Miniature Schnauzer Pepper and Salt

FCI:

Miniature Schnauzer Pepper and Salt - Group II Pinscher, Schnauzer, Mastiff and the Swiss Mountain Dogs, Section 1 - Pinschers and Schnauzers.

General Appearance:

This breed is lively, clever, agile and relentless, utterly fearless and alert dog, which, together with the small size it makes it nice and popular social breed suitable to the countryside and in small urban apartments. It can be used as a guard dogs and service, e.g. by customs authorities in the search for narcotics and other items. Its small size was advantage of that, unlike larger service dogs it can penetrate into the most difficult corners of means of transport (narrow spaces, etc.). Its major feature is the zeal with which it spends on any activity in which is active and louder than both of its larger relatives. As a security guard, it never miss anything, it is completely reliable and incorruptible.

Temperament/Behaviour:

To the owner and owner´s family it is wholly devoted and loyal. Like a fast learner which can and should be used, for example, while practicing one of the dog sports that fit its size. It satisfies not only the need to move, but also the mental work, because it is by nature active. It is used as an ideal companion for children games.

It needs by the owners enough attention otherwise it is bored, which may eventually lead to some nervousness. Its education and training usually run without any problems if the owner is kind but quite consistent. This dog fully respects person especially gifted by natural authority. It can empathize quickly.

Body:

It's a small, but powerful, stocky rather than overly slim, but always elegant dog almost square body frame. Height at withers is roughly equal to the length of the body. Male and female is from 30-35 cm, weight of body by both sexes is from 4-8 kg.

The head size should match the size of the individual and be so long that its total length, measured from the tip of the nose to the top of the occipital area match 1/2 the distance from the withers to the tail. The skull is strong, long without markedly protruding occipital area. The forehead should be flat free of wrinkles. Topline of skull is in the imaginary extension when viewed from the side parallel to the muzzle. The frontal slope (stop) because of eyebrows seems to be significantly declining.

The muzzle has the shape of a truncated wedge. The muzzle is level, a large nose and wide open nostrils, always black. Lips with black pigmented rims firmly and smoothly are adjacent to the jaws and teeth. Oral corners are closed. Upper and lower jaws are strong. Teeth must be complete. It consists of 42 teeth formula. Scissor bite is required. Teeth are strong, large, pure white.

Eyes should be medium-sized, oval. They are pointing straight forward, the dark lively expression. Eyelids are tightly fitting to the eyeballs. The earlobes are set high, tilted forward "V". The inner edges adjacent to the cheeks, carried symmetrically angled forward, the folds must be equally high and must not protrude above the top of the head.

The chest should be reasonably broad, on an imaginary cross-section of oval shape, so deep that it reaches to the elbows. The chest is significant due to the breast bone protruding in front of the shoulder joints. The bottom line of the body form when viewed from the elegantly arched curve of the lower edge of the rib cage, which passes smoothly, no kinks in the stomach. Flanks not too rolled up.

The forelegs are seen from the front strong, straight and their attitude is not to be too narrow. Front feet are short, round shape with toes well-knit and well-arched ("cat"), with short dark nails and resistant padded. The hindquarters are seen from the side in an attitude inclined. When viewed from behind should be parallel and their attitude cannot be too narrow.

Action forelegs should reach so far forward (to be correspondingly long, hearty), hind legs reaching too far forward, flexing and are a source of abundant forward driving force (reflection). During locomotion goes ahead simultaneously thoracic limb on one side and on the other the pelvis.

The coat should be wiry, harsh and dense. It consists of a soft undercoat and top coat that could never be too short, but it has to be well fitting, harsh, rough and sufficiently long to allow the checking of its texture. t must be neither bristly no wavy. On the limbs tends to be less harsh. On the forehead and earlobes is short. Typical is the beard on the muzzle, which should not be too fine, and the bushy eyebrows which lightly covers the eyes.

Coat colour can be pure black with black undercoat, i.e. Pepper and Salt, Black/ Silver or Pure white with white undercoat. For individuals with a black and silver colour is the aim in breeding is a black topcoat with black undercoat and light markings above the eyes, cheeks, muzzle (beard), the throat and the front of the chest (two clearly separated triangles), pasterns feet; the inner sides of the hind legs and around the anus. The forehead, the neck and the outer sides of the ears should be coloured black.

Black-silver colour variant is fitted with black undercoat and topcoat of the same colour. Black must also be brow, the outer part of the ear and the neck of the dog. In the area of the cheeks, above the eyes, beard, chest game in front, on the neck, feet, pasterns on the forelimbs, the inside of the hind legs and around the anus are placed white characters, the chest should form two triangles.