There is one essential point every Schnauzer owner should observe and faithfully maintain; that is, the proper care of the beard, or whiskers. While the body coat is inclined to resist dirt, the beard does get into food and therefore requires washing to keep it unstained and odor-free. This is especially important if the dog lives in the house and is constantly around members of the family.

Sour-smelling whiskers are unpleasant, but avoidable. When necessary, wash with wet cloths or paper towels, and dry with Turkish or paper towels. Sprays or powders may be lightly sprinkled into the whiskers and combed out to keep them clean.  If your dog sleeps with the children, and a recent survey revealed that about 90% of them do, your children will be grateful for the clean beard as well.

This special attention to the beard, and the occasional combing over with a wired brush, which can be purchased at any pet store, or a periodic visit to a grooming parlor, will keep your Miniature Schnauzer in good condition. Cleaning the ears and clipping the dog’s nails are all that remain to be done to maintain a dog you and your family can be proud of.

You will find that Miniature Schnauzers make excellent guard dogs. They are always “on the alert” and are unafraid of friend or foe. The Giant variety has been used by the Army as dispatch dogs and by the Red Cross as aids in the past, and their eagerness to learn and to please their owners means you can depend on them for a job well done. They may not be the largest guard dog you can get, but you can bet they’ll be the first to know when someone approaches or when trouble is lurking.

These are just a few of the many reasons why this breed is realizing such a surge in popularity.  Since World War II, registrations with the American Kennel Club have soared. In Sweden, between 1960 and 2000, registrations have more than tripled and continue to gain. During the late 1960s, registrations for this breed literally doubled in South Africa.

One thing is for certain, it has been the United States, more than any country in the world, that has set the standard and brought the Miniature Schnauzer into prominence where it can enjoy its deserved place in the world of dogs.