Looking for a Miniature Schnauzer puppy?  Well, we’ll talk about how to do that in a hot minute, but first of all let’s examine this breed in a little more detail to get a feel for what they’re all about.

Firstly, Schnauzer’s are a dog that is originally from Germany, records show that intensive breeding began in earnest from the middle of the nineteenth century into the early twentieth century.

Two breeds which have been named as the forefathers of the Schnauzer are the Affenpinscher and the Poodle, which makes perfect sense when we examine their “wooly” coat which is much like that of a Poodle.

A true and pure bred Schnauzer will come in only four colors unlike many other breeds which come in a variety of colors.  The four colors are black-silver, black-white, black, and white, that’s it.

If there is any other color in the coat that it would not be considered a pure breed Schnauzer, and breeders are sticklers for these types of rules, so much so that it often seems like they invented the word “stickler”.

Now, the miniature Schnauzer is actually properly referred to as the toy Schnauzer, lest we slip into the wrong terminology here.  There are actually three different sizes of these dogs, which is a little bit unique as many dogs may only come in one or two distinct sizes.

With the Schnauzer there are Giants, Standards, and Toys or “minis” (miniature) as they are often called in colloquial terms.

They vary quite a bit in size with the Giants averaging in weight from 55 to 80 pounds, a Standard dog will weigh about 30 – 45 pounds, and the mini averages about 12 – 20 pounds.

While these minis are not the smallest dogs on the market they are pretty small, and will do very well in a small space, such as an apartment in an urban dwelling for example.  Such as space would make a good home for this breed.

Schnauzer’s are feisty dogs but are not overly aggressive.  They are somewhere in between aggressive and timid, which makes them a good choice for a pet for a wide range of folks.

Another thing to know about them is that they do have a very high “prey drive” that we need to be aware about; they were, after all, bred to chase vermin down and rid them from the farms in 19^th century Germany.  It’s in their blood, so, yes, they will definitely have a tendency to go squirrel chasing if you let them.

A Miniature Schnauzer puppy will have a harsh, wiry over coat, with an entire separate undercoat, which is common in dogs, especially dogs that evolved in colder climates.  These dogs will need to be groomed fairly often (once a week is a good round number).

And remember that this breed is excellent in Agility, Flyball, and does have a natural herding instinct as well – enjoy.