What Are the Different Types of Schnauzers?

Some breeders and even pet stores would have you believe there are five types of schnauzers, the American Kennel Club recognizes only three for breeding and show purposes. Pups sold as toy or teacup schnauzers are actually smaller versions of miniature schnauzers, bred down to size by breeders to satisfy a niche market.

Giant schnauzers are the largest breed, standing more than 2 feet tall at the shoulder and sometimes weighing more than 100 pounds. The standard schnauzer is much smaller, standing only 1.5 feet in height and weighing 35 pounds or less. Miniature schnauzers are about a foot tall at the shoulder and are about 15 pounds. They fare well in both rural and urban environments, and they are the most popular of the three recognized schnauzer breed.

Purse-size puppies are popular; tiny schnauzers are no exception. Weighing in at less than a pound when they're a week old, schnauzers marketed as toy-size weigh in under 10 pounds by the time they are fully grown. Teacups-size schnauzers don't tip the scale to even 7 pounds at full adult weight. The tiny pups are prone to the same health problems as other toys, including hypoglycemia and liver shunts, due to breeding of runts to make little dogs.