Color History in the Miniature Schnauzer

The colors of the original Miniature Schnauzers were the same as their larger relatives, and ranged from solid black to black & tan, red-yellow, gray-yellow, and salt-and-pepper. The breeders and judges preferred the salt-and-pepper, then the black, and the other colors fell out of favor.

Of the 14 Miniature Schnauzers in the first German stud book, 3 were black, 7 were yellow, 2 black and tan, and 2 pepper and salt.

In spite of all attempts to isolate the colors by only breeding of like color, occasionally Black & Silver pups would be born from Salt & Pepper parents. The original US Miniature Schnauzer standard in 1934 included "black and tan". The Black & Silver color was accepted by the Pinscher-Schnauzer Club in 1968, and in 1977 the color was recognized by FCI.

White has never been a color accepted by the American Miniature Schnauzer Club.  However, in 1968 white Miniature Schnauzers were recognized by the Pinscher-Schnauzer Club and have since been accepted by FCI. In most FCI countries the colors may not be interbred.

1884 Schnauzer - Germany
Color: red-yellowish or gray-yellowish. His feet and underline usually lighter or gray-white. Further also allowed blackish, metal-gray, or silver-gray.
Either unicolored or with yellow-brown marks on the eyes, the snout, and the legs. Also unicolored flaxen or gray-white or white with black spots.

1907 Schnauzer - Germany
"All salt-and-pepper color shades or similar bristly equal color mixtures, and solid black". "Faults - all white, speckled, brindled, red, or bran colors".

The Miniature Schnauzer standard in the USA was approved in 1934 and has been revised three times since, in 1958, 1979, and 1991. The 1979 version made no changes to the color explanation, but the 1991 (current) version goes into more detail.

1934 Miniature Schnauzer - USA
"The color should be pepper and salt or similar equal mixtures, light or dark, and including the "red pepper", pure black, and black and tan. Faults are solid colors other than black, also very light, whitish, spotted or tiger colors, but a small white spot on the breast is not a fault."

1958 Miniature Schnauzer - USA
"The recognized colors are salt and pepper, black and silver, and solid black. The typical color is salt and pepper in shades of gray; tan shading is permissable. The salt and pepper mixture fades out to light gray or silver white in the eyebrows, whiskers, cheeks, under throat, across chest, under tail, leg furnishings, under body, and inside legs. The light under-body hair is not to rise higher on the sides of the body than the front elbows.

"The black and silver follows the same pattern as the salt and peppers. The entire salt-and-pepper section must be black.

"Black is the only solid color allowed. It must be a true black with no gray hairs and no brown tinge except where the whiskers may have become discolored. A small white spot on the chest is permitted."

1991 (current) Miniature Schnauzer - USA
"The recognized colors are salt and pepper, black and silver, and solid black. All colors have uniform skin pigmentation, i.e. no white or pink skin patches shall appear anywhere on the dog. "Salt & Pepper - The typical salt and pepper color of the topcoat results from the combination of black and white banded hairs and solid black and white unbanded hairs, with the banded hairs predominating. Acceptable are all shades of salt and pepper, from the light to dark mixtures with tan shadings permissible in the banded or unbanded hair of the top. In salt and pepper dogs, the salt and pepper mixture fades out to light gray or silver white in the eyebrows, whiskers, cheeks, under throat, inside ears, across chest, under tail, leg furnishings, and inside hind legs. It may or may not also fade out on the underbody. However, if so, the lighter underbody hair is not to rise higher on the sides of the body than the front elbows. Black and Silver - The black and silver generally follows the same pattern as the salt and pepper. The entire salt and pepper section must be black. The black color in the topcoat of the black and silver is a true rich color with black undercoat. The stripped portion is free from any fading or brown tinge and the underbody should be dark. Black - Black is the only solid color allowed. Ideally, the black color in the topcoat is a true rich glossy color with the undercoat being less intense, a soft matting shade of black. This is natural and should not be penalized in any way. The stripped portion is free from any fading or brown tinge. The scissored and clippered areas have lighter shades of black. A small white spot on the chest is permitted, as is an occasional single white hair elsewhere on the body.