Mini Schnauzer Colors

The miniature Schnauzer is a small dog that is classified, in part, by its variety of coat colors. People who are looking to buy a miniature Schnauzer have options in color combinations. Pure-bred miniature Schnauzers are limited to two color combinations and one solid color that the American Kennel Club approves.

  1. Salt and Pepper

    • Salt and pepper is the most common color combination in this breed. The color pattern exists on the top coat and is caused by the distribution of black and white banded hairs with solid black and white un-banded hairs. In the salt and pepper coloring, banded hairs predominate to give a speckled salt and pepper affect. All of the shades, from dark to light tones, are acceptable for a salt and pepper color combination, including tan shades. In a salt and pepper miniature schnauzer, the fur around the face, chest, beneath the tail and inside the hind legs lightens to a silvery white, where the fur loses the speckled appearance.

    Black and Silver

    • In a black and silver miniature Schnauzer, the section of the dog that has the salt and pepper coloring must be entirely black. The silvering occurs around the dog's eyebrows, beneath its chin, under the chest and at the bottoms of its legs. Brown tinge is not present in black and silver color combinations, and fading does not occur.

    Solid Black

    • A solid black miniature Schnauzer is completely black, with no speckles or stripes of silver. Sometimes, a variety of black shades occur. For instance, a Miniature Schnauzer can have a blacker topcoat with a softer, matted shade of black beneath it, which gives the fur a dimensional look. Lighter shades of black are exposed around the area of the dog that is clipped and shaved. If the dog has a small white spot on its chest, it is still considered a solid black color. It is also possible for solid black miniature Schnauzers to have a single white hair elsewhere in its black fur.

    White

    • Many miniature Schnauzers are bred to be snowy white in color. While this is a legitimate miniature Schnauzer coat color, the color is not recognized by the American Kennel Club because it is not considered an adequate specimen of the original breed. Miniature Schnauzers were not white when they originated, so finding a white one may imply that somewhere along the line a miniature Schnauzer was bred with another white dog of equal size and appearance.