BEES-N-TEES
KENNEL & STORE
Miniature Pinscher History

The Miniature Pinscher is not a scaled-down, version of anything, especially the much larger
Doberman Pinscher, although both are likely descended from the German Standard Pinscher. It
is a distinctly German breed often referred to as the Zwerg or Dwarf Pincher in historical
documents. German Kennel Club documents also refer to the Miniature Pinscher as the "reh"
Pinscher, but this term is only used for a dog of stag-red color, "reh" referring to a small red deer
found in German forests years ago. The one fact remains that the Miniature Pinscher originated
several centuries ago as an efficient barnyard ratter, with no relation to the Doberman or the
Manchester Terrier.

Historical artifacts and paintings place the Min Pin as a very old breed, but factual
documentation began less than 200 years ago, leaving his actual origins to debate. The Miniature
Pinscher is reported to include the Dachshund and Italian Greyhound among its ancestors. Many
historians and those who have researched the background of the breed agree that this heritage is
most likely, adding the shorthaired German Pinscher to the family tree.

Until the early 1900's Miniature Pinscher popularity was primarily contained in Germany and
the Scandinavian countries but has gained great popularity in the US since the first one was
registered with the AKC in 1925. Originally in the Terrier Group and reclassified as a Toy in 1930,
the official name was changed from Pinscher (Toy) to Miniature Pinscher in 1972.