My name is Daphne Young, I have been in love with this breed since 1981. Nothing makes this lack of understanding clearer than the original mistake of classifying the Black & Silver as a Salt & Pepper for enough years that once the mistake was discovered and understood, it was far too late to rescind the registrations of dogs who either were or produced that particular color. There are also many recent “designer” colors due to variations in breeding. Stay up-to-date with our upcoming events! The black-and-silver grows solid black wire on the body. Salt-and-pepper is just like black-and-silver, but the black is replaced by grey. Whether these are displayed or not sometimes depends on whether the gene is “turned” on or off. Salt and Pepper Schnauzers vary in their birth color. Further, in order to be homozygous, both of the homozygous dog’s parents have to be that color, but the flipside is not true…just because both of a dog’s parents are Black, it does not necessarily make the dog homozygous. All of our dogs are Embark Health Tested and Cleared of 200 genetic diseases. Luckily, several inherited diseases in the miniature schnauzer have had their specific genetic mutation identified and can now be prevented in puppies by testing dams and sires and using informed selective breeding techniques. E is carried by all Salt/Peppers, Black/Silvers, Blacks, partis, & browns. To learn more, just click any of the coat color or trait names below. Bred to another heterozygous Black, the following combinations are possible: So obviously the possible combinations are 25% homozygous Black, 50% heterozygous Black and 25% not Black. Although they come in a variety of shades, even as dark as a Black & Silver, the defining trait of this color is the ?banding? The dark color always corresponds with the Base color. Salt and Pepper Schnauzers are born with banded hairs and turn silver as adults. As it is recessive, it is possible to pass the gene on for generation after generation without it showing up and further, the very, very dark Brown based, One Color, Chocolate dogs can look almost Black and could easily be accidentally misidentified and registered as such, further continuing the genetic line. For several years, the CKC has been accepting the registrations of black Mini Schnauzers born to non-black parentage. While white and parti-colour have historically occurred, these undesirable recessives are probably eradicated from today's important lines. The Yellow coloring is directly related to the Brown base, and the Yellow coat coloring is simply a difference in the way the color is deposited in the hair follicle. It also needs to be said that you can have White Parti-colored dogs but you won’t see the Parti due to the White disguising it. It appears however, as though all Mini Schnauzers carry for Salt & Pepper and that it can be masked or hidden by other genes and when the other genes fail to be expressed, then the S&P gene fulfills the need.At this point let’s leave this subject where it stands and move on to the colors themselves. The Miniature Schnauzer was used on German farms as a ratter. Schnauzers are bred specifically to result in a variety of accepted breed colors, as well as for newer “designer” options. The rarest of rare miniature schnauzers come in three shades of red – dark, medium, and light. Within each of these 2 base colors there are the 4 genetic patterns as we outlined in the previous paragraph. If a genetic trait is recessive, a dog needs to inherit two copies of the gene for the trait to be expressed, or seen. Although they come in a variety of shades, even as dark as a Black & Silver, the defining trait of this color is the “banding” of color on the wirehairs. This is normal and even noted in the breed standard of the AMSC and AKC. They are registerable and recognized, simply not able to be shown in the conformation classes. So that began years of research into linage, watching lines to learn about what was truly healthy and not, talking with lots of breeders, learning about color genetics and finding a good veterinarian to support the understanding that I only want the healthiest quality miniature schnauzer to be part of my breeding patch. The base color of the dogs is always reflected in the color of the nose and pads. So Black & Silver is double recessive and bred to another Black & Silver will only have Black & Silver Puppies because the only genes the parent have to contribute are Black & Silver. One of the frequently asked questions about the miniature schnauzer is why their colors tend to be different at birth and why they change as the puppies mature. Red is the rarest color in the world for a miniature schnauzer. There are also many recent “designer” colors due to variations in breeding. Recognized colors according to the AMSC (Black, Black/Silver and Salt/Pepper) and the non-recognized Miniature Schnauzer colors but can be registered with the AKC are (Livers, Parti's, White and Wheaten). Find Miniature Schnauzers for sale near you or sell to local buyers. It is now the time to address the Parti–color gene. Again, other genes affect the shade of the Banded coat and this clearly seen in the pictures of the Black-base, Banded coat (Salt & Pepper) dogs below. The recessive genes will always “mask” or override dominant genes when inherited from both parents. Schnauzers. Black and Silver) we will refer to as a “bi-color” and finally a dogs with a Salt and Pepper type coat will be called a “banded” coat in reference to the banded characteristic of the wire hairs of the Salt & Pepper coat which gives it it’s distinct appearance. Salt-and-pepper is dominant to black-and-silver. Please see the table below to better understand how these are displayed. This means that if one gene is present it will manifest fully, and if two are present it manifests no differently than with one. “K” represents the color black genetically on the DNA strand so we will use that as well, Capital “K” means Black and little “k” means not black. At worst, falsification must be suspected. I also want to be sure to make it clear that to say that the non-standard colors are “not recognized” by the AKC is not accurate. The exception to this is if the dog’s parents are both homozygous themselves, then all their offspring must be homozygous. One would hope that the powers that be at the CKC would begin to pay a little more interest to a situation that undermines the So now let’s explore the various colors we find in the Miniature Schnauzer. While there are actually many genes responsible for the “shade” of black, in this section we are only addressing the gene which makes the dog genetically “one color”, in this case black. So if the dog is not Black, what color is it? However, the FCI recognized color chart does include WHITE and of course Black, Black/Silver and Salt/Pepper. Also if we look back at the first recorded studbooks from Germany, we will find that the Salt & Pepper actually was recorded less often than the other colors, including some of the controversial colors as well as some that are rarely seen even today including but not limited to Red, Yellow and Blue. The schnauzer breeds occur in various colour shades, see table. The Standard Schnauzer only has 2 colors, Black and Salt & Pepper. In this article I will attempt to clear up any confusion about the various colors and the genetic forces Miniature Schnauzer Puppies demonstrate. The dog will have other genes to determine what color they will be when they are not another color. Their coats can also fade as they age. The shade can once again vary but the gene responsible for making this dog genetically “one color” is the same as in the black. Likewise with solid blacks. There are 2 base colors, Black and Brown. This is how all different colors first appeared, the same thing goes for eye color in humans and animals as well. This simply means these three colors are the only allowed colors to meet breed standard and conformation showing. There are only a few breeders in the world able to produce red wheaten miniature schnauzers. Red is the rarest color in the world for a miniature schnauzer. The defining characteristic of the Banded gene is the distinct banding or striping of the wirehairs. I hope this helps clear up some of the confusion regarding the colors. Looking for the Best Miniature, Toy & Teacup Schnauzer Breeders? Generally, both parents have to be carriers of a recessive trait in order for an offspring to express or show that trait. separate from the other color genes since it can be displayed simultaneously with them and is a “pattern” gene also known as a “broken color” gene. a black coat will also have a black undercoat to go with it! Red font indicates mother’s genetic contribution and blue, the father’s. It means that the dominant gene is not doubled up and the dog is carrying “hidden” or recessive gene(s), which can be expressed in the proper mating. Expecting litter of parti color miniature schnauzers. Each one has a Base color gene, a Coat pattern gene and an optional Parti pattern gene. A dog with a true white coat (born with pink pads, lips and noses that later turn the base color) we will call a “no color”, a dog with a solid, one-color coat (ie. E stands for Extension of dark pigment. solid black. Schnauzer, Miniature. The Miniature Schnauzer comes in four colours - solid black, solid white, salt-and-pepper, and black-and-silver (in the traditional tan pattern). Black-and-silver is recessive to the other colours. There is a marker trait that often identifies theses carriers - a small white spot of white directly above the nose! As you can see many of these Blacks have colors other than Black in their coats, ranging from minimally to in entirety. Below you will see a variety of Black base, One Color gene dogs that appear different based on the genes controlling shade/fade. There have been recorded Part-Colored Mini Schnauzers in this country as far back as the 1950’s and can be traced directly to some of the well known and respected German Kennels. Schnauzers. Parti colors will be discussed later and referred to as parti.To begin with, it first needs to be understood that there are 2 base colors, brown (also called chocolate and liver) and black (what is most commonly seen) . There are three colours accepted for the Miniature Schnauzer: salt-and-pepper. The U.S. Miniature Schnauzer Breed Standard recognizes three colors: salt & pepper, black & silver, and solid black. Often called Chocolate the correct term is Liver & Tan, this is the bi-color gene as displayed within the context of the brow base. They must be directly inherited from a parent. A black and silver puppy with two salt and pepper litter mates The gene “B” codes for salt and pepper coat color, the gene “b” codes for a black and silver coat, and “B” … Homozygous means that they have doubled up dominant genes thus ensuring they can produce no other color. This is an extremely simplified explanation simply for the purposes of our discussion. Although they come in a variety of shades, even as dark as a Black & Silver, the defining trait of this color is the “banding” of color on the wirehairs. Paw Print Genetics offers testing for common coat colors and traits. furnishings and masking on the face. Box 421Blooming Grove, TX 76626 USA. It is by no means certain that The intensity coat color gene variant causes an extreme dilution of phaeomelanin (red or yellow pigment), resulting in a cream to white coat in dogs. The Mini Schnauzer originated in Germany centuries ago. Also there was a time period when in Germany the only registerable Black Mini Schnauzers had to both have Black parents, this resulted in Homozygous Black dogs. The darker coloration will correspond with the base color, in this case black. The dog will eventually become the solid colour of its undercoat, but whether almost white or black, it is still a salt-and-pepper). Because there are more genes involved with shade and thus color is not simply determined by the single gene, a One Color gene dog can look very different from another dog of the same One Color gene. Merle Schnauzers are NOT a purebred schnauzer for two reasons 1) there is nothing in the history of the breed’s genetics (dating back to the 1500’s) that would allow the “merle” coloring (spots with blue eyes) and 2) the “merle” schnauzer has only recently been “discovered” which is impossible because of reason #1. Most often called a “white chocolate” or a “brown-nosed” white, this is genetically the same coat is the black-nosed white, only the base color differs. The outer guard coat hairs are banded in shades ranging from light silver through grey to black, often ending in black hair tips. There is a lot of variation in … The claim that the Brown base is a “new” color and therefore not purebred is inaccurate. It should be noted however that the Schnauzer has a somewhat unique gene called the Chinchilla gene which changes the reddish hue of the “tan” points to the silvery color displayed by Schnauzers. With the recessive genes it is a matter whether or not two matching gene pairs are inherited, one from each parent. These three colors are referred to as the only recognized colors. The Parti coloring can be seen as big “saddles” of color on a white background or as a “splattering” of colored freckles on the white background, or more commonly, both. Shoshone, ID. All of our puppies are raised in our home. Depending on the point of growth of the wirehair, the hair will appear white, dark or a combination of both. Black is dominant over the other colours. So this means that one dog can have several different “notches” on their DNA stick and it is not just a matter of whether they have this gene and not that one but also how the different genes affect one another. They can still participate in Agility, Obedience and Search and Rescue. Unless it was created by a mutation which has been seen to happen. This also means 2 brown-based dogs bred together will only produce brown based offspring. All puppies are cleared by parentage. It divides the world of Schnauzer lovers right down the middle. produce only black puppies, regardless of the colour of its mate. The AKC puts the Miniature Schnauzer in the Terrier Group. What Colors Do Miniature Schnauzers Come In? A homozygous black will While the original intention was to breed for a “scaled-down version” of the Standard Schnauzer in every way (build, temperament, instinct to “rat” and coloring), human beings’ less-than-perfect understanding of genetics at that time (1880’s) shows in the concept to limit the “acceptable” colors to those of the Standard Schnauzer, despite clearly using dogs of differing colors (Poodle coat variations being among the strongest example) in the creation of the breed. integrity of the registry. Salt-and-pepper is just like black-and-silver, but the black is replaced by grey. Miniature Schnauzers were bred as vermin hunters, but today they make excellent guard dogs despite their small body construction. A salt-and-pepper may carry the gene for black-and-silver and produce the colour when mated to another carrier. Luckily, several inherited diseases in the miniature schnauzer have had their specific genetic mutation identified and can now be prevented in puppies by testing dams and sires and using informed selective breeding techniques. Most white spotting on dogs is determined by the genes on the S locus.When we use the term "white spotting" we simply mean white areas on the dog, not actually white spots. Please check your entries and try again. This simply means these three colors are the only allowed colors to meet breed standard and conformation showing. jacket is usually superior to that of the clippered areas and leg furnishings, which are scissored. It has also been proven that there have been many breeders who have “disposed of” or purposefully misidentified the coloring of the “differently” colored dogs to preserve their “integrity” among the circles they turn in. This is the most commonly known color for Mini Schnauzers as it is the color they are when they do not inherit any of the recessive or direct inheritance genes from their parents. These may be any combination of black, grey, white or tan. Some genes have more than one mutation, such as those genes involved in Agouti and determining a brown coat color.