Standard Schnauzer

　　The ideal male Standard Schnauzer has a shoulder height of approximately 18.5~19.5 inches, and females have a shoulder height of about 17.5~18.5 inches, weighing 14~16 kg. Any deviation from this range is considered a fault. If the shoulder height exceeds or is less than this range by more than 1 inch, it is regarded as disqualification. The shoulder height is equal to the body length. In terms of proportions, females are allowed to have a body length slightly greater than their height due to reproductive reasons, to accommodate fetuses.
　　Morphological Characteristics
　　Head
　　The head is solid, rectangular, and long; it narrows slightly from the ears through the eyes to the nose leather. The entire head length is about half the length of the back (from the withers to the base of the tail). The head should appear proportionate to the gender and overall size. The expression is alert, intelligent, and brave. Eyes: medium-sized; deep brown; oval-shaped and forward-facing; neither round nor bulging. The eyebrows are arched and wiry, but must not be so long as to impair vision or cover the eyes.
　　Essentially, the Schnauzer’s spirit and entire facial expression focus entirely on the eyes, commonly known as "eyes that speak." The Schnauzer is an intelligent breed; according to tests by American dog experts, its intelligence is roughly that of a four-year-old child (American children), so instructing a Schnauzer is commonly done through "dialogue" by renowned breeders, and believe me, they really understand. Unless affected by mental illness or extreme nervousness, an approximately 18-month-old adult dog usually can read people well and sometimes understands without even speaking.
　　Ears
　　Ears are set high, well-developed, medium thickness. If cropped, ears should stand erect. If not cropped, ears should be medium-sized, V-shaped, folding forward with the inner edges close to the cheeks. Faults: erect ears or pendulous ears are faults.
　　Nose
　　The nose leather is large, black, and full.
　　A full set of white teeth with a strong and perfect scissors bite. The jaws are powerful with no overshot or undershot bite. Fault: pincers bite is a fault in competitions but less severe compared to overshot or undershot bites.
　　Body
　　Short and deep, the shortness does not hinder biomechanics. Besides requiring a chest developed enough to allow the forelimbs full front-to-back swing, another key point is that "short" should not cause the limbs to trip during movement. Regarding "deep," the standard specifies many points: chest depth must reach at least the front elbow, plus a well-developed deep rib cage that extends well back to a short loin, with the underline not excessively tucked in the abdomen. So for a good body, we consider these aspects! Chest depth must at least reach the elbows, an important observable point—thus easy to understand. Though more depth can be better, it must not be excessive; for example, a dog with deep chest losing overall balance and appearing short-legged with a low center of gravity is undesirable! Therefore, the standard states at least to the elbow but does not specify the maximum depth to allow space here. A well-developed rib cage is judged not only by length but also by the thoracic cavity's appearance: ribs long enough mean sufficient chest depth, and a properly shaped chest structure is crucial for gait and good front view. The good rib structure is even more important to feel from the side view—you must touch it to know, especially the last two ribs, as these are key to connecting well with the short loin. If the last two ribs are poorly developed, the underline rapidly rises when reaching the loin, preventing a gradual upward underline from the elbow through the abdomen, causing what the standard describes as "tucked underline."
　　Limbs
　　Shoulders: scapula is slanted and muscular, making the shoulders flat. The round top of the scapula aligns vertically with the elbow. The scapula’s forward-tilted end connects to the forelimb, appearing almost a right angle from the side.
　　Forelimbs are straight and perpendicular to the ground; legs spaced moderately; bones solid; elbows close to the body, elbow points directed backward. Dewclaws on the forelimbs may be removed. Paws are small, compact, round, with thick pads; black nails are very sturdy. Toes are tight, slightly arched (cat feet), with tips pointing straight forward.
　　Hind limbs are very muscular and proportionate to the forelimbs, absolutely never higher than the shoulder height.
　　Coat
　　Dense, harsh, wiry, and as dense as possible, with a soft and dense undercoat, rough outer coat. When observing hair texture backward, the hair grows backward, neither smooth nor flat. Hair on the muzzle and above the eyes is longer, forming eyebrows and mustaches; hair on the legs is longer than on the body. Coat color is salt and pepper or solid black. Typical salt and pepper is a mixture of black and white hairs and white hairs tipped with black, with various shades of salt and pepper, iron gray, and silver gray.
　　Eyes: medium-sized; deep brown; oval and forward-facing; wiry eyebrows, not too long to obstruct vision or cover the eyes.
　　Chin: muzzle solid, parallel to the head and equal in length to the head; muzzle tip blunt wedge-shaped with exaggerated wiry mustache, making the entire head look rectangular.
　　Appearance: muzzle contour lines parallel to the head’s contour lines. Lips are black and tight. Cheek biting muscles well developed. A full set of white teeth with a strong and perfect scissors bite.
　　Color
　　Salt and Pepper: The typical salt and pepper coat is a mixture of black and white hairs and white hairs edged with black, various shades of salt and pepper plus iron gray and silver gray. Ideally, salt and pepper Standard Schnauzers have gray undercoat, but brown or fawn undercoat is also acceptable. Facial "mask" color should be as dark as possible in harmony with the body color. In salt and pepper dogs, the salt and pepper coat on the eyebrows, mustache, cheeks, below the throat, chest, underside of the tail, lower legs, belly, and inner legs fades to light gray or silver white.
　　Black: Ideal black Standard Schnauzers have a truly solid color without fading, discoloration, mixed gray or brown hairs. The undercoat is also pure black. However, age or prolonged sun exposure can cause severe fading. Minor white spots on the chest are not faults. Fading from wounds or scars caused by cuts or bites does not count as a fault.
　　Faults: any color beyond the specified ones, such as salt and pepper mixed with rusty, brown, red, yellow, or tan; lack of salt and pepper; spotting or striping; black stripes on the back; absence of salt and pepper hair on black saddle areas or gray hairs on black Schnauzers; black Schnauzers with other colored undercoats.
　　Gait
　　Perfect, powerful, agile, poised, correct, and standard gait results from strong hind legs with proper angulation that generate good driving power. Forelimb extension balances with the hind legs. At a trot, the hindquarters are solid and level, without swing, bobbing, or arching. Viewed from behind, although paws may turn inward at a trot, they must not touch or cross. When accelerating, paws may move toward the centerline of the body.
　　Faults: side-stepping or weaving forward; choppy gait, bobbing, swinging; weak, shaky, stiff, or artificial hip movement; forelimbs turning inward or outward; cow-hocked gait with crossing or touching feet when viewed from behind.