They are generally sweet, loving and can be fiercely loyal. They often have a favorite person, even though they will love the whole family. They will bark when someone comes to the door. Properly trained, though, they will stop when the owner indicates that the person at the door is welcome and not a threat.

Miniature Schnauzers have a keen interest for small animals of the rodent variety but also show an interest in birds. If you have small pets like birds or hamsters, they should be gradually introduced to the dog in a controlled manner so that the dog begins to understand that the animal is friend, not foe.

Miniature Schnauzers are generally good with children if raised with them from a young age.

GENERAL APPEARANCE - The Miniature Schnauzer is a robust, active dog of terrier type, resembling his larger cousin, the Standard Schnauzer, in general appearance, and of an alert, active disposition.

SIZE, PROPORTION, SUBSTANCE. Size - From 12 to 14 inches. He is sturdily built, nearly square in proportion of body length to height with plenty of bone, and without any suggestion of toyishness.

COAT - Double, with hard, wiry, outer coat and close undercoat. The head, neck, ears, chest, tail, and body coat must be plucked before entering a show ring. When in show condition, the body coat should be of sufficient length to determine texture. Close covering on neck, ears, and skull.

COLOR - According to the American Miniature Schnauzer Club the recognized colors are salt and pepper, black and silver and solid black; but many people are drawn to the white puppies even though the AMSC says that this coloration is a disqualification to enter dog shows but it will be registered.  The reason that the AMSC does not recognize the white color is "The Miniature Schnauzer was developed to be an identical version of the Standard Schnauzer. The Standard Schnauzer has never come in the white color."

Salt and 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 topcoat. 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.

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 for a dog show. 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.

EARS - The breed standard allows for both cropped and uncropped ears. To be cropped it usually done between seven and twelve weeks age. The earlier it is done, the faster the pup heals.

TAIL - The tail should be docked. Tail docking is done at about three days of age, prior to the nerves in the tail generating.

HISTORY
The Miniature Schnauzer was first introduced in Germany during the late 1800's where it was classified as a working dog. They were used extensively for "ratting", and they were very good at the task of catching rats. They were also used on farms to do many other chores, such as herding sheep, cattle, hogs, and keeping the children entertained.

The miniature schnauzer was developed by crossing the standard schnauzer with the Affenpinscher, the black German Poodle, the gray Wolf Spitz, and the Wirehaired Pinschers. The Miniature Schnauzers fawn - colored undercoat and the wire texture derived from the Affenpinscher. The common salt and pepper coat comes from the gray wolf spitz. The coloration of the black coat is from black German Poodle which gives the black Schnauzers a very soft and glossy coat. The coarse wirehaired coat would come the Wirehaired Pinscher. The Miniature Schnauzer was introduced to the United States in the 1920's . The breed had not yet been approved by the American Kennel Club. But yet a miniature schnauzer by the name of Amsel was entered in an open class at the Boston dog show. Since it was a open class showing, Amsel had to compete against the larger breeds that were already champions. Amsel went on to win third place in the show, a major victory for the Miniature Schnauzer. A few years later the Miniature Schnauzer was accepted to the American Kennel Club and was classified as a terrier.