History had to start somewhere; didn’t it? Whatever we want to look at has a history that started at some point in the past. From cars and blue jeans to wrist watches and six shooters. The same goes for our beloved bearded Miniature Schnauzers.

Let’s go back to the late 1800s in Germany. Standard Schnauzers were there as herders, guards and companions. In fact there are paintings depicting standards from the fourteen and sixteen hundreds. But our bearded mini ancestor didn’t appear until near the end of the nineteenth century.

It is believed that the first recorded Mini was a female named Findel. She was whelped in October 1888. These very early minis were recorded and identified more by their outward appearance than on their genetic makeup. The early versions were crossed with Affenpinschers, Miniature Pinschers or even Small Standard Schnauzers to get to the small square shape and 100% genetically pure form we have today.

They made their way across the Atlantic in the early twentieth century to America.

The AKC recognized them in 1926 and placed these spunky pups in the Terrier group in 1927. Miniature Schnauzers still compete in that group today; but only in the US and Canada; despite them having little to no terrier DNA in their history.

They remain a popular breed today as they make excellent ratters, watch dogs and companions.

We will do a more in depth look at the history of these bearded pups in America in another blog post in the future. Thanks for reading.