Hi there and welcome. Here I would like to give you a little information about the Miniature Schnauzer. I'm going to tell you about the Colors, the Sizes and the overall Temperament and History of the Schnauzer. So grab a cup of coffee or tea and I hope you gain some useful information from me as when starting the breeding of the Schnauzer I did a lot of research on this breed which I found very helpful in many ways.
Colors: The Schnauzer comes in a variety of colors which are all excepted by Akc. The standard colors with Akc are Black, Black/Silver and Salt/Pepper. Other colors that are accepted are White, Chocolate/Liver, Black/Tan, Chocolate/Liver Tans, Parti which comes in a variety of colors, Liver/ Pepper, Silver, Platinum. With the Black/silvers and the Chocolate/Liver Tans, or Black/Tans some breeders will tell you they are "PHANTOMS".. They ARE NOT PHANTOMS. This is just their fancy way of extracting more money from your pocket for something that is truly just a Black/Silver or a Chocolate/Liver Tan or a Black/Tan. They are no different than the Salt/Pepper the markings vary in shade intensity. So before you buy a so called "PHANTOM" look around for a Tan or Silver and you'll see they are the same and chances are a little cheaper. Also Akc does not call them "PHANTOMS" they are called "TANS"....So why pay for something they call a "PHANTOM" that Akc calls and will register it as a Tan??
Sizes: Every breeder has their own way of determining the size and classification of their Schnauzers. The Miniature Schnauzers standard size is 12-14 inches in height weight that averages out from 14-20 lbs. I classify my schnauzer as follows:
Teacup (3-7 lbs)Adult Size
Toy (7.1-11lbs)Adult Size
Petite (11.1-14lbs)Adult Size
Miniature(14.1-20 lbs)Adult Size
I can and will not guarantee any weight on a puppy for it's adult weight. As their weight is an estimation to the best of my knowledge and also varies on if they are overfed as adults or are over weight. I'm very honest about my charting and I feel very confident in my estimations as a breeder.
General Schnauzer Information:
The Miniature Schnauzers a breed that is originally from Germany. It is believed to have been started by breeding the standard schnauzer to a smaller breeds such as the affenpinscher,poodle,and/or miniature pinscher. It is from these crosses while developing the breed that the colors white and black/silver came about, and these colors have remained and bred true all these years. The most common of colors in the Schnauzer are salt/pepper and black, with black/silver and white being a less common. And among the uncommon colors are that of the Livers/Liver-Tans and the Partis which come in a wide range of colors as so does the schnauzer in general these days. Almost all colors are recognized by Akc "American Kennel Club" and Ckc "Continental Kennel Club". When you hear that a colors like "Liver" is not recognized by a particular kennel club all this means is that it cannot be shown in the conformation shows but able to show in other categories such as agility and so forth. The dog is still a registered purebred that is able to hold Akc and or Ckc papers. I always register all of my dogs with both kennels as Ckc will allow you to show a white as Akc wont allow it. Nice to have the options.
The Schnauzer is becoming one of the most desired Toy/Miniature breeds in the country. I would believe the reasoning behind this is because of their marked intelligence, childlike personality's, devotion to their family's, Non-shedding coats making them hypo-allergenic, and the fact that they are easy to train and also they get along with most other animals and people including small children. This I know from experience because we bought ours with a 4 year old son and a 12 month old daughter and they were great with our kids. I would never doubt our dogs being with the kids without supervision.
The Schnauzer is a high maintenance dog with their grooming requirements. If your wanting a low maintenance dog this is not the breed for you as they need groomed on a 4-8 week basis. I have found that learning to do the grooming yourself makes it much easier and a lot cheaper than taking them to a groomer for something that is truly easy to learn. I learned within the first month of having my first Schnauzer. Or if you would like you can trim your dog completely, but I would leave their face to look like a schnauzer.
The Schnauzer originated in the late 1800'S and some believe that the true colors or the Schnauzer were the white and the parti colors but due to their differences they were destroyed and the colors that Akc considers standard were actually the different colors. A matter of fact the Abbagamba Kennel in Germany was producing "Parti" colors in 1929 first appearing from a pair of "Blacks" and in the U.S. from a pair of Salt/Peppers. Red, Yellow and Brown were the prominent colors in the early days of the breed. Many of the first colors to be imported into the U.S were of the colors I breed for. Interesting Hu?
Silver State Minis
Tashas Schnauzer's
The name "Dachshund" comes from German(dachs) Badger (hund) dog but in Germany it's country of origin, the "Teckel." Early German documents from the 16th century refer to predecessors of the Dachshund dog, a little digger. Often hunted in packs they were bred for hunting ferocious badgers(in Europe) and would follow them into underground burrows, drag them out and kill them. The original Dachshunds were smooth coated. Longhaired Dachshund's came later followed by the Wirehaired variety arrived around the near end of the 18th century
The first Teckel stud book was created in Germany in 1890 & it referred to Smooth, Longhaired and Wirehaired Dachshund dog varieties. The working ability of the Dachshund is paramount to their size and structure & chiefly functional.
Miniature Dachshund varieties came later.
Dachshunds are affectionate, quirky, & very spirited. Dachshunds make excellent family pets that inspire life long loyalty and love to their family and or owner. With their short little legs, long bodies and comical antics, these dogs entertain everyone who encounters them.
Dachshunds are intelligent, loyal, dramatic, protective, affectionate, greedy, stubborn, energetic, and when given an inch take or want the next best thing, A MILE..
Dachshund Sizes Are as Follows:
Miniature Dachshund: 11 lbs (5 Kg) and under.
Height Miniatures: 5-6 in (12.7- 15.2 cm) at withers.
Standard Variety: Over 11 lbs (Usually 16-32 lbs)
Height Standard: 8-9 in (20.3- 22.9 cm) at withers.
Watch Dog Ability: Excellent
Other Name: Teckel
Life Expectancy: 12-14 years
With three different coats, they are considered to be three varieties.
Smooth Coat Dachshund:
Coat- Short, Smooth and shining. Should be neither too long or too thick. Ears not leathery.
Tail- Gradually tapered to a point, well but not too richly haired. Long sleek bristles on the underside are considered a patch of strong-growing hair, not a fault. A brush tail is a fault, as is a partially or wholly hairless tail.
Wirehaired Dachshund:
Coat- With the exception of jaw, eyebrows and ears, the whole body is covered with the uniform tight, short, thick, rough, hard, outer coat, but with finer, somewhat softer, shorter hair (undercoat) everywhere distributed between the coarser hairs. The absence of an undercoat is a fault. The distinctive facial furnishings include a bread and eyebrows. On the ears the hair is shorter than on the body, almost smooth. The general arrangement of the hair is such that the wirehaired Dachshund, when viewed from a distance, resembles the smooth coated Dachshund. Any sort of soft hair in the outercoat, wherever found on the body especially on the top of the head is a fault. The same is true of a long, curly, or wavy hair, or hair that sticks out irregularly in all directions.
Tail: Robust , thickly haired, gradually tapering to a point. A flag tail is a fault.
Color of Hair: While the most common colors are wild boar, black and tan, and various shades of red, all colors are admissible. A small amount of white on the chest, although acceptable is not desired.
Nose and nails: Same as for the smooth variety.
Breed Excepted Colors: Breed Excepted Pattern's:
Black Black & Cream
Black & Tan Blue & Tan Brindle
Chocolate Chocolate & Tan Brindle Piebald
Cream Fawn(Isabella) & Tan Dapple
Wild Boar Wheaten Double Dapple
Piebald
Sable
