White schnauzers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The White Schnauzer is a colour variety of the Miniature Schnauzer and the Standard Schnauzer breeds of dog. White schnauzers generally frowned upon by schnauzer fanciers, as the white colour was introduced into the gene pool through crosses with other breeds and therefore they are not "pure" schnauzers.

[edit] History

The white gene evolved when genes from the Poodle, Miniature Pinscher, or Affenpinscher evolved out of the breeding between them and the Standard Schnauzer.

[edit] Rumors

Somehow rumors circulated, perhaps from similarities found with blue merle dogs or white boxers that the white miniature schnauzers have medical problems and deafness. White puppies were often drowned at birth. ^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Today

Today, the American Miniature Schnauzer Club and the American Kennel Club standard describes them as undesirable and they should not be bred. However, research reveals that they have no known congenital or lethal white gene theories. They are not albino and they are affectionate and robust miniature schnauzers who exhibit all the qualities of their colored counterparts. Additionally, although 'White' is not listed as a color option on an American Kennel Club Miniature Schnauzer registration form, white miniature schnauzers can be sucessfully AKC registered by writing in 'White' (instead of selecting a standard color) and submitting photographs of the animal along with the registration form.

In some other countries (for example Finland) white is recognized and accepted color among other official miniature schnauzer colors (pepper & salt, black, black & silver).