As obviously distinct as we see these two breeds today, there was a time in the 19th century when German Pinschers and Standard Schnauzers were regarded as varieties of the same breed; the former was considered to be the Smooth haired Pinscher, while the latter was the Wire-Haired version. As late as the 1870’s, it wasn’t unusual for both smooths and wire coated dogs to be born in the same litter, and many experts feel this suggests that the two breeds were closely related, either both developed from one ancestral breed, or one was used to develop the other. History does suggests a timeline. In 1780, the artist, Malers Vernet, portrayed a German Pinscher in a painting, but Albrecht Durer depicted Schnauzer-type dogs in a series of portraits dating from 1492 to 1502, and Lucas Cranach the Elder included the breed on a tapestry in 1501.

Happily, it’s not a race. We’re lucky to have both breeds over five hundred years later.

German Pinscher and Standard Schnauzer both by LA Shepard/thedoglover
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