General Appearance
The Standard Schnauzer is a robust, heavy-set
dog, sturdily built with good muscle and plenty
of bone; square-built in proportion of body
length to height. His rugged build and dense
harsh coat are accentuated by the hallmark of
the breed, the arched eyebrows and the bristly
mustache and whiskers. Faults--Any deviation
that detracts from the Standard Schnauzer's
desired general appearance of a robust, active,
square-built, wire-coated dog. Any deviation
from the specifications in the Standard is to be
considered a fault and should be penalized in
proportion to the extent of the deviation.
Size, Proportion, Substance
Ideal height at the highest point of the
shoulder blades, 18½ to 19½ inches for males and
17½ inches to 18½ inches for females. Dogs
measuring over or under these limits must be
faulted in proportion to the extent of the
deviation. Dogs measuring more than one half
inch over or under these limits must be
disqualified. The height at the highest point of
the withers equals the length from breastbone to
point of rump.
Head
Head strong, rectangular, and elongated;
narrowing slightly from the ears to the eyes and
again to the tip of the nose. The total length
of the head is about one half the length of the
back measured from the withers to the set-on of
the tail. The head matches the sex and substance
of the dog. Expression alert, highly
intelligent, spirited. Eyes medium size; dark
brown; oval in shape and turned forward; neither
round nor protruding. The brow is arched and
wiry, but vision is not impaired nor eyes hidden
by too long an eyebrow.
Ears set high, evenly shaped with moderate
thickness of leather and carried erect when
cropped. If uncropped, they are of medium size,
V-shaped and mobile so that they break at skull
level and are carried forward with the inner
edge close to the cheek. Faults--Prick, or hound
ears.
Skull ( Occiput to Stop ) moderately broad
between the ears with the width of the skull not
exceeding two thirds the length of the skull.
The skull must be flat; neither domed nor bumpy;
skin unwrinkled. There is a slight stop which is
accentuated by the wiry brows. Muzzle strong,
and both parallel and equal in length to the
topskull; it ends in a moderately blunt wedge
with wiry whiskers accenting the rectangular
shape of the head. The topline of the muzzle is
parallel with the topline of the skull. Nose is
large, black and full. The lips should be black,
tight and not overlapping. Cheeks--Well
developed chewing muscles, but not so much that
"cheekiness" disturbs the rectangular head form.
Bite - A full complement of white teeth, with a
strong, sound scissors bite. The canine teeth
are strong and well developed with the upper
incisors slightly overlapping and engaging the
lower. The upper and lower jaws are powerful and
neither overshot nor undershot. Faults--A level
bite is considered undesirable but a lesser
fault than an overshot or undershot mouth.
Neck, Topline, Body
Neck strong, of moderate thickness and length,
elegantly arched and blending cleanly into the
shoulders. The skin is tight, fitting closely to
the dry throat with no wrinkles or dewlaps. The
topline of the back should not be absolutely
horizontal, but should have a slightly
descending slope from the first vertebra of the
withers to the faintly curved croup and set-on
of the tail. Back strong, firm, straight and
short. Loin well developed, with the distance
from the last rib to the hips as short as
possible.
Body compact, strong, short-coupled and
substantial so as to permit great flexibility
and agility. Faults--Too slender or shelly; too
bulky or coarse.
Chest of medium width with well sprung ribs, and
if it could be seen in cross section would be
oval. The breastbone is plainly discernible. The
brisket must descend at least to the elbows and
ascend gradually to the rear with the belly
moderately drawn up. Fault--Excessive tuck-up.
Croup full and slightly rounded. Tail set
moderately high and carried erect. It is docked
to not less than one inch nor more than two
inches. FaultSquirrel tail.
Forequarters
Shoulders-The sloping shoulder blades are
strongly muscled, yet flat and well laid back so
that the rounded upper ends are in a nearly
vertical line above the elbows. They slope well
forward to the point where they join the upper
arm, forming as nearly as possible a right angle
when seen from the side. Such an angulation
permits the maximum forward extension of the
forelegs without binding or effort. Forelegs
straight, vertical, and without any curvature
when seen from all sides; set moderately far
apart; with heavy bone; elbows set close to the
body and pointing directly to the rear. Dewclaws
on the forelegs may be removed. Feet small and
compact, round with thick pads and strong black
nails. The toes are well closed and arched
(cat's paws) and pointing straight ahead.
Hindquarters
Strongly muscled, in balance with the
forequarters, never appearing higher than the
shoulders. Thighs broad with well bent stifles.
The second thigh, from knee to hock, is
approximately parallel with an extension of the
upper neck line. The legs, from the clearly
defined hock joint to the feet, are short and
perpendicular to the ground and, when viewed
from the rear, are parallel to each other.
Dewclaws, if any, on the hind legs are generally
removed. Feet as in front.
Coat
Tight, hard, wiry and as thick as possible,
composed of a soft, close undercoat and a harsh
outer coat which, when seen against the grain,
stands up off the back, lying neither smooth nor
flat. The outer coat (body coat) is trimmed (by
plucking) only to accent the body outline.
As coat texture is of the greatest importance, a
dog may be considered in show coat with back
hair measuring from 3/4 to 2 inches in length.
Coat on the ears, head, neck, chest, belly and
under the tail may be closely trimmed to give
the desired typical appearance of the breed. On
the muzzle and over the eyes the coat lengthens
to form the beard and eyebrows; the hair on the
legs is longer than that on the body. These
"furnishings" should be of harsh texture and
should not be so profuse as to detract from the
neat appearance or working capabilities of the
dog. Faults--Soft, smooth, curly, wavy or
shaggy; too long or too short; too sparse or
lacking undercoat; excessive furnishings; lack
of furnishings.
Color
Pepper and salt or pure black.
Pepper and Salt-The typical pepper and salt
color of the topcoat results from the
combination of black and white hairs, and white
hairs banded with black. Acceptable are all
shades of pepper and salt and dark iron gray to
silver gray. Ideally, pepper and salt Standard
Schnauzers have a gray undercoat, but a tan or
fawn undercoat is not to be penalized. It is
desirable to have a darker facial mask that
harmonizes with the particular shade of coat
color. Also, in pepper and salt dogs, the pepper
and salt mixture may fade 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.
Black-Ideally the black Standard Schnauzer
should be a true rich color, free from any
fading or discoloration or any admixture of gray
or tan hairs. The undercoat should also be solid
black. However, increased age or continued
exposure to the sun may cause a certain amount
of fading and burning. A small white smudge on
the chest is not a fault. Loss of color as a
result of scars from cuts and bites is not a
fault.
Faults-Any colors other than specified, and any
shadings or mixtures thereof in the topcoat such
as rust, brown, red, yellow or tan; absence of
peppering; spotting or striping; a black streak
down the back; or a black saddle without typical
salt and pepper coloring-and gray hairs in the
coat of a black; in blacks, any undercoat color
other than black.
Gait
Sound, strong, quick, free, true and level gait
with powerful, well angulated hindquarters that
reach out and cover ground. The forelegs reach
out in a stride balancing that of the
hindquarters. At a trot, the back remains firm
and level, without swaying, rolling or roaching.
When viewed from the rear, the feet, though they
may appear to travel close when trotting, must
not cross or strike. Increased speed causes feet
to converge toward the center line of gravity.
Faults-Crabbing or weaving; paddling, rolling,
swaying; short, choppy, stiff, stilted rear
action; front legs that throw out or in (East
and West movers); hackney gait, crossing over,
or striking in front or rear.
Temperament
The Standard Schnauzer has highly developed
senses, intelligence, aptitude for training,
fearlessness, endurance and resistance against
weather and illness. His nature combines
high-spirited temperament with extreme
reliability.
Faults--In weighing the seriousness of a fault,
greatest consideration should be given to
deviation from the desired alert, highly
intelligent, spirited, reliable character of the
Standard Schnauzer. Dogs that are shy or appear
to be highly nervous should be seriously faulted
and dismissed from the ring. Vicious dogs shall
be disqualified.
Disqualifications
Males under 18 inches or over 20 inches in
height. Females under 17 inches or over 19
inches in height.
Vicious dogs.
Approved February 9, 1991
Effective March 27, 1991
This material is published from the American
Kennel Club
