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All Dog Breeds >>History of Miniature Schnauzer

The earliest records surrounding development of the Standard Schnauzer (or Mittleschnauzer) in Germany come from the late 19th century. They were originally bred to be medium-sized farm dogs in Germany, equally suited to ratting, herding, and guarding property and children.[citation needed] As time passed, farmers bred down the Standard Schnauzer into a smaller, more compact size perfect for ratting around the house and barn.

[citation needed] Several small breeds were employed in crosses to bring down the size of the well-established Standard Schnauzer, with the goal of creating a duplicate in miniature.[citation needed] Crossing to other breeds, such as the Affenpinscher and Poodle, had the side effect of introducing colors that were not considered acceptable to the ultimate goal — and as breeders worked towards the stabilization of the gene pool, miss-marked particolors (mixed colors) and white puppies were removed from breeding programs.

Since the 1950s, white puppies have re-emerged as a potential color variant, giving rise to the White Schnauzer Controversy of North America (see below).