Black & Silver Miniature Schnauzer

Learn more about the black and silver variety in Miniature Schnauzers.

What Does A Black & Silver Miniature Schnauzer Look Like?

Black and silver is a breed term for a black-based tan point pattern (E/- k^y/k^y a^t/a^t).

The coat is solid black with crisp pale phaeomelanin markings.

Black & Silver Miniature Schnauzer Markings

The black-based tan point pattern in Schnauzers combined with their very pale tan intensity turns what should be a black & tan pattern into a black & silver pattern.

This does not affect the placement of tan markings in their coat. They have a mostly solid black coat with phaeomelanin markings above the eyes, on the cheeks, throat, chest, lower legs and bum.

The silver markings should be crisp and the FCI even requires “clearly separated triangles on the chest“.

It’s normal for the black portion in this kind of pattern to not always give solid black body coat or super crisp edges against the silver markings. Some dogs have pale undercoat or sooty markings.

Very dark agouti (“salt & pepper“) can sometimes border on black & silver. That’s no surprise since tan points are basically just agouti without the hair banding. The FCI standard specifies that a true black & silver has to have solid black coat on its forehead, neck and outer sides of the ears.

Typical face markings in a black & silver pattern should include a nose bar and black coat under the eyes and clear silver markings on the cheeks and above the eyes.

When the FCI standard talks about a “dark mask“, they likely meant these face markings. However, some Miniature Schnauzers really do have a black mask which will cover some of their muzzle pattern.

Black & Silver Miniature Schnauzer Nose Color

A dog’s nose gets its color only from its eumelanin pigment.

Dogs with a black-based pattern will always have a black nose. Also, any visible skin pigment like eye rims and lips and even the nails and paw pads will be black.

Black & Silver Miniature Schnauzer Eye Color

Eye color is determined by eumelanin color and pigment density.

A black-based Miniature Schnauzer pattern will typically come with dark brown eyes.

Black & Silver Miniature Schnauzer Coat Type

Miniature Schnauzers are double-coated with a short coat and furnishings.

Their topcoat is harsh and wiry with their leg furnishings a little longer and softer.

Some Miniature Schnauzers have a long-coat variant. And even fewer have a curly variant.

All Schnauzers are fixed for furnishings, they always have a beard and bushy eyebrows.

Black & Silver Miniature Schnauzer Genetics

Gray Miniature Schnauzers have a black-based tan point pattern:

Basic Pattern

The genetics behind the black and silver pattern:

• • E/-
    • ky/ky
      • aw/-
        • agouti
"pepper & salt"
      • at/-
        • tan points
"black & silver"
      • a/a
        • recessive black
"black"
    • KB/-
      • dominant black
"black"
  • e/e
    • recessive red
" white"

A Locus

Mini Schnauzer with a tan point pattern are a^t/a^t at their A locus.

K Locus

To express their tan point pattern, the Mini needs to be k^y/k^y at their K locus.

E Locus

At the E locus, there is either a wild-type E or a melanistic mask E^m allele. Never e/e.

The wild-type E enables normal pattern expression.

With at least one copy of E^m, there will be a black mask. Masks may produce face markings that do not align with the breed standard requirements since masks will cover some of the dog’s silver markings.

Pigment Colors

To get black and silver coloring, you need black eumelanin and white phaeomelanin.

Phaeomelanin

Schnauzer patterns always come with very pale silvery white phaeomelanin.

Eumelanin

Dogs with a B/- D/D genotype will produce black eumelanin.

Other Traits

Traditionally, Miniature Schnauzers do not have white markings or merle.

White Markings

Solid Miniature Schnauzers have a solid coat (S/S).

If they had piebald spotting (s^P), they would be called “black & silver parti“.

Merle

Purebred black Miniature Schnauzers do not come in merle.

Graying

Some Schnauzers, especially in the US, have progressive graying. This can produce an off-color in black and silver dogs since it would gradually fade all the black pigment to a gray color.

More Miniature Schnauzer Colors

Purebred Miniature Schnauzers come in other colors than black and silver:

Learn More