Colors & Sizes

Parti Colors

Parti colored dogs are "partially" colored.

A parti dog has patches of color that can be located anywhere on the body, similar to cow spots. They can have a couple patches or almost like a saddle or blanket of color on their back.

Toy size

Toy size = 7-11 lbs

(They're still considered a Miniature Schnauzer.)

My son graciously helped model with the dogs. He was about 5' 5" at this time.

Toy size

Maverick weighed 8-9 lbs in these pictures.

Regular Mini

Regular mini size = 12-20 lbs

Regular Mini

Pepper is a regular mini size and weighs about 16 lbs.

Black

Black is a traditional color. The body is solid black. There may be white markings present on the chin, chest or paws. They have blacks pads and nose. Their eyes are typically black or brown.

Liver

Liver (brown) dogs will have a solid brown body. They can also have white markings on their chest, feet, and chin. The nose, pads, and eyelids are brown. Eyes can be hazel, green, or brown. This puppy has a blue eye because his dad has blue eyes.

White

This color can be shown internationally, but not in the United States. Born with a solid white coat. If they have a black nose and pads their eye color is black or brown. If they have a brown nose and pads their eye color is green, hazel, or brown.

Cream/Red

They can have varying shades of cream to red. The more intense the red is, the more rare. If they have a black nose and pads their eye color is black or brown. If they have a brown nose and pads their eye color is green, hazel, or brown.

Black & silver

Black and silver is a traditional color. The base of the body is black. The muzzle, eyebrows, across their chest, down their legs, and paws will start out a copper color. Then it will lighten and become a beautiful silver white. They usually have black pads and nose. Their eyes can be black or brown.

Black & tan/red

The base of the body is black. The muzzle, eyebrows, across their chest, down their legs, and paws are a shade of red. The darker the shade, the more expensive the puppy is. They usually have black pads and nose.

Liver & tan

Liver and tan puppies are born with a solid brown body. They have tan, cream, or white markings on their eyebrows, muzzle, chest, down the legs, on the feet, and under the tail. They'll have brown pads and a brown nose. Their eyes are usually brown, green, or hazel.

AKC

There are 3 colors that can be shown in the United States:

Black, Black & Silver, and Salt & Pepper.

All the colors listed on this page can be registered with the AKC:

• Black 007
• Black & silver 016
• Salt & pepper 167
• White 199
• Cream/red 224
• Liver 123
• Liver pepper 498
• Liver & tan 124
• Parti 038

Fading

It's important to note that this breed generally does fade/pepper out over time. Some dogs are able to keep their rich color, but this isn't always the case. I strive to incorporate lines that will help ensure the color stays beautiful for longer.

Blue Eyes

Mini Schnauzers can produce many different eye colors. If a parent has any amount of blue in their eye(s), then their offspring can also have blue eyes. How much blue is present in the offspring can vary. It can be two blue eyes, 1 blue eye, a partial blue eye, or flecks of blue in one or both eyes.

Can it cause health problems? If you breed irresponsibly and don't do any health testing, yes, the risks might be higher. That's why I get all my breeding dogs checked from a vet ophthalmologist, especially those with blue eyes. It's also important that I'm familiar with my breeding lines to help mitigate any health issues.

Salt and pepper

Comes in varying shades from light to dark. The hairs are banded, which means each strand of hair has three shades of color instead of one. Black, white, and gray. They have black pads and nose. Their eyes are usually black or brown. With each grooming their coat gets lighter and continues to change color into adulthood until it's a very light grey/silver color.

Liver pepper

Comes in varying shades from light to dark. This is the liver version of salt & pepper. Each banded hair has shades of brown and creams. Over time, the coat gets lighter. The nose and pads are brown. Eyes are green, brown, or hazel.

Sable

This is a rare color. There are banded black-tipped hairs with a cream or wheaten base. The dog's nose can be black based or brown based. Sable is a color that changes heavily in the first year of life. The pictures to the right are the same dog at birth and 2 years old.