The Small, Wirehaired Pinscher

The smooth-haired pinschers were immediately split by the Pinscher-Schnauzer Club into a standard variety (17½”) and a toy variety (11” or less). The very first breed description for pinschers that was recognized by the German national kennel organization in the 1880’s mentions a dwarflike variety of the wirehaired pinscher and links them together - “the miniature wirehaired pinscher or Affenpinscher”.

However, from 1900 on, the small wirehaired pinschers were shown in two different classes - one for Affenpinschers and one for the smaller version of the wirehaired pinscher. In 1903, the studbook first registered Affenpinschers separately from the other wirehaired pinschers. By 1910 the separation was complete - the breeds were known as Affenpinschers and Miniature Schnauzers.

A new standard for Miniature Schnauzers was published in 1923 and makes it clear that the Miniature Schnauzer must be a smaller version of the Schnauzer.