Miniature Schnauzer Size Guide: How Big Does a Miniature Schnauzer Get?

If you’re looking for an apartment dog with plenty of get-up-and-go, you might consider the Miniature Schnauzer. Compact yet sporty, these dogs have an appealingly unique, somewhat human face with their bushy eyebrows that often gives them the look of a grumpy grandpa. However, in checking to make sure that you could handle one of these mischievous pups, you might find yourself wondering just how big Miniature Schnauzers get. We’ll answer that in this Miniature Schnauzer size guide.

Our handy interactive puppy growth chart and calculator takes all the hard work out of predicting your puppy’s potential adult size. This helps you to know exactly what you are in for.

The great thing about this breed is they have been around long enough for us to know plenty about them. Also, decades of breeding have made them reasonably standardized in terms of their height and general appearance. This all makes estimating their adult size relatively easy. Check out our charts and handy interactive puppy size calculator below to do just that.

Miniature Schnauzer Size Predictions by Age

Intelligent, affectionate, extroverted, Miniature Schnauzers are the smallest of the three different Schnauzer breeds – but nobody seems to have told them that. They are incredibly high energy pups with a personality that’s more than twice their size, at least! They’ll happily face up to a much larger dog if given half the chance.

Mini Schnauzers are also the most popular of the three different Schnauzers. In fact, the breed has been counted among the top twenty most popular pet dog breeds since such rankings began. This is likely due to their friendly, sociable nature and smarts, which makes them nice and easy to train. Miniature Schnauzers are great trick dogs and seem to really enjoy showing off what they learn.

This, alongside them being simple to care for, all serves to make them good pets for first-time owners and families with children. However, they can also be a bit on the stubborn side, so early and consistent training is vital for keeping these little monkeys in check.

In terms of size, Mini Schnauzers are classified as a small breed and are likely to meet these size milestones at the following ages:

Age	3 months	6 months	1 year	Adult
Weight	5 – 9 pounds	9.5 – 16 pounds	11 – 20 pounds	11 – 20 pounds
Height	4 – 8 inches	8 – 12 inches	12 – 14 inches	12 – 14 inches

*When looking at these measurements, keep in mind that a dog’s height is not measured from the top of its head but from its withers. This is the point between their shoulder blades.

Miniature Schnauzers reach 50% of their adult height and weight between 3-4 months and 75% at 5-6 months. They usually finish growing upwards at one year but will often continue to grow outwards for a couple more months after that.

Are There Different Sizes of Miniature Schnauzer?

There are actually three different sizes of Schnauzer – Miniature, Standard, and (the scarily named) Giant. However, unlike Poodles, where the different sizes are classified under the same breed, the two other Schnauzers are listed as distinct breeds and so will be covered separately here.

The Miniature Schnauzer’s diminutive size is the result of crossing original-sized Schnauzers with Affenpinschers and Poodles many, many years ago. This actually makes them one of the earliest known Doodle breeds – they’re just wearing a pretty good disguise.

There is also a slight difference in size between male and female Minis. Females tend to top out at 18 lb., whereas males can reach 20 lb. and beyond. Around 13 inches and 15 pounds would be considered the average Miniature Schnauzer size.

Miniature Schnauzer Growth Patterns

Like other dogs their size, Miniature Schnauzers develop early, so don’t let it surprise you when they are already half their expected adult weight at 3-4 months. This is very common in smaller dogs. They will likely reach their full height around 12 months, although they may continue to increase in weight for the next 2 to 4 months.

How Big is a Full-Grown Miniature Schnauzer?

Miniature Schnauzers are considered a small breed at 12-14 inches to the shoulder and 11-20 pounds. It’s rare that these dogs would significantly exceed this.

Aside from that, their exact size might also be impacted by their gender. Males commonly tend to be larger than females, but this difference is not as great as with other breeds.

Miniature Schnauzers usually get to half their full weight between 3 and 5 months and their adult weight at roughly 11-13 months.

You can calculate their potential adult weight at 18 weeks by taking what they weigh at that age and multiplying it by two.

A different formula you could use is:

1. Growth = current weight / current age in weeks
2. Adult weight = Growth x 52 (number of weeks in one year)

So, for example, if your 12-week old pup weighs 18 pounds. You simply divide the current weight by their age in weeks and multiply the result with 52:

What Age is a Miniature Schnauzer Fully Grown By?

Your Miniature Schnauzer is unlikely to increase in height beyond 12 months. However, they may get heavier after this time as their muscles continue to grow. Much of their growth will occur really early on in the first six months of their lives and will slow significantly after this.

Miniature Schnauzers make great family pets for a variety of reasons, one of which is their more manageable size compared with other breeds. Hopefully, the information provided here about their expected height, weight, and growth rate proves useful in letting you know what to expect if you decide to take on one of these quirky, delightful dogs.