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Like so many breeds, the exact origins of the Schnauzer is lost in time. While the
histories of the Miniatures and the Giants are probably better understood, the history of the Schnauzer is not so clear. The book, the The World of Schnauzers by Johan Gallant (Alpine) contains a very detailed dicussion which I commend to you. But, in summary, the most widely held belief is that the Schnauzer was once called the Wire Haired Pinscher. The tale of the Wire Haired Pinscher and, ulitmately, the Schnauzer starts in or about the fourteenth century and in or around that part of Europe we now know as the Austrian Tyrol. Dogs were used in this mountainous region by local folk, mainly shepherds, who brought together several breeds to help them with their flocks anf for other general purposes associated with that agrarian lifestyle. The dogs of that time and that region spread out as movement between isolated settlements increased. Ulitmately the dogs of the Tyrol found there way to Wurttemberg and Southern Bavaria in the fifteenth century: again working cattle and guarding farmer and merchant’s property. The Schnauzer grew in popularity in the fifteenth and sixteenth century as tradesmen and merchants used the breed to protect their wagons as they travelled the countryside laden with wares. These hardy, reliable guard dogs were of a size not to take up too much space in the wagon, but were fierce enough to scare away robbers. It is also said that many a wagon was parked safely outside a tavern with a Schnauzer watching over its contents. |
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Many books and histories record that the name "Schnauzer" first appeared in 1842 as a synonym for the Wire Haired Pinscher which was accepted as a pure breed around 1850. Records show that, at the 3rd International Show in Hanover in 1879, Wire Haired Pinschers were exhibited for the first time. The first Prize winner was none-other than a Wire Haired Pinscher entered by the name: "Schnauzer". It is also well accepted that Schnauzer-like dogs appear in several art works of this period. In Mecklenborg, Germany, a fourteenth century statue of a hunter incorporates a Schnauzer crouching at the hunter's feet. A dog accepted as an early Schnauzer also appears in "The Night Watchman", a statue that is dated 1620 and which stands in Stuttgardt, Germany. Well known painters of the period included Schnauzer like dogs in their works, Albrecht Durer, for example, owned one that appears in paintings from 1490 to the early 1500’s. Well known examples are "Madonnna with Animals" (1492) and "Bearing of the Cross" (1504) |
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